Colorado State falls 2 points short against Boise Broncos

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Collegian | Gregory James

Colorado State University guard John Tonje (1) shoots a 3-pointer against University of Wyoming guard Hunter Maldonado (24) Jan. 21. Tonje scored 12 of the Rams points in the 58-57 loss.

Madeline Davis

Karsyn Lane, Sports Director

After taking nearly a week off the court, the Colorado State University men’s basketball team returned to Moby Arena tonight to host Boise State University. The Rams couldn’t beat the Boise Broncos and closed out with a 80-78 loss.

Returning from a 69-53 road win against the United States Air Force Academy Feb. 7, the Rams broke an unlucky five-game losing streak spanning all the way back to Jan. 18 against San Diego State University. The last time Colorado State pulled off a back-to-back win was in December against Peru State College and Saint Mary’s College of California, both big upsets.

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I’m getting tired of tough nights and they are too … but in my opinion that’s a game we should have won here.” –Niko Medved, CSU men’s basketball head coach

Heading into the matchup, Colorado State is currently ranked 10th in the Mountain West Conference while Boise State sits comfortably at second. With the Mountain West Tournament only three weeks away and only two home games left after tonight’s match-up, every game counts.

Kicking off the first half, the Rams managed to establish an early 16-8 lead after nine minutes of battling to protect the court. This level of intensity was necessary out of the gate to combat the Broncos’ recent performance in the conference. As the energy picked up, Boise took a 6-0 run but was very quickly combatted by Colorado State’s 7-0 run of their own.

 

Slowly the Rams witnessed their lead slip away as the Broncos trailed by one point with only three minutes left in the half. This gave Boise an open opportunity to steal the lead 31-30. Despite their efforts, this lead switch ultimately led to the Rams being down 31-36 at the half. Oddly enough, senior guard Isaiah Stevens remained scoreless the entire first half.

Ready to return and protect, the Rams didn’t hesitate to retaliate.

Bringing power under the basket, forward Patrick Cartier delivered scoring the first 7 points in the second half for Colorado State. It wasn’t until five minutes in that Steven’s secured his first 2 points of the night.

An explosive performance from junior guard Isaiah Rivera, which included a 3-pointer and 2 points off an instant steal, put CSU behind by only 45-48.

Regardless of tonight’s outcome, one thing Colorado State executed well was quick ball movement. Fans witnessed behind-the-back passes, strong offense decisions and at least five touches on the ball before an attempt at the basket.

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“Our goal in the locker room is to get better every day,” Rivera said. “That’s the only thing you can focus on is living in the moment and being present.”

In the final half of tonight’s matchup, Colorado State worked to combat Boise State’s short lead. With only 6 minutes left on the clock, John Tonje secured a deep 3-pointer and one off the foul to steal the lead 65-64. In Ram fashion, this game turned into a nail bitter and the two teams fought down to the last minute. 

“I’m getting tired of tough nights and they are too … but in my opinion that’s a game we should have won here,” head coach Niko Medved said, upset about tonight’s turnout.

With nine seconds on the clock and the Rams down by four, Stevens got the ball. It was the perfect setup as he secured the 3-pointer, putting CSU down by one. However, due to last-second fouls and just not enough time left on the clock, Colorado State ended the game with a case of the Boise State blues, losing 80-78.

The Rams will hit the road this weekend to take on California State Univesity, Fresno at 3 p.m. Feb. 18.

Reach Karsyn Lane at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @karsynlane1