LAS VEGAS – Fresh starts aren’t always clean.
For the start of the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship, Colorado State looked at this tournament as a fresh start. With a new attitude, they knew things weren’t always going to be clean, and that was evident in their game against San Jose State.
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In a back and forth game, the Rams pulled off a scrappy 72-62 victory over the Spartans. The 10 points that separated the two teams was Colorado State’s largest lead of the game, truly demonstrating the tight energy this game held.
On the stat sheet, the Rams outplayed the Spartans both offensively and defensively. Colorado State outshot San Jose State 53% from the field and 32% at the 3-point line.
“We ended up (at) 53%,” coach Niko Medved said. “We made some timely threes when we had to.”
There was a reason however, that the score was as tight as it was. San Jose’s defense held the Rams to only 34 points in the first half and was able to rebound 13 times. The rebounds allowed offensive opportunities for the Spartans, and they were able to keep the score close with 29 points scored after the first 20 minutes of play.
Despite the close score and strong Spartan defense, the Rams knew things would change after the half. With the depth of the Colorado State roster and the time spent in practice, Joe Palmer couldn’t help but smile during the final minutes of the game.
“Practice and games are a lot easier when you have players like Isaiah Stevens, Joel Scott, (Patrick) Cartier, Nique Clifford, and all those guys where you come in every day and you can’t help but smile because they always got your back even when you are struggling,” Palmer said.
It wasn’t all fun for Colorado State, with things heating up in the second half. The longest run for either team was 15 points, where Colorado State was able to surpass San Jose State 34-25; on the Spartans’ side, San Jose’s longest run was only 6 points, happening in the first half.
This win is just another step in the “survive and advance” strategy that Medved is taking into the Mountain West tournament.
“Everything is a one-game season right now, it’s survive and advance,” Medved said. “We were able to do that today, and then we’ll get ready for tomorrow.”
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For the large senior class of the Rams, extending their playing time to another day is exactly what they want. Not just to continue on in the tournament, but for another day of practice and team camaraderie.
“(I’m a) fifth-year senior,” Palmer said. “So anytime I can get on that court and compete against anyone, whoever it is, I’ll be ready to go.”
The Rams next opponent is No. 2 Nevada, who Colorado State has had trouble with in the past. In their first contest, the Wolf Pack defeated the Rams 77-64, and in their second time meeting, they once again defeated the Rams 77-74.
While improvements were made, the Rams will need to play at their best in order to move on to the next game in the tournament. Jarod Lucas of Nevada has been the main threat in the Rams’ losses.
With their most recent face-off, Lucas shot a buzzer-beating Hail Mary to defeat the Rams. The threat Lucas poses will be difficult to mitigate given Colorado State’s performance against San Jose State.
While technically the Rams had a higher scoring percentage over the Spartans, the Rams allowed more scoring opportunities. Colorado State allowed 57 field goal opportunities and 21 3-point opportunities.
With a big game on the horizon, Medved and the team haven’t given much thought to the fact that a potential NCAA tournament bid has been secured for the Rams.
“I mean, that sounds pretty cool to me,” Palmer said. “(But) we’ve been focused on just 40 minutes at a time, those games, that one game, so we were focused on San Jose State today. We focus on Nevada tomorrow.”
Reach Emma Askren at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @emma_askren.
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