The win was like a splash of water to calm the nerves.
Colorado State basketball managed one of its best games of the year at home against Loyola Marymount Wednesday. En route to a season-best defensive showing, the Rams grabbed a season-high 45 total rebounds and stayed consistent throughout the game. The offense, on the other hand, experienced a major spark in the first half before fizzling later on, allowing CSU to coast to its second-best points performance of the year and an 83-54 victory.
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The Rams wanted a commanding win just a week ahead of the much-anticipated Rocky Mountain Showdown — and they got just that. Mindful defense and purposeful hustle kept the Lions from catching even a glimpse of a lead. CSU stayed on top for 36:35 of the game.
Sophomore guard Kyan Evans, who’s been tenacious on the defensive end, felt prepared going against a lanky LMU.
“Just our scouting report and holding guys to taking away what they do,” Evans said. “I think we did that at a pretty high level (in) the first half. It slipped a little bit at times in the second, but I think we defended really well tonight.”
Key in the win, and potentially in next week’s matchup as well was the young point guard and, unsurprisingly, Nique Clifford. Evans hit a career-high four shots from beyond the arc off of five attempts giving the offense a plush cushion. Clifford posted another double-double with 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds.
The Rams picked up value from every corner of the team, though. 17 second-chance points were largely catalyzed by Ethan Morton’s four offensive rebounds, which was one of the few things he had to show for an overall strong defensive performance.
Coach Niko Medved emphasized offensive glass cleaning in recent practices — and it showed up against LMU.
“We wanted to do a better job on the offensive glass this year,” Medved said. “I think it’s become more of a necessity with us in the half court at times. … We (have) got to create as many opportunities as we can and create extra possessions, and it’s been great.”
A surplus in possessions turned profit as the Rams averaged 1.24 points per possession and a 50.7 scoring percentage. Tied for the team lead in shot efficiency, 6-foot-4 guard Keshawn Williams showed little fear — even taking it to the rim head on against 7-foot-1 LMU center Rick Issanza.
“We were aware of their size, but we like to think we’re gonna be a more physical team in every game we come into,” Evans said. “We just came in with a mindset that we weren’t going to let them punk us.”
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Rashaan Mbemba’s return to Moby Arena yielded a strong, physical presence down low. He returned to the lineup in CSU’s latest away stint, but hadn’t seen the court since early November prior to that. A mostly-healthy squad proved advantageous for the Rams.
“(Mbemba’s) got really good instincts, really good hands,” Medved said. “He can seal guys in the post; it’s just a game changer for us. So, knock on wood, hopefully we can keep him at least going in this direction, because we need his minutes.”
Utilizing every player to the fullest could prove invaluable in CSU’s next match on the road: Colorado.
The rivalry returns to Boulder on Saturday. None of the Rams know the atmosphere of Sox Walseth Court more intimately than Clifford, a former four-year Buff.
“It’s going to be a dog fight,” Clifford said. “It’s going to be hectic in there — I played there when the rivalry was going on. It gets crazy in there, so we’ll be ready.”
CSU won its last game against CU at home, but they’re currently sporting an away record of 9-54 against the Buffs. While only eight turnovers and limited foul trouble looked good in Wednesday’s win against LMU, the team needs to stay locked for what could be one of the toughest environments of the year.
“You still have to focus, but you get to use the emotion of the game to drive you and stay in the moment,” Medved said. “That’s hard to do; it’s very hard to do. But I’ve been doing this long enough to know if you get too emotional you get out of whack, and that never goes well.”
Harnessing the moment and recognizing the significance of certain games makes that hard, and the Rams have failed that balancing act in the past.
“I think rivalries are what make college sports,” Medved said. “I thought the game two years ago down there, obviously, we played really, really poorly. … But even with that said, you still have to play the basketball game, right?”
The Rams will look to further their current two-game winning streak with the support of a bench that saw 24 points realized against LMU. Similarly against the Lions, a 23-2 run over five minutes surely couldn’t hurt either.
“(The Rocky Mountain Showdown) is going to be a lot of fun,” Clifford said. “I get to go back to my old stomping grounds for the first time — (I) haven’t been back to the arena since. It’s going to be a really fun experience, but to me it’s just another game. That’s my mindset, and I’m going to do everything I can to help our team win.”
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @michaelfhovey.
