For a final dance in Moby Arena, Colorado State men’s basketball seniors said goodbye in an all too fitting fashion.
Seniors Nique Clifford, Jalen Lake, Ethan Morton and Bowen Born played their respective roles perfectly against San Jose State Tuesday. In an 83-56 victory, the Rams coasted to their second dominant win over the Spartans and completed the sixth series sweep of the season. With a new school record for conference wins in a season, the soon-to-be graduates received a standing ovation and farewell in the final seconds of the game.
“I didn’t think it was (going to be emotional),” Lake said. “I was trying to take it one day at a time, but just when I saw the crowd out there and seeing everybody and the fans — these four years have been special, and it means a lot.”
Being one of the young players with plenty of time left, guard Kyan Evans did his best to honor the player who welcomed him into the program.
(It was the) last time we were going to suit up together, so we wanted to go out on a bang,” Evans said. “(Lake) was kind of the guy that got me here. He was my host on my visit — so, just to send him off with the win was big for me.”
CSU didn’t need a miracle to pull off that wish.
SJSU never got anything consistent going, and the Rams were fine with taking what they could get. Neither team was particularly organized — as passing was sloppy at times — but CSU capitalized with 21 points off turnovers. The Rams also racked up 11 steals, taking several potentially valuable possessions from the Spartans.
Morton did what he does best and locked down SJSU’s leading scorer: Josh Uduje. At just over six minutes of play in the first half, Morton substituted in and largely guarded the Spartan star.
Uduje’s next point didn’t come until the second half.
“I think we’re really dangerous, especially when we’re playing together on offense — and most importantly — when we’re playing with defensive intensity,” Evans said. “ I think that’s when we’re at our best. So, when we’re playing well, we’re definitely going to be tough to beat.”
Born embodied that spirit by playing where he needed to be and pushing through contact despite being the shortest on the roster. He eventually exited the game in now-familiar fashion: sporting a head injury.
“The next time I look around and Bowen’s on the ground, I’m like, ‘Oh no, did he get hurt? That would be brutal,’” coach Niko Medved said. “And then, of course, he gets up and he’s got blood on his face. I’m like, ‘Actually, that’s pretty fitting,’ because that just exemplifies his year here with us.”
The Rams fought through a difficult transition this year with the help of new additions like Born and Morton. CSU lacked identity and struggled during nonconference, and December was unforgiving.
“I mean, there were some low points, but that game at (Colorado) was a low point,” Medved said. “But they didn’t point fingers, they didn’t blame each other. They just got back to work.”
As one of the true leaders of the team, Clifford was the stabilizer throughout the season. With his years of experience, athleticism and scoring ability, the team seemed to form around him early on.
Now, each member has more definition in their roles. The CSU star has increased his shot efficiency as a result, and Tuesday was no different. He finished with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting while tying for the team lead in rebounds.
The alleviation of scoring pressure has Clifford taking better shots and relying more on his team.
Sophomore Nikola Djapa took on some of the burden in the form of 7-foot-2 Chol Marial. Despite towering over each Ram, Marial finished with only four rebounds and zero points. The young CSU center boxed out and set screens effectively, providing an extra layer of assurance for the Rams.
For a team projected seventh in Mountain West preseason polls, the transformation is night and day.
“It’s going to be the legacy of this team,” Medved said. “I mean, it’s a story you can tell the other people — just to never quit, never give up, to not listen to anything else and just believe that you can turn it (around). And when you’re willing to buy into something bigger than yourself, something like that can happen.”
Lake embodied the resolve of this season’s squad perhaps the closest. In his four years at CSU, he did what was asked of him — even if it meant a dip in playing time.
He bought in to the culture at CSU and wasn’t looking for a prize, but he got it anyways.
“This is probably one of the most rewarding seasons,” Lake said. “Just where we were in the beginning of the year — in October and November and December — to now. Just the growth that we had — we stayed resilient through it all.”
The Rams now stand at 15-4 in the MW and 21-9 overall. They face off against Boise State Friday, March 7 in Boise, Idaho for a tough final regular season test before heading to Las Vegas for the MW Tournament. CSU still currently holds the No. 2 position in the conference.
“We’ve proven we can play and beat anybody, but there’s other teams that feel the same way,” Medved said. “And so we’re not alone in that. There are a lot of teams — this team we’re going to play on Friday is playing as well as anybody, too.”
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @michaelfhovey.
