The only thing better than a win is a historic win.
Colorado State men’s basketball achieved both in an 88-53 victory over Wyoming Saturday. Marking a tie for the biggest blowout in Border War history and a series sweep, the Rams controlled the game handily from beginning to end. Triumphant cries rang throughout a sold-out Moby Arena at halftime, with 20 minutes of play remaining.
The fans already knew the game was over.
As prolific as the first half was, the Rams were on the receiving end of an early beatdown just days earlier. Coach Niko Medved knew the significance of this matchup considering the result of CSU’s most recent loss.
“You (have) got to get over what happens — good or bad — and move on,” Medved said. “Utah State had a great night. I’ve never had a team make their first seven 3’s against us before. So we just moved on and we knew what this was today. (I) think it was great.”
A big bounce-back game at home meant two things: a reinvigorated squad and a footprint in one of CSU’s most notable rivalries.
From the first meeting of CSU and UW to the following 239 games, only one other contest resulted in a 35-point blowout. This year’s Rams decided to do something about that.
“Really, really proud of the guys,” Medved said. “And like I told them in the locker, that’s something — a legacy — that they’ll never be able to take away from this team.”
A strong offensive performance accompanied the unforgettable win. CSU tied for its highest 3-pointers made on the season all while shooting 61 percent from the field and 58 percent from deep. The shot confidence was clearly elevated, and players had no problem pulling up when open.
Kyan Evans was among the few attempting from a truly deep range, which was an encouraging sight for the developing star. His occasional hesitation on open looks showed only a couple of times, and he actually finished with nearly four times the number of 3-point attempts as Jalen Lake — the typical volume shooter.
Instead, it was Nique Clifford fueling the production. His standout 8-of-9 from the field — a season high efficiency — translated into 22 points and yet another double-double.
“Yeah, I definitely felt it,” Clifford said. “We were shooting it well tonight. You know, we were able to get to the hole, get good shots and everybody just trusted each other. We were taking good ones, so it was a good night for us.”
The trust materialized in the form of 26 assists, just two shy of the season high. Led by Ethan Morton’s seven dishes, CSU successfully distributed the rock at a much higher rate than the Cowboys.
In fact, Morton also contributed a nearly flawless shooting night with only one miss off of five attempts. His light touch on the drive and concentration on layups has shown itself more as the season goes on. Generally known for his defensive prowess, the addition of more regular scoring has been an added bonus for the Rams.
“He’s kind of just finding his role, finding his rhythm,” sophomore Jaylen Crocker-Johnson said. “Because people (are going to) sack off of him. So he’s gonna close up that space and create a good opportunity for us to score or get a cut or draw down the team. I mean, he’s doing a good job.”
The Cowboys failed to get their whole team involved, unlike CSU. They eventually allowed star Obi Agbim a chance to take over in the second half — unsuccessfully — following a poor 1-of-5 start for him. The guard managed a team-high tie of 15 points, along with Dontaie Allen, but failed to replicate his 26-point performance in the previous matchup.
UW largely relied on constant ball screens to get open looks, and while they had some success, the shots just weren’t falling.
“I mean, they’re in the top five in the country in percentage of possessions where they use ball screens,” Medved said. “I thought our guys did a great job of kind of changing coverages on different actions. I thought we really defeated screens well. And so whether they got some things over the course of the game, I thought we did a really good job.”
Had the Cowboys capitalized on their early chances, the game might have stayed competitive.
Instead, CSU got the opportunity to substitute in Jaden Steppe and Luke Murphy, much to the delight of the crowd, in the final minutes of the contest. The Rams finished with 33 out of 88 points coming from the bench, and even saw their lead increase early in the second half while resting starters.
“I think (the bench) came in and changed the game for us,” Clifford said. “And you know, they’re probably the most important part. Like we got to get off to a good start, but the second inning is huge for any team, and so for them to come in and play it as well as they did, it’s super good for us, our team.”
Players like Morton and Bowen Born — who exited a portion of the game with an apparent head injury — have become key pieces to a squad that can rotate frequently without skipping a beat.
With the lineup seemingly back to full health, every player could be valuable in CSU’s next game against Nevada Feb. 18 at Moby. Fortunately, the Rams are currently 6-1 within conference play at home, which may be a testament to their development over the second half of the season.
“Yeah. I thought again, our guys just really played with a lot of purpose, from beginning to end,” Medved said. “But I thought we did a great job in the first half, you know, when the game was decided, but I agree. I just think that (it was) just a really mature performance by our guys all the way around.”
Whether it was an off night for the Cowboys or an all-around best showing for the Rams, CSU rewrote history.
“It’s a fun rivalry,” Medved said. “It’s an intense rivalry. It’s one that really matters to both programs. And so again, we’re really proud of the fact that we swept Wyoming. We’re really proud of the fact that we did it decisively.”
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @michaelfhovey.
