DENVER — The Colorado State men’s basketball team followed up its statement victory over a Sweet 16 team with another impressive win on Friday night. In front of a ruckus crowd at Moby Arena, the Rams defeated the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff convincingly, 91-71.
Here’s how it all went down.
CSU built an early lead in this one with a strong defensive showing and an efficient shooting performance to match it.
The Rams recorded assists on seven of their first 10 possessions in the game, consistently moving the ball in pursuit of a quality shot and testing UAPB’s defensive discipline in the process. Then when they finally got an open look in rhythm, the Rams didn’t hesitate to let it fly. CSU hit six of its first 12 attempts from beyond the arc and shot 50 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. CSU had seven first-half blocks as well, which is a big reason the Green & Gold led by 12 at the break (41-29).
From an effort standpoint, it was a really solid half for CSU on both ends. When there were little plays to be made, the Rams were willing to dive for the loose balls or give their all to try and contest what would have been an open jump shot.
Really, the only reason the lead wasn’t bigger for CSU, was although the Rams played efficiently and unselfishly, they had more turnovers early than they did in the entire win on Tuesday. And while it was a fairly slow start for the road team, Kylen Milton and Shawn Williams were able to do enough to keep the Golden Lions competitive. The duo combined for 23 of UAPB’s 29 points in the first half and 50 points in the entire game. UAPB was also able to take advantage of some offensive rebounds to create second-chance opportunities. But without the red-hot 3-point shooting from Milton and Williams, CSU probably covers the 32.5 point spread.
Fortunately for the Ram Faithful, CSU wasted no time stepping on their opponent’s throat coming out of the break. By the first media timeout of the second half (15:55), the Rams were able to stretch the lead to 18 points with an 8-2 run over the first 4 minutes. They never slowed down from there.
Leading the way for the Rams in the victory was the superstar duo of Isaiah Stevens and David Roddy. After combining for just 20 points in Tuesday’s beatdown of Oral Roberts, CSU’s preseason all-conference selections went for 23 in the first 20 minutes on Friday night. What’s more, they were able to get buckets from all over the floor and really put on a show with their offensive versatility. When it was all said and done, Roddy finished with his first double-double of the season with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Stevens, on the other hand, had 23 points, six rebounds and a team-high five assists.
What really stood out Stevens and Roddy in this one — aside from their always-impressive athleticism and just having a general ability to get to the hoop — was the savviness that the two played with in the victory. Their decisions were always calculated and neither guy tried to force anything. They were certainly assertive and aggressive when necessary, but they pretty much just played within the flow of the game. It was exactly what you want to see out of your best players.
Outside of the big names, John Tonje had 7 points and seven rebounds off of the bench. Dischon Thomas, making his first start of the season, finished with 8 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes of action. Jalen Lake and James Moors each had 6 points apiece as well.
As a team CSU shot 56 percent from the floor (32-of-57) and hit half of their threes in the victory (8-of-16). The Rams won the battle on the glass with 17 more total rebounds than the Golden Lions (43 vs. 26). They also had 20 more points in the paint (42 vs. 22) and hit 19 of 21 free throws. While they will want to cut down the final turnover total (15), all in all it was a respectable performance in the early stages of the season.
The Rams will look to move to 3-0 against Peru State on Sunday.
