BOULDER – Larry Eustachy told his team before their rivalry game Wednesday night that they were 15-point underdogs. It was evident that the Rams took it personal as they stunned the Colorado Buffaloes 72-58 at Coors Event Center.
“This one was really big for us,” said Emmanuel Omogbo, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while also playing with four fouls for a good chunk of the second half. “We played his (Eustachy’s) ball tonight. We played Larry ball. Any time we play Larry Eustachy ball, we have a chance to win.”
The Rams grabbed the lead on their first possession when J.D. Paige nailed a three-pointer as the shot clock expired. Six early points by Derrick White gave the Buffaloes an early 11-6 advantage with 12:27 to go in the first half.
But a confident performance by redshirt freshman Nico Carvacho got CSU right back in it. With 4:33 remaining in the opening 20 minutes, the green and gold completed a 6-0 run paced by the big man, as well as Omogbo.
The teams traded leads for the most part going into halftime, with CSU taking a 30-27 advantage into the locker room.
CU shot 44 percent in the first half compared to CSU’s 30 percent, however, the Rams made all nine of their free throws. Tad Boyle’s crew made just 3-of-9 from the charity stripe.
That three-point halftime lead grew to nine for CSU at the 15-minute mark in the second half. Carvacho and Omogbo connected from beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions to spark what would be a thrilling final 20 minutes.
Both teams got into foul trouble, making for a number of high-stress free throws late in the game. CSU made their first 18 shots from the line before Che Bob missed the 19th. In total, the Rams went 26-of-33 compared to the Buffaloes, who shot just 17-of-31 from the line.
It turned out to be difference in the game.
“I was as impressed as I’ve been since I can remember,” Eustachy said of the free throws. “Because to make those free throws in a row is staggering.”
And yet, it doesn’t take away what CSU did as a team to get the win. Four different Rams got into double figures, none of which played better than Carvacho, who totaled 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out.
“I have confidence in myself and my teammates have confidence in me, my coaches,” said Carvacho. “So I just got out there and played my game.”
The Buffaloes’ faithful was stunned with how this one played out. And for the first time since winning three straight in 1950, 1951 and 1953, the Rams have won consecutive games in Boulder going back to their road victory in 2014.
“We thought we could win this game,” Eustachy said. “I was shocked that we were 15-point underdogs. I really was because we thought we have a team that’s built to go on the road. It’s the best young defensive team I’ve ever had. So we’re built to not shoot it well and still win.”
So does a win like this give Eustachy the belief that his young team can compete for a conference championship as soon as this year?
“I don’t want to go that far,” said the Rams’ head coach. “We have nine guys that all buy into what we’re doing. I’ve always said that Reno is second and we’re seventh. There’s not a huge difference between those two teams. There’s a lot of competition in the Mountain West. But we’re just going to enjoy tonight and concentrate on Wichita State.”
One player in particular who enjoyed tonight was Devocio Butler, who came off the bench to score 13 points and grab three rebounds. Butler, a junior college transfer, never played in an environment that resembled the electric crowd at Coors Event Center.
“I’ve never been in this atmosphere,” Butler said. “I’ve never played in anything like that. Coming in, Coach just kept telling me to hold my composure, stay calm. But I wasn’t nervous. It was just another game.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Another tough non-conference team comes calling Saturday afternoon when Wichita State visits Moby Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
