LAS VEGAS — Survive and advance.
Utah Stave gave No. 23 Colorado State everything it could handle on Thursday night. But with 1.8 seconds remaining on the clock, Chandler Jacobs made the game–winning layup to give the Rams a 53-31 victory over the Aggies at the Thomas and Mack Center.
“Proud of our guys for finding a way to win,” Niko Medved said postgame. “Kind of par for the course, right? You look at the first two games today — both came down to the last possession — we just didn’t want to feel left out.”
Jacobs played just 13 ½ minutes in the win and was held scoreless for the first 39 minutes of game play. After getting called for his second and third personal fouls early in the second half, Jacobs had to sit more than he typically would in a tight game. After checking back in with 12 seconds to go, though, the fifth-year senior made the biggest basket of the night.
What a phenomenal play all around. This team is just different. pic.twitter.com/EjhlWPYwcF
— Justin Michael (@JustinTMichael) March 11, 2022
Isaiah Stevens started with the basketball and after receiving a screen from David Roddy near the top of the key, the junior point guard dished the ball to a cutting Jacobs who capped off the pretty pass with a nice finish through traffic. Steven Ashworth of Utah State did manage to get off a desperation heave from near half-court afterwards but it fell well short of the rim, and CSU was able to escape the Mountain West quarterfinal with its third win over USU this year, a program that had qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons.
“It’s a next-play mentality,” Stevens said of Jacobs delivering for the Rams after a frustrating night. “ I feel like it just speaks volumes to who he is as a person and who we are as a program… As long as there is still time on the clock, you still have a chance to make something happen. And he came in and came up with the biggest bucket of the night.”
“He’s just a selfless young man,” Medved later added. “You know, as a graduate transfer, to come in here and not only accept but be willing to take any role just to be a part of this team. He’s helped us win so many games throughout the season.”
While Jacobs was the one that came up with the game-winning score in this one, Isaiah Stevens was the biggest ‘x-factor’ for the Green & Gold. He led the Rams in scoring (14 points), rebounding (7) and assists (5). Stevens also was the lone CSU player to make more than one 3-pointer (2-of-4). But even looking beyond the stats, his aggressiveness on the drive and his killer instinct is what stood out the most.
“(Isaiah) had that look in his eye tonight. Just very confident,” Medved said. “He was able to get into the paint. And I obviously think we needed to be able to get in the paint tonight. It was just one of those games.”
Along with a strong outing from Stevens, the Rams benefitted from 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting from David Roddy. The Aggies did a pretty solid job of keeping the 2022 Mountain West Player of the Year in check but much like Stevens, Roddy seemed to play with an edge against a team that he’s now had to face six times over the last two seasons.
David Roddy celebrates following a 53-51 victory over Utah State in the MWC quarterfinal. PHOTO: Ryan Greene | DNVR Rams
In regards to a developing rivalry between the two programs, Medved said that it’s really been competitive with all of the talented squads in the conference and because of that there is a natural level of respect. Everyone knows just how difficult it is to consistently come out on top in the MWC.
“Utah State is a team that has been at the top of the league and we’ve had to play them in this tournament the last two years,” Medved said. “It’s very difficult to beat any of these teams one time, let alone three times, especially after Utah State got such a convincing win last night. But yeah, I think this is one of those teams the guys look at like, ‘hey’, if you want to get where we want to get to, we’ve got to find a way to beat these guys.”
Following CSU’s 25th victory of the 2021-22 campaign (25-4), the Rams will take on San Diego State in the MWC semifinals at 10:00 p.m. MT Friday night. The Aztecs have made the championship game in seven of the past eight seasons, so getting past an experienced SDSU squad will be no easy task. The last team to prevent the Aztecs from reaching the title game just happened to be CSU in 2017 though. We’ve already seen history repeat itself in the ‘Orange Out’ win at Moby Arena. Maybe it will once again in another late-night battle between long-time conference foes.
