FORT COLLINS — Moby Madness is back.
In a battle between two of the toughest mid-majors in the country, the Colorado State men’s basketball team advanced to 9-0 on the season with a 74-58 win over Saint Mary’s at Moby Arena on Saturday.
In front of a near capacity crowd, the Rams were able to establish a lead from the get-go with efficient offense and even better defense in this one. CSU challenged everything that SMC put up and really matched the physicality that the Gaels are known for. As a result of the Rams’ defensive effort, SMC struggled to find the bottom of the net. They also struggled to keep up with CSU’s quickness, especially in transition where Niko Medved’s squad was really able to take advantage of the gap in overall athleticism.
“What a great day for our program,” head coach Niko Medved said postgame.”I love the way our guys played today. I thought they really came out with a great mentality on defense. They were aggressive (and) their hands were active… Man, it would have been hard for me to ask our guys to play much better than they did today.”
Along with creating scoring chances by getting out and running, the Rams, like they have all season, played extremely unselfishly on offense. The Gaels are known for being one of the better defensive teams in college basketball, particularly in the half court. But CSU worked the ball around the perimeter, played inside-out and found ways to crack holes in what is typically a very stout SMC unit.
As a team the Rams finished 53 percent from the floor and 56 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, which is a big reason CSU was always playing from ahead despite getting significantly outscored in the paint. While the Gaels struggled to knock down anything from deep (4-of-21), the Rams were able to consistently drain open looks from the perimeter (9-of-16), and eventually the disparity was just too much for the visitors to overcome.
Another strength for CSU in this one was the unselfishness that the Rams displayed. Six different individuals recorded at least one assist for the Rams and it was that emphasis to make the extra pass that continually allowed them to get a great shot up instead of just a good one. With the ball whipping around the floor, SMC valiantly attempted to slow down CSU but it was to no avail.
Finally, much like the assist numbers, the scoring production was a team effort with eight different Rams recording a point on Saturday. That said, David Roddy and Isaiah Stevens were phenomenal for the Green & Gold.
Roddy started slow offensively but ended up leading the Rams with 19 points in 30 minutes. 14 of his points came in the second half, though, as the versatile superstar was able to close out the win with a dominant showing down the stretch.
Stevens, on the other hand, was extremely aggressive, often using his quickness and handles to create space and avoid the physical Gaels defense. Then when he was able to get some separation from his defender, Stevens made the most of it with his smooth mid-range game.
It didn’t matter if he was at the top of the key, in the corner or on the drive, if there was a play to be made, Stevens found a way to make the most of the situation. When it was all said and done Stevens finished with 14 points, four assists and a pair of rebounds. It was his early scoring outburst that really put the Rams in a solid position to secure a win though.
“Early in the game, Isaiah Stevens really set the tone with how aggressive he was and he got some shots to fall,” Medved said. “That really rubbed confidence to our whole outfit that way.
Now sitting at 9-0, CSU will look to take the winning streak into double digits against SEC competition when the Rams face Mississippi State on a neutral court next Saturday.
