No. 15 Colorado State moved to 12-1 on the year with a 106-61 victory over Adams State on Friday night.
The win over the Division II opponent concludes what has been a phenomenal start to the year for the Green & Gold and solidifies a non-conference resume that sets the Rams up perfectly for an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament come March.
While the win over the Grizzlies is not one that we will be talking about when arguing CSU’s case as the premiere mid-major team in college basketball this winter, it was yet another step in the right direction for a squad that has primarily done all of the right things over the first couple months of the season.
The Rams started the night by building a 21-point halftime lead and did so by playing terrific team basketball (56-35). CSU recorded 20 assists on 22 made field goals over the first 20 minutes of action, and outside of a couple of sloppy possessions that resulted in easy turnovers for the opposition, the Rams largely looked like the well-oiled machine we’ve seen dominate the competition.
A big factor in establishing the early double-digit lead was the offensive execution from the starting five. With Jalen Lake back in the lineup, the starters combined for 41 first-half points and the group really set the tone with the way they hunted quality shots. In total they combined to go 17-of-22 from the floor over the first 20 minutes. It was a really encouraging offensive showing considering CSU has played just three games over the last 21 days.
When it was all said and done, the starting five combined to produce 59 points and 20 assists in a really efficient performance for the group. Those five totaled just six combined turnovers, too.
Leading the way for the Rams, Isaiah Stevens and Patrick Cartier scored 13 points apiece despite playing less than 22 minutes on the night. The veteran leaders of the roster did the majority of their damage early on but it was all they needed to do in a game where CSU had a significant talent advantage. Stevens also paced the Rams with seven assists to bring his career total to 713.
Along with those two, Jalen Lake (12) Nique Clifford (11 points) and Joel Scott (10 points) finished the win in double-digit figures.
The rotation also played their part well in this one, finishing the win with 47 points as a unit. Joe Palmer came out of his recent cold streak with a couple of timely shots from deep and scored 11 points. Javonte Johnson had a season-high 10 points in a nice performance off of the bench. And Tavi Jackson and Kyan Evans combined for 15 points as well.
As CSU advances into the gauntlet that is the Mountain West slate, things are only going to get more challenging as the Rams try to keep up this hot start. With what we’ve seen from this team over the first 13 games, though, there is no reason to doubt their abilities to live up to the task.
This is a special team comprised of unselfish athletes who all genuinely enjoy playing together. A lot of them could be stars individually in different scenarios but together they fit together perfectly.
Seasons don’t like this don’t come around very often, so definitely be sure to enjoy the ride. Buckle up, though, because the fun really starts now.
