FORT COLLINS – In a bizarre game that featured poor shooting, head-scratching turnovers, eight lead changes and six ties, Colorado State came up short. The Rams (8-4) dropped their second straight as Loyola Marymount pulled off a stunning 69-66 victory in Moby Arena.
ULM’s Brandon Brown knocked down a 3-pointer with one second remaining to give the Lions a come-from-behind road win.
“In spite of telling them and telling them and repeatedly telling them, if you let them hang around, they’re going to beat you in the end,” said Larry Eustachy. “Am I frustrated? Yeah. Are our players frustrated? Yeah. But they had an opportunity to win a big game.”
Neither team could get much of anything going from the start, as the Rams and Lions went scoreless in the opening 2:09. ULM grabbed the initial lead in large part due to CSU’s inability to find any offensive rhythm.
The Rams also failed to knock down many shots, going 2-of-10. However, the Lions weren’t much better, going 4-of-13 in the same span.
CSU fell in love with the 3-pointer in the first half, shooting nine of them in the first 12 minutes and making only a pair of them.
ULM took a 30-27 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Lions edged the Rams in a number of categories, specifically rebounding (26-16), points in the paint (18-6) and second-chance points (10-0).
But the traditionally slow-starting Rams looked like a different team once again in the second half. Eustachy’s crew went on a 9-2 run, with Emmanuel Omogbo notching the first four points.
A combination of better shooting and points off Lions’ turnovers helped CSU extend their lead. But the Rams were unable to put away a pesky Lions team that boasts a number of upperclassmen.
Eustachy emphasized postgame that the game wasn’t lost on Brown’s three at the end, but when CSU let the Lions back into it.
“That wasn’t the game,” Eustachy said, referring to the shot. “The game was when we were up seven, 10. And we just got casual. Those guys (ULM) were not going to let you get away with that.”
So what happened down the stretch from a player’s perspective?
“I think everyone had their own agenda,” said Prentiss Nixon, referring to the team’s poor offensive showing in the back end of the second half. “It showed. Everyone was trying to make 1-on-1 plays to the rim and trying to create for themselves instead of create for others. We got the lead by creating for each other, so we got away from our way of playing and turned the ball over. Putting those two things together doesn’t result in anything good. Ever.”
The final stats also reflected how strange this one was. Both teams shot 43 percent, including a combined 12-of-41 from beyond the arc. Free throws were also a challenge, as the squads shot 67 percent and 68 percent, respectively.
A whopping 14 turnovers each led to sloppy play on both ends. Interestingly though, CSU didn’t have their usual tenacity on the glass against the Lions, who won the rebounding battle 40-31. Those ULM rebounds led to 15 second-chance points.
Not to mention, the Mike Dunlap-coached Lions overmatched the Rams with a 30-12 advantage in points in the paint.
The stat of the game though? CSU had no field goals in the final 6:27, while the Lions connected on seven of their last eight shots.
With just one non-conference game remaining on the season, it’s clear to Eustachy what this CSU team is lacking.
“Most importantly, the experience to make the plays,” the Rams’ head coach said. “When it was time to make the plays and get the game out of reach. We just don’t have the maturity.”
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Che Bob – He was singled out after the game by Eustachy and for good reason. Bob played the most efficient minutes on the team Monday night, scoring 14 points on 3-of-5 shooting. He also pulled down six rebounds.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Rams travel to California next for a Thursday night matchup with Long Beach State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
