No. 20 Colorado State is 7-0 with three high-major victories following Wednesday’s 88-83 victory over Colorado.
While the Buffs kept things interesting thanks to a combined 51 points from KJ Simpson and Cody Williams, the Rams led for just under 38 minutes in front of the sold out crowd and controlled the matchup throughout.
CSU’s biggest lead of the night was 15 points and it came right before halftime. After Jalen Lake made the most of getting fouled behind the arc by going 3-of-3 at the free throw line, Josiah Strong intercepted Julian Hammond’s inbound pass and swiftly made a layup as time expired to put the Rams up 41-26 at the break.
The crucial sequence was a perfect way to cap off a really solid defensive effort by the Green & Gold over the first 20 minutes. CSU held CU to just 10-of-26 shooting in the first half, including 0-of-5 from deep. The Rams also forced nine first-half turnovers, resulting in 15 points for Niko Medved’s squad.
Following the win over their in-state rivals, Isaiah Stevens called the sequence huge and pointed out that it ultimately gave the Rams the cushion they needed. After holding the Buffs to just 26 points initially, CU out-scored CSU 57-47 in the second half. But that was not enough to overcome the 15-point hole they were initially buried in by CSU’s impressive start.
“Jesus, man, we couldn’t stop nothing in the second half,” Stevens joked.
“We got the stops when we needed to but we’ve got to be better there. And obviously, I feel like that finish to the first half, it’s what ultimately gave us the cushion we needed.”
He was a savvy passer and distributed the ball all over the floor. He was a lethal scorer that produced 18 points when the Rams really needed it down the stretch. It was everything we’ve come to expect from him.
While Stevens would be the one to receive an MVP award for his efforts in this one, CSU’s depth was also a major difference in the outcome. The Rams finished +14 in bench points and got a stellar performance from the rotation on a night where CSU was shorthanded.
Jalen Lake scored 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting after breaking his finger in practice earlier this week. Following the game, Medved told reporters that Lake will need surgery to repair the injury and will be out an estimated six weeks. Somehow he was able to gut it out and put together one of the better performances of his career though.
“Tonight he wanted to tape it up and give it a go,” Medved said. “I think that performance from him tonight, doing that for us and the way he played, it’s a legendary deal. It really rallied the team.”
Along with an inspirational outing from Lake, Joe Palmer summoned his inner “Headband Joe” by sparking the Rams with 11 first-half points.
“Joe is the Energizer Bunny, right? He came in and I thought his 3’s really calmed us down,” Medved said.
“He made some huge timely shots when we needed them. When those go through, it kind of calms you down and juices up your team. He’s done that for us all year. He’s just been a guy that comes in and brings great energy and enthusiasm. And in a long line of people, he was terrific.”
As they have been all year long, the transfers Nique Clifford and Joel Scott, were extremely impactful on both ends of the floor.
Scott had 15 points and five rebounds to go along with his two blocks and two steals, so it’s unsurprising that he was +11, which led all players in the game. Any time that he left the floor, you could feel things loosen up in the paint for CU. He provided a sure option for Stevens to dump the ball off to when the Buffs would close in on him on the drive as well.
Clifford scored 15 points and pulled down a team-high six rebounds. He had a block and a steal in the win, too.
After transferring over from CU in the offseason, Clifford downplayed things earlier this week, telling the Collegian that it was just another game. After beating the Buffs in an electric atmosphere, though, Clifford opened up a bit more and said that while he tried to have the mindset of just any other game, the reality was that this one was different for him. He has deep ties with the guys on the other side. So it felt really good to be able to come out on top.
With the game winding down and a victory nearly in hand, it was Clifford’s emphatic dunk to break the press that essentially sealed the deal for CSU. With a smile on his face, Clifford said postgame that he just wanted to hype up the crowd.
“It was electric in there after that, so it was just a fun moment,” Clifford said.
“Nique is a guy I’m really proud of,” Medved added later. “I mean, that’s not easy, man. He’s a human being and you’re playing against your former teammates and coaches. Guys you knew, who you lived with.”
Medved continued, explaining that Clifford’s approach going into the game was tremendous. He was locked in from the start and he did not put himself in a bad spot by trying to do too much. He just went out there and played within the flow of the game.
“He just played the same way he’s played all year,” Medved said. “But that was a cool moment for him to get that dunk at the end.”
Following the win over the Buffs, the top-20 Rams are hoping to keep the win streak going with a neutral site victory over the Washington Huskies. While it would be easy to assume that this group might be feeling themselves a little bit too much after the success they’ve had to begin the year, this CSU squad really feels different.
Stevens and Clifford emphasized the importance of keeping the same mentality they had before they were a ranked team. And with the way this group has handled things so smoothly out of the gate, that feels like it’s more than just players spouting the typical cliches. This team really does have a different level of maturity than what you would expect from a bunch of college kids.
“Obviously you like being rewarded for the work you’ve put in up to this point, but the minute you start, as we call it, drinking the Kool-aid, you’ll probably take a step back with your preparation or your attention to detail. And we didn’t do that,” Stevens said. “We had great days of prep and ultimately it showed on the floor.”
