FORT COLLINS, CO. — Despite not playing once over the last month, the Running Rebels gave the Rams everything they could handle Thursday night.
UNLV, paced by Bryce Hamilton (23 points), led Colorado State for more than 30 minutes, and truly looked like they were poised to steal a league game on the road after entering as double-digit underdogs.
With 08:52 remaining in the game, the visiting Rebels led by 13. Almost immediately after UNLV was able to extend the lead to its largest point, though, the Rams responded with a run of their own.
First, Isaiah Stevens sunk a pair of threes in a minute — both off of assists from Kendle Moore and screens from James Moors — setting up a three-possession game with about 8 minutes to play (61-52).
Then, following Caleb Grill’s blocked 3-point attempt by David Roddy, Moore was able to sink a corner three of his own off of an assist from Stevens in transition (61-55).
After missing the second game against San Diego State to be home for the birth of his daughter, Moore hit five threes, dished out three assists, and recorded a pair of steals against the Rebels Thursday night. His addition back into the lineup was acknowledged as crucial by both his teammates and head coach postgame.
With 7:16 to play, Stevens managed to make a circus layup where he drove on a pair of bigger defenders, adjusted in mid-air to avoid contact, and finished with great touch at the rim. Immediately after, a lurking Moore stole the in-bound pass, before sinking a 3-pointer of his own. Suddenly, after being down by 13 a few minutes earlier, CSU only trailed 61-60 with 7:09 left on the clock.
To the credit of the Rebels, UNLV didn’t quit. Over the next 3 minutes they were able to stretch their lead back to 7; and for a second it looked like they might still manage to stumble out of Moby Arena with a ‘W’. That is until Roddy decided to just body his way into the paint repeatedly and help the Rams close out on a 12-2 run over the final 3:40 — a stretch in which the Rebels made just one of seven field goal attempts.
After setting a Mountain West record with a 26-point turnaround in the upset of SDSU on Jan. 02, the Rams were able to overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half once again Thursday night, topping the Rebels 74-71 at home. The victory improves CSU’s record to 7-2 on the year and 4-1 against the conference.
“End of day, we found a way to win,” head coach Niko Medved said postgame. “Gotta give UNLV a lot of credit after everything they’ve been through.”
As a team CSU shot 42 percent from the floor, which was exactly the same as UNLV. What ended up making the difference was CSU’s success beyond the arc. The Rams hit 12 of 30 attempts (40 percent) in the win, whereas the Rebels only shot 28 percent from deep (7-of-25). UNLV shooting 57 percent at the free throw line didn’t help their cause either. When the game was on the line, CSU’s ability to knock down shots at the charity stripe was a significant factor. The Rebels, on the other hand, struggled to make the “easy ones” all night.
Of the nine players that saw the floor for the Green & Gold, almost half finished with 10 or more points. Stevens was the king of the game with 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting, but Roddy (18 points), Moore (15 points) and Dischon Thomas (10 points) all had productive scoring outputs as well.
According to Stevens, the Rams will have to rebound better in the second game against the Rebels. UNLV finished +12 on the glass in a losing effort in Game 1.
Ultimately, though, it’s tough not to come away from Thursday night’s performance feeling anything other than optimistic. Was it perfect? Far from it. But just like they have all year, when the game was on the line, CSU found a way to make it happen.
Next Up: UNLV on Saturday (2:00 p.m. MT). TV: FS1.
