Recap: Rams run down in overtime, lose 87-80 to Nevada in Reno

When it came to overtime, the Rams went bankrupt in Reno.

After trailing for most of the first half, Colorado State Rams men’s basketball took the 33-31 lead into the break as Antwan Scott scored 14. And after leading for most of the second half, the Rams allowed Nevada to take the lead before Joe DeCiman tied the game at 69, which led to overtime.

There, CSU was dominated, despite the Wolf Pack being without their two best players, as Nevada went on to win 87-80.

With 3:38 to go, the Rams trailed 56-61. That’s when John Gillon took the ball to the rack, was fouled and scored. He converted the and-one to bring the game to 59-61, Nevada.

That and-one sparked a 9-1 Rams run, giving the green and gold a 67-62 advantage with 1:56 to go in regulation. But, with the CSU trailing 67-68, Gillon was called for an offensive foul and Nevada’s D.J. Fenner went 1-2 from the line for a 67-69 lead. But then, wildly, Joe DeCiman was tripped and fouled while running up the floor, which meant two free throws with only 0.4 on the clock. DeCiman sank both and the game went to overtime.

There, Nevada had all the energy, scoring 18 points to CSU’s 11 as the Wolf Pack won 87-80.

STAR OF THE GAME

Antwan Scott scored 30 points, his second-highest point-scoring contest of the season (35 vs. Utah State). He also added nine rebounds, two steals, along with one assist and a steal each.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The play of the game was the “offensive foul” which should have either been a no-call or a defensive foul because the Nevada player was still moving when Gillon went into the air and the defender completely flopped. That meant a two or three-point swing depending on if Gillon would have made the and-one free throw or not.

This is not an offensive foul. #mwbb #CSURams pic.twitter.com/sAw5KV3fSN

— Rich (midnight blue 🌠and sunshine yellow ☀️) (@RichKurtzman) February 28, 2016

TURNING POINT

That drive by Gillon which was an and-one, correctly called, was the turning point as it sent CSU on a 9-1 run and gave them a five-point lead late.

BY THE NUMBERS

This was not a pleasant game on the eyes if you’re a fan of offensive basketball. CSU shot 35 percent from the field while Nevada made only 38 percent of their attempts from the floor.

The Rams went 9-31 (29 percent) from downtown. Some of them were plainly poor shot selections, especially late in the game.

LASTING IMPACT

This is the Rams fourth loss in five games as the wheels are starting to come off. Colorado State now sits at 15-14 overall and 7-9 in the Mountain West with two games to go. The team will come home before flying back west to face Fresno State on Wednesday, head coach Larry Eustachy said after the win over New Mexico last Tuesday.

WHAT’S NEXT

CSU heads to Fresno, California to play the Fresno State Bulldogs (20-9, 11-5 MW). That game tips off late Wednesday night (9 p.m. MT) and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.