Takeaways: Rams return to Moby after proving themselves against the Aztecs

FORT COLLINS, CO. — Colorado State fell to San Diego State 78-65 in the second matchup of the two-game road trip Monday night. While the Rams (6-2, 3-1) were unable to complete the sweep, splitting at one of the toughest venues in the country is nothing to complain about for a team that has no seniors on the roster — especially considering CSU made history in the 26-point comeback win on Saturday. 

Here are the takeaways.

David Roddy (15 points) and Isaiah Stevens (11 points) each had quiet scoring nights for their standards but still impacted the game like you’d expect the leaders to. 

Even though Stevens struggled to find his shot for most of the night (4-of-10) and led the team with four turnovers, what stood out about the sophomore point guard was that he recognized he needed to pivot his game and help his teammates out in other ways. Because he was able to do so, the 2019 Mountain West Freshman of the Year nearly put up a triple-double with 11 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds. 

Impressively enough, Stevens is only the fourth player in program history with multiple point-assist double-doubles. Before Monday night, Stevens last recorded a double-double with points and assists in the 3OT victory over Tulsa back in December of 2019. (26 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds) 

Roddy, on the other hand, only had a single assist in a losing effort but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The sophomore forward demonstrated his stellar passing ability on multiple cross-court feeds to teammates. Unfortunately, it was just one of those nights where CSU struggled to consistently find the bottom of the net, and his shooters were rarely able to capitalize on his quality passes. 

While Roddy did not fill the stat sheet with assists, he did tie with John Tonje for the team lead in scoring — even after picking up a pair of early fouls — which ended up limiting his minutes in the game. Even with the foul trouble, Roddy definitely provided a steadying presence for the Rams in their second half runs, and helped make the score more respectable. 

On multiple occasions Roddy put the basketball on the floor and bullied his way through the lengthy Aztec defenders. From there he either was able to finish at the rim or draw free throws, showing the veteran SDSU players just how tough of a draw the big man from Minneapolis, MN. is. 

It obviously would have helped CSU’s cause if two of its most productive players would have been able to get off to a faster start on the offensive end. But considering the circumstances, it’s encouraging that these two didn’t try to do too much. Instead, they played within the game and it’s part of why the Aztecs weren’t able to just completely run the Rams out of the building like they do to most opponents when they get a lead.

When bad teams get down, they press the issue and lose by a million. CSU’s leading duo made sure they at least had a fighting chance, which is honestly all you can ask for. So far this season, CSU’s high basketball IQ has consistently proven to be one of its greatest strengths — which come March will definitely matter. In the biggest games it’s the teams that can adjust that typically come out on top. 

Another great strength of most NCAA Tournament teams is a strong rotation off the bench, and CSU excels in this area as well. As a true freshman, Isaiah Rivera is getting valuable minutes and flashing his sky-high potential on a nightly basis. He hit a corner 3, grabbed a pair of rebounds and had a steal in 19 minutes tonight.

It’s been John Tonje, though, that’s really shined on CSU’s second unit — and he did so once again Monday. After hitting the game-winner over the weekend, the sophomore from Omaha, NE. had a career-high 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting — which should be a surprise to nobody at this point. Tonje has consistently entered the game with an attack-first mindset and it’s really helped a Rams team that has struggled to score early in games. 

It takes more than five players to win on a consistent basis and Tonje is clearly one of the most important components of this young group. His jump shot looks improved from a year ago, and he’s made massive strides on the defensive end as well. Look for Tonje to see his minutes continue to increase — particularly if he keeps shooting 3’s at such an efficient rate (43 percent). 

Finally, in his first career start, James Moors displayed some of what has this staff really excited about his game. The 6-foot-10 center from New Zealand is still developing on both ends of the floor but his versatility and athleticism make him a really intriguing option at the five. 

It’s not exactly his strength but you have to respect Moors’ jump shot enough that when he puts the ball on the floor and drives, it’s hard for opposing big men to keep up with his quickness. We saw this on a couple of different takes on Monday. Plus, we already knew what he was capable of doing in the post when he plays with his back to the rim.

As the season goes on, Moors and Dischon Thomas should only improve and get more comfortable within their roles on the team. Of all the position groups on the floor, none have had to deal with more quality players than the big men — and that’s unfortunate because instead of going up against a bunch of small schools, CSU has been facing league opponents and teams that will contend for March Madness bids. 

After a successful road trip to California the Rams will now return home for a two-game series with UNLV (1-4, 0-0) later this week. The first matchup is Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. MT and Saturday’s game will tip off at 2:00 p.m. MT at Moby Arena. Unlike the Rams, the Rebels were able to play five games in November/December but it’s been a month since the Rebels last played a game. We’ll see if shutting down for a COVID-19 outbreak impacts UNLV’s offense as much as it did for CSU.