Colorado State University Athletics
Wednesday, November 20
Fort Collins, Colo.
7 p.m. MT
Colorado State
3-2,0-0Mountain West
78
vs
80
Arkansas State
5-1,0-0Sun Belt
1
2
F
Arkansas St.
33
47
80
Colorado St.
39
39
78
Photo by: Cris Tiller
Rams To Learn From Loss To Arkansas State Wednesday Night
11/20/2019 10:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Sometimes a win can be detrimental.
Odd, but coaches have their own philosophy.
If Kendle Moore or Nico Carvacho had converted in the final seconds Wednesday in Colorado State men's basketball's 80-78 loss to Arkansas State, it would've put a veil over the team's lackluster effort. The game was a step back, but also a way to move forward.
"Sometimes, no one wants to win more than me, but let's say we complete that play or we lay it in and we end up holding this team off and winning. It wouldn't change anything that happened in the game," head coach Niko Medved said. "It wouldn't change anything about our defensive intensity. What you wouldn't accept in losing, you can't accept in winning."
The Rams allowed the Red Wolves to rack up 13 3-pointers on only 20 attempts. CSU's 10-point lead with 4:59 to go was largely eradicated with the struggles to defend beyond the arc.
Chalking it up to a youthful team would be the easy escape route. The excuse is one which holds little weight.
"We weren't dialed in down the stretch," Isaiah Stevens said. "I don't care if we're young, I don't care if we've got a lot of new guys, we've got to be able to finish basketball games."
The cracks showed in the first half. With their offense rolling to 11 points in the final four minutes, the Rams allowed nine. What could've been a sizable halftime lead turned into a close margin.
Their late outburst was the only reason the game was as close as it was at the end. They drew 26 fouls from the visitors and forced three of the Red Wolves' five starters to foul out.
The same aggression which propelled the offense lost its rigor once they crossed half court on the other end.
"I thought we had command of the game there," Medved said. "I just thought our intensity level there was really poor. We didn't make a lot of shots, but we were attacking, we were getting good stuff that way. We had to win this game on defense; we had to guard better."
Every part of the Rams' defense struggled. Transition defense, making switches and even allowing offensive boards – all things the larger team should've handled in the mind of their leader.
Recapping the game in advance of the team's trip to the Cayman Islands is going to be hard. With so much youth, it's a necessary evil. The constant flux of results for the Rams is a rapid lesson in maturation.
"Whether you win or lose, everything is an opportunity to grow," Medved said. "It's going to be a hard film to watch. Guys are going to look at it and you lose these games… It's going to be hard to sit there and watch and think about all the things that you let get away.
"Sometimes those things end up teaching you some of the best lessons."
The one outlier in the contest was more history for Carvacho. With 15 points and five rebounds, he became the first player in Mountain West history to surpass 1,000 rebounds and points for his career. In doing so, he joined a group which includes Shaquille O' Neal, Patrick Ewing and Tim Duncan, among others.
A win would've meant more than joining an illustrious group.
"It seems like every game you play, there's something else for that kid," Medved said. "He'd be the first to tell you that it doesn't mean very much for him tonight."
The Rams' first chance to take advantage of the learning opportunity will come in five days when the team tips off at the Cayman Island Classic against New Mexico State.
November 20, 2019 Notes vs. Arkansas State
Odd, but coaches have their own philosophy.
If Kendle Moore or Nico Carvacho had converted in the final seconds Wednesday in Colorado State men's basketball's 80-78 loss to Arkansas State, it would've put a veil over the team's lackluster effort. The game was a step back, but also a way to move forward.
"Sometimes, no one wants to win more than me, but let's say we complete that play or we lay it in and we end up holding this team off and winning. It wouldn't change anything that happened in the game," head coach Niko Medved said. "It wouldn't change anything about our defensive intensity. What you wouldn't accept in losing, you can't accept in winning."
The Rams allowed the Red Wolves to rack up 13 3-pointers on only 20 attempts. CSU's 10-point lead with 4:59 to go was largely eradicated with the struggles to defend beyond the arc.
Chalking it up to a youthful team would be the easy escape route. The excuse is one which holds little weight.
"We weren't dialed in down the stretch," Isaiah Stevens said. "I don't care if we're young, I don't care if we've got a lot of new guys, we've got to be able to finish basketball games."
The cracks showed in the first half. With their offense rolling to 11 points in the final four minutes, the Rams allowed nine. What could've been a sizable halftime lead turned into a close margin.
Their late outburst was the only reason the game was as close as it was at the end. They drew 26 fouls from the visitors and forced three of the Red Wolves' five starters to foul out.
The same aggression which propelled the offense lost its rigor once they crossed half court on the other end.
"I thought we had command of the game there," Medved said. "I just thought our intensity level there was really poor. We didn't make a lot of shots, but we were attacking, we were getting good stuff that way. We had to win this game on defense; we had to guard better."
Every part of the Rams' defense struggled. Transition defense, making switches and even allowing offensive boards – all things the larger team should've handled in the mind of their leader.
Recapping the game in advance of the team's trip to the Cayman Islands is going to be hard. With so much youth, it's a necessary evil. The constant flux of results for the Rams is a rapid lesson in maturation.
"Whether you win or lose, everything is an opportunity to grow," Medved said. "It's going to be a hard film to watch. Guys are going to look at it and you lose these games… It's going to be hard to sit there and watch and think about all the things that you let get away.
"Sometimes those things end up teaching you some of the best lessons."
The one outlier in the contest was more history for Carvacho. With 15 points and five rebounds, he became the first player in Mountain West history to surpass 1,000 rebounds and points for his career. In doing so, he joined a group which includes Shaquille O' Neal, Patrick Ewing and Tim Duncan, among others.
A win would've meant more than joining an illustrious group.
"It seems like every game you play, there's something else for that kid," Medved said. "He'd be the first to tell you that it doesn't mean very much for him tonight."
The Rams' first chance to take advantage of the learning opportunity will come in five days when the team tips off at the Cayman Island Classic against New Mexico State.
November 20, 2019 Notes vs. Arkansas State
- Nico Carvacho logged five rebounds in the matchup, which secured his place in the 1,000-1,000 Club. He is the first player in Mountain West history to accomplish this feat. He joins a group that includes legends such as Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neil, Draymond Green, Danny Manning, Patrick Ewing, Kareem Abudl-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Ralph Sampson, Rick Barry, and Christian Laettner.
- The Rams posted 39 points in the first half, the most they've recorded in an opening half to date this season.
- David Roddy recorded a season-high 14 points and two assists.
- Isaiah Stevens' eight assists mark a team best for the season.
- John Tonje posted a season high six points and two rebounds in the matchup.
- Isaiah Stevens tallied a season-high six rebounds.
- With the loss, CSU is now 3-1 against Arkansas State.
- In matchups against the Sun Belt Conference the Rams are now 13-5.
Team Stats
ASU
CSU
FG%
.500
.491
3FG%
.650
.263
FT%
.684
.708
RB
29
29
TO
10
10
STL
7
4
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F/C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
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