Colorado State University Athletics
Sunday, December 1
Fort Collins, Colo.
2:30 p.m. MT
Colorado State
6-3
92
vs
61
Utah Valley
4-5
1
2
F
Utah Valley
16
45
61
Colorado State
42
50
92
Photo by: Cris Tiller
Team Effort On Both Ends Sparks Rams To Win Over Utah Valley
12/1/2019 6:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CSU puts together its most complete performance in a 92-61 win over the Wolverines
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Niko Medved couldn't have asked for a better half of basketball from his team. The ball movement was electric, the shooting dead on. Ball pressure was fantastic, backed with frantic energy.
So naturally, the Colorado State men's basketball coach asked just that from his Rams, to take it up a notch Sunday afternoon at Moby Arena.
Now, it's hard to expect your team will continue to shoot 63.3 percent from the field, dominate the glass and hold a team to just 22.2 percent shooting. But it is what a coach must implore a young team to do, which is why he called a time out with a 27-point lead with 14:10 remaining in the second half.
"We didn't really come out in the second half like we wanted to," senior Kris Martin said. "We let up a little bit, they started getting in the paint, started getting comfortable offensively. Medved called the timeout to get us together and remember we're still trying to get better, we're still trying to beat this team and learn how to win."
For the most part, Medved's squad met his request, cruising to a 92-61 victory over Utah Valley, a third consecutive victory which pushed the Rams' record to 6-3 with an early glimpse of Mountain West play just around the corner.
This wasn't a case of one or two players having a great game and carrying the rest of the pack. The blowout was the result of full team involvement on both ends of the floor.
"That's the way you want it," Medved said. "We've really been focusing a lot more on the defensive end, and you've got to use the word connected. No matter what, it's five guys playing together, and I thought we did that today."
In fact, all 11 Rams scored. Dischon Thomas, who had 14 points all season, led the way with 18, hitting 7-of-8 from the field and all four shots from the charity stripe. For a true freshman getting most of his minutes backing up an All-Mountain West center, it was a welcome shot in the arm.
"I'm feeling very comfortable, just learning. I'm always just learning," Thomas said. "Just playing with confidence is the biggest part."
Seven different Rams scored at least eight points, and eight players had assists as they finished with 21 on 32 baskets. Hyron Edwards came off the bench with six assists, Nico Carvacho had five to go along with his 10 rebounds.
Martin, Isaiah Stevens and David Roddy had 10 points each as none of the Rams played more than 25 minutes.
"That was it. The way we shared the ball, everybody got involved," Martin said. "I think we took our time, we played off two (feet), we played at a good pace. We always had them on their heels. We were the aggressors the majority of the game, I feel like, so I think that gave us the advantage and the confidence to take care of business on the offensive end."
The pace slowed down in the second half, but the slow bleed of the Wolverines continued. With a steady flow of bodies in and out of the lineup, the hosts were never in danger, even if the Wolverines nearly matched them point for point in the final 20 minutes.
The stats didn't match up, but the effort never waned, which was at the heart of Medved's request. They came out of the tournament in the Cayman Islands feeling pretty good, a vibe they bumped up a notch in the victory.
That can't be overlooked with San Diego State coming to town on Wednesday, a squad he feels will be in the Top 25 by the time the Aztecs' plane lands.
"If not, something is wrong with the voters," he said. "That's why we had to play well. I thought we grew up a little bit in the Cayman Islands. I thought we played some good basketball down there. Not perfect, but we were better. We needed to come back and play even better today, and I thought we did that. That was really good to see after that trip home.
"We all know we're going to have to be even better on Wednesday to get the job done. We're going to have to have our best effort of the year, but why not have your best effort of the year?"
NOTES:
• This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools, with the Rams improving to 17-10 all-time against teams currently in the Western Athletic Conference
• Head coach Niko Medved is now 2-2 against WAC foes as a head coach
• The 91 points for CSU were a season best and Thomas and Tonje each posted season highs in points
• The 50 points in the second half was also a season high for the Rams.
• CSU is now 5-0 when outrebounding its opponents this year
• Thomas is the seventh different Ram to lead CSU in scoring in nine games this season
• This was the first 30-point win over an opponent since last year's 83-48 Border War victory over Wyoming on Feb. 23
• Edwards tied his career best with six assists
• Freshman David Roddy has now scored in double figures in five consecutive games
NEXT UP:
• The Rams open Mountain West Conference play at home when they host San Diego State on Wed., Dec. 4 at 7 p.m.
• The game will be broadcast on Stadium along with the Colorado State Sports Radio Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth and Adam Nigon on the call.
• CSU Sports Network broadcasts can be also accessed on mobile devices through the TuneIn app (free on all Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Amazon Kindle devices) – once downloaded, search "Colorado St. Rams Sports Network" in the app for the games and coaches' show broadcasts.
So naturally, the Colorado State men's basketball coach asked just that from his Rams, to take it up a notch Sunday afternoon at Moby Arena.
Now, it's hard to expect your team will continue to shoot 63.3 percent from the field, dominate the glass and hold a team to just 22.2 percent shooting. But it is what a coach must implore a young team to do, which is why he called a time out with a 27-point lead with 14:10 remaining in the second half.
"We didn't really come out in the second half like we wanted to," senior Kris Martin said. "We let up a little bit, they started getting in the paint, started getting comfortable offensively. Medved called the timeout to get us together and remember we're still trying to get better, we're still trying to beat this team and learn how to win."
For the most part, Medved's squad met his request, cruising to a 92-61 victory over Utah Valley, a third consecutive victory which pushed the Rams' record to 6-3 with an early glimpse of Mountain West play just around the corner.
This wasn't a case of one or two players having a great game and carrying the rest of the pack. The blowout was the result of full team involvement on both ends of the floor.
"That's the way you want it," Medved said. "We've really been focusing a lot more on the defensive end, and you've got to use the word connected. No matter what, it's five guys playing together, and I thought we did that today."
In fact, all 11 Rams scored. Dischon Thomas, who had 14 points all season, led the way with 18, hitting 7-of-8 from the field and all four shots from the charity stripe. For a true freshman getting most of his minutes backing up an All-Mountain West center, it was a welcome shot in the arm.
"I'm feeling very comfortable, just learning. I'm always just learning," Thomas said. "Just playing with confidence is the biggest part."
Seven different Rams scored at least eight points, and eight players had assists as they finished with 21 on 32 baskets. Hyron Edwards came off the bench with six assists, Nico Carvacho had five to go along with his 10 rebounds.
Martin, Isaiah Stevens and David Roddy had 10 points each as none of the Rams played more than 25 minutes.
"That was it. The way we shared the ball, everybody got involved," Martin said. "I think we took our time, we played off two (feet), we played at a good pace. We always had them on their heels. We were the aggressors the majority of the game, I feel like, so I think that gave us the advantage and the confidence to take care of business on the offensive end."
The pace slowed down in the second half, but the slow bleed of the Wolverines continued. With a steady flow of bodies in and out of the lineup, the hosts were never in danger, even if the Wolverines nearly matched them point for point in the final 20 minutes.
The stats didn't match up, but the effort never waned, which was at the heart of Medved's request. They came out of the tournament in the Cayman Islands feeling pretty good, a vibe they bumped up a notch in the victory.
That can't be overlooked with San Diego State coming to town on Wednesday, a squad he feels will be in the Top 25 by the time the Aztecs' plane lands.
"If not, something is wrong with the voters," he said. "That's why we had to play well. I thought we grew up a little bit in the Cayman Islands. I thought we played some good basketball down there. Not perfect, but we were better. We needed to come back and play even better today, and I thought we did that. That was really good to see after that trip home.
"We all know we're going to have to be even better on Wednesday to get the job done. We're going to have to have our best effort of the year, but why not have your best effort of the year?"
NOTES:
• This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools, with the Rams improving to 17-10 all-time against teams currently in the Western Athletic Conference
• Head coach Niko Medved is now 2-2 against WAC foes as a head coach
• The 91 points for CSU were a season best and Thomas and Tonje each posted season highs in points
• The 50 points in the second half was also a season high for the Rams.
• CSU is now 5-0 when outrebounding its opponents this year
• Thomas is the seventh different Ram to lead CSU in scoring in nine games this season
• This was the first 30-point win over an opponent since last year's 83-48 Border War victory over Wyoming on Feb. 23
• Edwards tied his career best with six assists
• Freshman David Roddy has now scored in double figures in five consecutive games
NEXT UP:
• The Rams open Mountain West Conference play at home when they host San Diego State on Wed., Dec. 4 at 7 p.m.
• The game will be broadcast on Stadium along with the Colorado State Sports Radio Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth and Adam Nigon on the call.
• CSU Sports Network broadcasts can be also accessed on mobile devices through the TuneIn app (free on all Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Amazon Kindle devices) – once downloaded, search "Colorado St. Rams Sports Network" in the app for the games and coaches' show broadcasts.
Team Stats
UVU
CSU
FG%
.386
.589
3FG%
.242
.583
FT%
.900
.731
RB
24
37
TO
18
13
STL
5
11
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
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