Rams begin final Mountain West road trip at Boise State Wednesday night

2018-19 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #28 - Colorado State (11-16, 6-8) at Boise State (11-16, 6-8)
Feb. 27, 2019 • 7 p.m. MT • Taco Bell Arena (12,480) - Boise, Idaho

Video: Stadium on Facebook
Radio: Colorado State Sports Network (Play-by-Play: Brian Roth / Color Analyst: Adam Nigon)
Flagship: KARS 102.9 FM (Fort Collins) / Affiliates: KDCO 104.7 FM (Denver), KMTS 99.1 FM (Glenwood Springs), KMTS 96.7 FM (West Glenwood Springs), KRDO 105.5 FM (Colorado Springs), KKVT 100.7 FM (Grand Junction), KMTS/KKVT 99.5/100.3 FM (Rifle), KKVT 97.1 FM (Delta), KKVT 98.1 FM (Montrose), KRFD 100.1 FM (Sterling), KNEC 100.9 FM (Yuma), KNAB 1140 AM (Burlington), KLMR 920 AM (Lamar) / TuneIn App
Live Stats: Boise State

Opening Tip
• The Rams will head on the road for its final two road Mountain West contests, starting at Boise State, Wed., Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. MT
• The contest between will be televised on Stadium with streaming live on Facebook, with Ari Wolfe (play-by-play), Doug Gottlieb (analyst) and Kristen Balboni (sidleine) handling the broadcast.
• Live audio is available on the Colorado State Sports Network, including KARS 102.9 FM (flagship). Brian Roth is on the play-by-play for the Rams, with Adam Nigon handling the analysis. Audio is also available via the TuneIn App on all smart phones and mobile devices.
• The game will also have live audio on CSURams.com in partnership with SIDEARM Sports and live stats on CSURams.com.

2018-19 Rams Quick Hits
• Colorado State is under new direction, as Niko Medved has taken over the helm of the Rams' program in 2018-19. In his sixth season as a head coach, Medved has an 88-101 record overall but improved on the previous season's record in each of his five years as a head coach.
• The 2018-19 season marks the 116th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,263-1,268 (.499) in 2,531 games all-time.
• Colorado State basketball is hoping to earn its eighth invitation for postseason play in the last 10 years.
• CSU returned three starters and five letterwinners to this year's squad along with seven newcomers to the program.
• Overall, the Rams returned three players with 23 or more starts from the 2017-18 campaign, led by Honorable Mention All-Mountain West selection Nico Carvacho. The redshirt-junior center is pacing this squad along with senior guard J.D. Paige and redshirt-junior guard Anthony Masinton-Bonner.

• For broadcasting quick hits, current averages and career highs on individual players, go to the back page of the notes for a Radio/TV chart that includes that information.

The Leaders
• Colorado State Head Coach Niko Medved (Minnesota, '97) is in his first season at CSU as head coach and has a 90-103 overall record as he is in his sixth season as a head coach.
• Boise State Head Coach Leon Rice (Washington State, '86) is in his ninth season as leader of the Broncos and as a head coach overall with a 176-112 record.

A Quick Look at Boise State
• Returning two starters and nine letterwinners from last season's 23-9 squad that finished second in the Mountain West with an 13-5 record and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament, the Broncos were picked to finish fourth in the league's preseason poll.
• Junior guard Justinian Jessup was the leading returning scorer from last year's team and is proving to be the leader this season. Jessup paces the team in minutes, points, three-pointers, assists and three-point field goal percentage. Newcomer RJ Williams is tops for the Broncos in rebounds and steals.

History Versus Boise State
• This will be the 23rd meeting ever, with the Broncos holding a slight 12-10 advantage. In Boise, the Broncos have won eight of the nine meetings
• Boise State has taken the last five meetings between the two programs, with three of them decided by three points or less. CSU's last victory in the series was at the 2016 Mountain West Tournament, an 88-81 semifinal victory.
• CSU leader Niko Medved has not faced Boise State as a head coach other than this season's first meeting
BOISE STATE - 10-12
Conference: 4-10
Home: 8-4 / Away: 1-8 / Neutral: 1-0
(Complete Game-by-Game Results on Page 14)

Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 129-178 (.420) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.

CSU vs. Mountain West Conference
School                  Overall     Home      Away    Neut.
Air Force                 80-33       43-11       33-18      4-4
Boise State               10-12         8-4          1-8        1-0
Fresno State             18-18        14-3        2-13       2-2
Nevada                    9-14          5-4         4-9        0-1
New Mexico             47-77       34-26      12-49      1-2
San Diego State        41-43       26-13       13-26      2-4
San Jose State          18-0          8-0         8-0       2-0
UNLV                     16-39        11-15        5-23       0-1
Utah State               39-55       28-18       11-35      0-2
Wyoming                94-136      52-56      39-76     3-4
Totals                  372-427   229-150   128-257 15-20

A New Leader But Familiar Face
• While he may be in his first season in charge of the program, head coach Niko Medved was already a familiar face around Fort Collins and to Rams' fans. Medved previously was on the coaching staff from 2007-13 under two different coaches. He was a key part of recruiting players that helped the Rams to four consecutive postseason appearances, the last two in the NCAA Tournament that included a win over Missouri in 2013.

Postseason Experience
• Head coach Niko Medved has had extensive success wherever he has coached, both as a head and an assistant.
• As an assistant coach, he helped turn around the CSU program to improving its win totals from his first year in each successive year, ending in four straight postseason appearances.
• He continued that trend at Furman and Drake, improving both programs' win totals from the previous year in each of his five seasons as a head coach, finishing his last three years in postseason play.
Medved vs. 2018-19 Opponents
School                  Overall     Home      Away    Neut.
Air Force                  2-0          1-0          1-0         -
Arkansas                   0-1           0-1           -          -
Arkansas-Pine Bluff     1-0           1-0           -          -
Boise State                0-1           0-1           -          -
Colorado                  0-2            -           0-1        0-1
Colorado Christian      1-0           1-0           -          -
Florida Gulf Coast       1-2           0-1          1-1         -
Fresno State              1-1           1-0          0-1         -
Long Beach State        0-1            -           0-1         -
Louisiana                  0-2          0-1           -         0-1
Montana State            1-0           1-0           -          -
Nevada                    0-2          0-1          0-1         -
New Mexico               1-0           1-0           -          -
New Mexico State       0-1           0-1           -          -
Sam Houston State      1-0           1-0           -          -
San Diego State          0-1           0-1           -          -
San Jose State           1-0            -           1-0         -
South Dakota             0-2          0-1          0-1         -
South Dakota St.         0-2            -           0-1        0-1
Southern Illinois          1-2          0-2          1-0         -
UNLV                       0-1            -           0-1         -
Utah State                 0-1            -           0-1         -
Wyoming                  1-2           1-0          0-2         -
Totals                    12-24        8-10        4-11       0-3

Basketball Staff
• Head coach Niko Medved brought four members of his staff from Drake with him. Dave Thorson, JR Blount and Ali Farokhmanesh were assistant coaches with Medved, while Aaron Katsuma joined him again as Director of Basketball Operations. Thorson has extensive experience as a high school coach and had previously worked with Medved at the University of Minnesota. Blount and Farokhmanesh also bring extensive recent playing experience with them as Blount played at Loyola Chicago, graduating in 2009, and Farokhmanesh was a key part of a Northern Iowa squad that knocked off No. 1 Kansas in the NCAA Tournament in his senior year in 2010.

Coors Light Coaches Show Is Back
• The Coors Light Basketball Head Coaches Show is again held at Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon in Old Town Fort Collins this year. Join men's head coach Niko Medved and women's head coach Ryun Williams starting at 6 p.m. on the Mondays listed below to hear their thoughts on the previous week and look forward to upcoming action.
• February: 25

Newcomers (Lots of)
• The Rams have a strong group of newcomers to the floor this year, made up of three transfers and four freshmen.
• The class distribution, as all have seen the floor for CSU the first time this season, is:
   -- Juniors (Hyron Edwards, Kris Martin, Zo Tyson)
   -- Freshmen (Sam Bannec, Kendle Moore, Jack Schoemann, Adam Thistlewood)

Moby Arena Home Court Advantage
• CSU has a record of 553-233 (.704) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• The Rams have finished at least .500 in each of the last nine years, dating back to the 2008-09 season when the program was 6-9.
• Current head coach Niko Medved was part of a coaching staff at CSU that posted two of the top records in program history at home, as the 2012-13 team set the best mark at 16-1 with the 2011-12 team going 14-1. Overall as an assistant at CSU, he was part of a team that went 97-97 overall and 59-30 in Moby Arena and improved their overall record in each successive season.

Moby & Record Improvement With Medved (CSU Asst.)
               Overall    Moby    Total Attend. Avg Att.
2012-13      26-9       16-1         92,488       5,440
2011-12      20-12       14-1         62,889        4,193
2010-11       19-13       9-5         68.305       4.879
2009-10    16-16       11-4         50,878       3,392
2008-09    9-22       6-9         48,858       3,257
2007-08    7-25       3-10         43,588       3,353
Totals        97-97     59-30

Last Time Out...
• Colorado State used a strong performance on both ends of the floor and pulled away for its largest victory of the season, an 83-48 domination of visiting Wyoming in the second part of the Border War Saturday in Moby Arena. With the win, the Rams improved to 11-16 on the year and 6-8 in Mountain West action, while the Cowboys fell to 6-21 and 2-12 in the league.
• Wyoming scored the first bucket of the game and held another brief lead at 5-4 with 16:52 left in the first half, but that would be short-lived, as the Rams put on a 13-0 run over the next 2:50 to take a 17-5 lead that would only get below double digits once the rest of the game. CSU limited the Cowboys to just six made field goals in the first half and built a 21-point halftime cushion, 40-19.
• Wyoming got the margin down to 13 at 47-34 with 13:36 to play, but the Rams closed the door with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to take complete control of the game at 59-34 with just over 10 minutes to play. CSU continued to put a stranglehold on the Wyoming offense, holding the Cowboys to just 35.7 percent (10-of-28) from the floor in the final 20 minutes in pulling away for the 35-point victory.
• Colorado State shot a solid 50.0 percent (29-of-58) from the floor, including 43.3 percent (13-of-30) from the three-point arc. Wyoming was held to just 30.8 percent (16-of-52) field goal shooting and made just 2-of-24 (8.3 percent) from the three-point arc. The Rams dominated the glass, 41-25, and handed out 20 assists on their 29 made baskets.
• Five Rams scored in double figures, led by redshirt-senior J.D. Paige with 15 points. Redshirt-junior Nico Carvacho was limited to just 20 minutes due to foul trouble but still accounted for 13 poitns, seven rebounds and four assists. Redshirt-junior Kris Martin finished with 12 points, while freshman Adam Thistlewood tallied 11 points. Redshirt-junior Hyron Edwards was the final CSU player in double figures with 10 points and a game-high five assists off the bench. Justin James led all scorers and was the only Wyoming player in double figures with 29 points.
(See page 18 for complete box score)

This Year's Previous Meeting
• Colorado State's furious comeback attempt against Boise State fell just short late, handing the Rams their first conference loss in Moby Arena this season, 70-68, Jan. 29. With the loss the Rams dropped to 8-13 on the season and 3-5 in Mountain West action, while Boise State improved to 10-11 including a 5-3 record in league play.
• After redshirt-junior Kris Martin's three-point shot, the Rams rallied and pressed their way into an 18-9 run over the final 4:26 of play. Colorado State continued to rally behind redshirt-junior Anthony Masinton-Bonner's three timely free throws, as CSU would see Bonner and redshirt-junior Hyron Edwards each connect from deep to bring the game within two, 68-66, with just 19 seconds remaining. With the quick foul, the Rams remained in the contest, giving redshirt-senior J.D. Paige an opportunity to connect on two shots from the charity stripe with an intentional miss on the third attempt in the game's last second. The desperation tip rattled off and the Broncos took home the victory.
• Colorado State opened up the night shooting 5-of-6 from the floor to the tune of an 11-4 run just 3:49 into the opening half. Boise State responded with a 13-18 run of their own over the following 8:54. As each team continued to battle, Boise State would eventually take a 28-26 with 4:01 remaining and enter the break up, 35-30.
• Shooting was the story of the game as CSU shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) on the floor, and just 28.0 percent (7-of-25) from the deep, compared to the Broncos' 57.8 percent field goal percentage (26-of-45) and 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from beyond the three point line. On the game, CSU won the battle of the boards outrebounding Boise State 33-25.
• Led by Martin's 13 points, the Rams had four players reach double figures as Paige and redshirt-junior Nico Carvacho each tallied 12 with Masinton-Bonner adding another 11. Carvacho also tallied a strong 16 rebounds and six assists, while Paige notched seven assists. Boise State junior Justinian Jessup led all players in scoring with 20.
(See page 19 for complete box score)

Last Year's Meeting in Boise
• Colorado State trailed from start to finish and lost its Mountain West opener at Boise State, 93-71, Dec. 27, 2017. With the loss, the Rams fell to 7-7 on the year and 0-1 in the league, while the Broncos improved to 11-2 and 1-0 in the conference.
• Boise State took the opening tip and scored the first five points of the game to take a lead it would never relinquish. The Rams got it down to a one-point margin but the lead grew to as many as 13 in the opening period before host Broncos went to the locker room with a 43-33 halftime lead. CSU got it down to a five-point margin at 49-44 with 15:31 to play in the game and held close until a 6-0 spurt blew it back to a 12-point lead that would shrink to no fewer than nine the rest of the contest.
• For the game, CSU shot 41.0 percent (25-of-61) from the floor and 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from the three-point line. Boise State was hot, shooting 54.0 percent (34-of-63) from the field and 42.9 percent (12-of-28) from the arc. The Broncos won the battle of the boards 36-28 and gave up just 11 turnovers (two in the second half) as compared to 13 for the Rams.
• Colorado State was led by junior guard Prentiss Nixon and redshirt-sophomore guard Anthony Bonner, who had 16 points each. Redshirt-sophomore center Nico Carvacho added 15 and six rebounds, while junior forward Deion James chipped in 12. For Boise State, Chandler Hutchison led five Broncos in double figures with 24 points, 16 of them in the second half. Marcus Dickinson tallied a new career high with 16 points for the Broncos.
(See page 20 for complete box score)

National Rankings (Team/Players)
(through Feb. 24, 2019)
Team (Top 65 of 351 Division I teams)
Field Goal Percentage                            47.7         37th
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio                          1.27         53rd
Personal Fouls Per Game                        16.4         57th
Turnovers (Fewest)                                11.8          64th

Players (top 100 nationally)
Nico Carvacho
Rebounds Per Game                             13.0           1st
Offensive Rebounds Per Game                 4.15          2nd
Defensive Rebounds Per Game                8.85         2nd
Double Doubles                                   18            t-5th
Field Goal Percentage                            60.5         21st
Total Field Goals Made                           179          70th

Sharing the Load
• Through 27 games, eight different Rams have either led or tied for the team-high points in a game.
• Six different Rams -- redshirt-senior J.D. Paige (9), redshirt-juniors Anthony Masinton-Bonner (4), Nico Carvacho (8) and Kris Martin (4) and freshmen Kendle Moore (3) and Adam Thistlewood (2) -- have each led multiple times.
• The Rams shared the ball well early in MW play, recording a combined 51 assists in the two games against Air Force and New Mexico, Jan. 8 and 12, respectively. The two games (26 and 25) are among the top-10 totals in school history and marked the first time since 1993-94 that there were two games in a single season with at least 25 assists. Recently, the Rams had 26 assists on 35 made baskets at San Jose State, Feb. 20, tying the season high.

Carvacho Growing On the Floor
• Redshirt-junior center Nico Carvacho showed his increased comfort level on the floor, growing extensively the last two seasons.
• In the 2017-18 season, Carvacho was the leader on the glass for CSU with 331 boards (125 offensive) in 32 games (the only Ram to start all 32 last year). His 10.3 boards per game average ranked second in the Mountain West, as he had double-digit boards in the last 16 games (averaging 13.6 per game in that span). He also just had the sixth-ever individual 300-rebound season in CSU history, surpassing the mark at Nevada, Feb. 25.
• Last year, he averaged 11.1 points and 12.3 rebounds in Mountain West play, leading by a wide margin in rebounding for league games only (next was 9.6 per game).
• He had double-doubles in 10 of the last 16 games he played in 2017-18 and had a higher rebound average in MW league contests than Emmanuel Omogbo had in 2016-17 (10.9).
• Carvacho posted a career-high 26 points and tied a then-career best with 20 rebounds in the win over San Jose State, Feb. 10, 2018. The last Ram to have a 20-point/20-rebound game prior to that one was current Washington Wizards' Jason Smith, with 27 & 22 in a win over Wyoming on Feb. 24, 2007.
• He finished the season in fifth with 331 boards, surpassing former standout and current Washington Wizard Jason Smith in sixth.
• For his play in '17-18, Carvacho was named Honorable Mention All-Mountain West by both the league's coaches and media members in two separate votes.
• This season, Carvacho has been effective, recording double-doubles in 18 games and is currently averaging a team-high 15.9 points and a nation-leading 13.0 rebounds per game while shooting a league-best 60.5 percent from the floor (21st in NCAA).
• He has led CSU in rebounding in 25 of 27 games including 22 straight before last Saturday's contest against Wyoming when he was limited to 20 minutes due to fouls.
• He recorded his second 20-20 game of his career when he finished with 23 points and a career-high 22 rebounds at Long Beach State, Dec. 22. The 22 rebounds are tied for the sixth-best single-game performance in CSU history.
• Carvacho's 23-point/22-rebound game was the second of his career, matching Smith as the only Rams with multiple 20/20 games in their career.
• At UNLV Jan. 2, Carvacho set a new career best with 28 points and added 20 rebounds for his second 20-20 game of the year and school-record third of his career.
• For his play in wins against Air Force and New Mexico, Carvacho was named Mountain West Player of the Week on Jan. 14, the first of his career.
• Carvacho started the season No. 20 on the CSU career rebounding chart. With his 12 rebounds against San Diego State Feb. 12, he became the all-time leading rebounder at CSU now with 880, passing previous leader Pat Durham (1985-89) in view at 851.
• Carvacho also is second in CSU offensive rebounds with 321 and is fourth in CSU career defensive rebounds with 559 (since tracking of the two categories began).
• He is tied for second with San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard (2009-11) in the MW record book with 21 career double-doubles in Mountain West games, while his 31 career double-doubles are sixth in the league's history.
• Recently, he was named a finalist for the 2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced. He is one of 10 players on the list from which the top center in men's college basketball will be recognized.

CSU Career Rebounding Ranks
1.      887      Nico Carvacho (93 Games)             2016-19
2.     851      Pat Durham (125 Games)                1985-89
3.     805     Rich Strong (117 Games)                1982-86

CSU Single-Season Rebounding Ranks (only 300+ boards)
1.      392     Mike Childress (23 Games)              1969-70
2.     373      Emmanuel Omogbo (36 Games)        2016-17
3.     351      Nico Carvacho (27 Games)              2018-19
4.     349     Mike Childress (25 Games)              1970-71
5.     342     Colton Iverson (35 Games)               2012-13
6.     331      Nico Carvacho (32 Games)              2017-18
7.               304                      Jason Smith (30 Games)    2006-07

CSU Single-Season Offensive Rebounds
1.      133      Pierce Hornung (33 Games)             2012-13
2.     125      Nico Carvacho (32 Games)               2017-18
3.     121       Tiel Daniels (34 Games)                 2015-16
4.     117        Colton Iverson (35 Games)              2012-13
5.     112       Nico Carvacho (26 Games)             2018-19

CSU Single-Season Defensive Rebounds
1.      272      Emmanuel Omogbo (36 Games)        2016-17
2.     239     Nico Carvacho (25 Games)             2018-19
3.     225     Colton Iverson (35 Games)               2012-13
4.     219      Pat Durham (29 Games)                 1986-87
5.     206     Jason Smith (30 Games)                 2006-07

CSU Career Double-Doubles
1.      31   Nico Carvacho (2016-pres.) (6th in MW history)
2.     28 Emmanuel Omogbo (2015-17) (9th in MW history)
3.     22 Jason Smith (2005-07)

Mountain West Career Rebounds (All Games)
1.       943     Luke Nevil (Utah)                         2005-09
2.      898     Jordan Caroline (Nevada, 99 gm) 2016-pres.
3.      887      Nico Carvacho (CSU, 93 gm)      2016-pres.

Mountian West Only Game Career Rebounds
1.      520     Nico Carvacho (CSU)                2016-pres.
2.      460     Luke Nevill (Utah)                        2005-09
3.      445     Jordan Caroline (Nevada)            2016-pres.

Mountain West Career Double-Doubles
1.       42 Jordan Caroline (Nevada)                 2016-pres.
2.      40 Kawhi Leonard (SDSU)                        2009-11
        40 Andrew Bogut (Utah)                         2003-05
4.      32 Drew Gordon (New Mexico)                  2010-12
        32 Luke Nevill (Utah)                             2005-09
6.      31   Nico Carvacho (CSU)                     2016-pres.
7.            30                           Marcus Slaughter (SDSU)    2003-06
        30 Odartey Blankson (UNLV)                  2003-05
9.      28 Emmanuel Omogbo (CSU)                    2015-17

Mountain West Games Only Career Double-Doubles
1.       27   Jordan Caroline (Nevada)                 2016-pres.
2.      21   Kawhi Leonard (SDSU)                        2009-11
        21   Nico Carvacho (CSU)                     2016-pres.
4.      20 Emmanuel Omogbo (CSU)                    2015-17

Carvacho's Career Double-Doubles Date      Pts      Reb
Northern Colorado                     12/10/16    13         11
Wyoming                                  2/28/17     10        10
Sacramento State                       11/10/17     11        20
Fresno State                               1/6/18      10        19
at Utah State                             1/10/18     10        15
Air Force                                   1/17/18     12        13
at San Diego State                      1/24/18     14        12
at New Mexico                           1/27/18     14        15
Wyoming                                  1/31/18     10        13
at Air Force                               2/6/18     16        12
San Jose State                           2/10/18    26       20
at Fresno State                          2/17/18     14         11
at Nevada                                2/25/18    13        14
Colorado Christian                      11/7/18     14        15
Arkansas-Pine Bluff                     11/10/18     18         11
Montana State                           11/14/18     15        13
at Colorado                               12/1/18     15        12
Arkansas                                  12/5/18     12         11
Sam Houston State                     12/8/18    20        19
South Dakota                            12/16/18    20        17
at Long Beach State                   12/22/18    23       22
at UNLV                                    1/2/19     28       20
at Fresno State                           1/5/19     23        13
at Utah State                             1/19/19     12        10
at Nevada                                 1/23/19     11         14
Boise State                               1/29/19     12        16
at Air Force                               2/2/19     20        14
Nevada                                    2/6/19     24        17
at Wyoming                               2/9/19     15        17
San Diego State                         2/12/19    20        12
at San Jose State                       2/20/19    18        19

Paige Wheels & Deals
•                                                            Redshirt-senior J.D. Paige has adjusted well to his new role within CSU's offense this season.
• Paige missed the season opener but returned with 14 points (4-of-5 3-pointers) and a career-high tying six assists in the win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Nov. 10.
• He tied his career high against Montana State, Nov. 14, tallying a team-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field in the win.
• He again tied his career best with a game-high 23 points in the home win over Sam Houston State, Dec. 8.
• Paige currently is second for CSU at 15.0 points per game (12th in MW), connecting on 46.5 percent from the floor, including 39.7 percent from the arc, as well as 78.9 percent (60-of-76) from the free throw line.
• Paige became the 29th Ram in history to reach the career 1,000-point plateau, getting to the mark with 18 points at No. 7 Nevada Jan. 23. He now has 1,116 career points, ranking 17th in CSU annals. He is also tied for 11th in career games played with 119 and tied for fifth in career threes made with 154.
Paige's CSU Career Rankings
Games Played                                  119               t-11th
Games Started                                  85                16th
Minutes Played                                 3,322            4th
Points                                             1,116              17th
Three-Pointers Made                          154              t-5th
Three-Pointers Attempted                    445               6th
Assists                                            269              12th
Steals                                             100               11th

A Little Different Name, Same Face
• Redshirt-junior guard Anthony Masinton-Bonner (the guard previously known as Anthony Bonner but always "AB") is expected to take up more of the scoring load this season.
• Last year, Masinton-Bonner started in 21 of the 32 games he played in, averaging 8.9 points per contest in 27.1 minutes per game.
• He was the team leader at the three-point arc at 43.2 percent and was second from the charity stripe, connecting on 82.1 percent of his attempts.
• In the season opener against Colorado Christian, Masinton-Bonner was not only effective but efficient. He tallied a career-high tying 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, including 6-of-7 from the three-point arc. He also chipped in five rebounds and four assists.
• Against Montana State Nov. 14, Masinton-Bonner was inspired after suffering an ankle injury late in the first half, as he returned in the second half to score 12 of his 14 points in the win.
• Against New Mexico State Dec. 30, Masinton-Bonner was 5-of-6 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line for 15 points in 25 minutes of play.
• At Fresno State Jan. 5, the guard recorded a career-high 26 points, connecting on 9-of-14 field goal attempts and making all seven of his free throws.
• Masinton-Bonner did not score in just six minutes of play against Air Force, Jan. 8, after suffering a lower leg injury.
• In his 25 contests played, he is third on the team in scoring at 11.2 points along with 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game while shooting 51.3 percent from the field, 41.0 percent from the three-point line and a team-best 86.5 percent from the charity stripe.
• Masinton-Bonner missed two games with a lower leg injury but returned with seven points in 20 minutes at Nevada Jan. 23. At Air Force Feb. 2, Masinton-Bonner tallied 16 points on 6-of-7 field goal attempts in the win.

Newcomers Jumping In
• Five Rams made their debut in the Green and Gold in season-opening win over Colorado Christian.
• Freshman Kendle Moore started and scored a game-high 26 points in 32 minutes of action. He was solid, going 9-of-11 from the floor, 4-of-5 from the arc and 4-of-5 at the charity stripe. He also added four rebounds, four assists and one steal.
• Freshman Adam Thistlewood had 10 points in starting his first collegiate game, while also grabbing five rebounds in 26 minutes of play.
• Also seeing time were redshirt-junior Zo Tyson and freshmen Jack Schoemann and Sam Bannec. Tyson had six points and four rebounds, while Bannec hit a three-pointer late.
• Redshirt-junior Kris Martin made his season debut against South Dakota State, Nov. 21, and tallied 11 points in 30 minutes of action. He has at least tied for the team lead in scoring over the next two games, including 21 points at Colorado, Dec. 1. Recently, he recorded a collegiate career-best eight assists against Arkansas, Dec. 5.
• Thistlewood tied for game-high honors with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, including a career-best four three pointers against New Mexico State, Dec. 30.
• Moore tallied 23 points on 9-of-13 field goal shooting, including 3-of-6 from the arc, in a victory over Air Force, Jan. 8. He also added career bests of five assists and four steals in the win.
• In the win over New Mexico Jan. 12, Moore handed out a team season-high nine assists while Thistlewood added 16 points, including a then season-best four three-pointers.
• Maritn is fourth at 8.9 points per game, Moore is fifth at 8.6 points per game and Thistlewood is sixth at 8.3 points per game. Thistlewood has scored in double figures in 12 contests, with Moore and Martin each with eight 10+ point games.
• Moore and Thistlewood are each shooting 76 percent or better from the charity stripe.

Looking Ahead
• The Rams will wrap up the road portion of its Mountain West schedule at The Pit, taking on New Mexico, Sat., March 2 at 8 p.m. MT.
• The contest between will be televised on ESPNU with Steve Quis (play-by-play) and Richie Schueler (analyst) handling the broadcast.
• The game will air across the Colorado State Sports 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.

CSU All-Time Vs. 2018-19 Opponents
                          Overall      Home      Road     Neutral
Air Force               80-33       43-11      33-18       4-4
Arkansas                 0-2          0-1         0-1          -
Arkansas-Pine Bluff    3-0          3-0          -           -
Boise State              10-11         8-3         1-8         1-0
Colorado               38-89       28-36      9-53        1-0
Colorado Christian     1-0           1-0           -           -
Florida Gulf Coast      1-0            -           1-0          -
Fresno State           18-18        14-3        2-13        2-2
Long Beach State      3-2          2-1          1-1          -
Louisiana                 1-1           1-0           -          0-1
Montana State         12-4          8-2         4-2          -
Nevada                  9-14          5-4         4-9         0-1
New Mexico            47-77       34-26      12-49       1-2
New Mexico State     5-3          4-1         1-2          -
Sam Houston State    0-1           0-1           -           -
San Diego State       41-43       26-13      13-26       2-4
San Jose State         18-0          8-0         8-0        2-0
South Dakota            0-1           0-1           -           -
South Dakota State    0-2          0-1           -          0-1
Southern Illinois         1-3           1-1          0-1         0-1
UNLV                    16-39        11-15       5-23        0-1
Utah State              39-55       28-18      11-35       0-2
Wyoming              94-136      52-56     39-76      3-4
Totals         437-534      277-194       144-317       16-23

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