Rams Fall to La Tech in Closing Moments of NIT

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FRISCO, Texas – Colorado State regrouped from Saturday's heartbreak only to experience it all over again on Sunday.

After trailing the majority of the NIT third-place game at the Comerica Center, Louisiana Tech rallied in the second half behind Kenneth Lofton Jr., who fought through traffic to hit the game-winning layup with .3 seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs a 76-74 victory.

"A tough way to end the season that way," CSU coach Niko Medved said, his team closing with a 20-8 record overall. "It was a really competitive game between two good teams. Ultimately, they just made a few more plays than we did.

"It's hard. This particular game I though in the first half we were really playing well. We had a four-point lead, but I thought our lead should have been a lot larger. We just turned the ball over too many times. We've got to learn in those moments where you have an opportunity to extend the lead we've got to take it, because it comes back to bit you."

Medved was never concerned about his team coming back from the 90-67 loss the day before to Memphis, which went on to win the NIT championship. It's the character of his team to be resilient and bounce back, and Louisiana Tech did the same.

The slow offensive starts which had put the Rams in early holes the past couple of games were not a problem against the Bulldogs, and because of it, the Rams led for 31:40 of the game. But as Medved alluded to, 12 first-half turnovers kept the Rams from creating a real big gap in the first 20 minute, though the Rams did push the margin to 11 with less than nine minutes remaining.

The gaps they left open, Lofton, the La Tech post, pushed and plowed his way through.

The Rams never really had an answer for him, as he scored a game-best 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting, adding seven more from the free-throw line. No matter the approach the Rams took defensively, he found a solution.

"We tried a few different ones; you only have so many options," Medved said. "Clearly he's a guy, not just us, he's a terrific young player. He's such a unique player. We brought help to the post; we probably didn't bring it early enough at times. We were probably going to have to stand in there, and he's a load and the game was really, really physical, but we were probably going to have to try to take some charges on him and stand our ground and we didn't do that enough."

He also pulled down 13 rebounds, five on the offensive glass, helping to give the Bulldogs a 13-2 edge in second-chance points.

When the Bulldogs made their push, he received a complimentary performance from Kalob Ledoux, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half, hitting a trio of treys in the final 20 minutes.

Colorado State countered with strong play off the bench, most notably from Dischon Thomas, who scored 15 points for the Rams, hitting three trifectas himself.

"It was huge. He really worked hard on the offensive glass, and he obviously provides an element with his ability to shoot the ball from the five-spot," Medved said. "That really puts the defense in a predicament that way. They ended up switching everything at the end because he knocked down some big shots. I thought his energy was awesome today, and I though he really brought it here."

With 4:24 remaining, David Roddy took an elbow to the head, which opened up a cut above his eye. He left the floor in a tie game, and when he returned with 1:51 to go, the Rams trailed by five. He had a steal which led to a pair of free throws by John Tonje, then capped a fast break with a layup which tied the game with 22 seconds remaining.

When the Bulldogs crossed half court and called timeout, everybody knew the ball was going to Lofton. Still, he found his way through traffic to hit the layup. Guard Isaiah Stevens put up a full court heave which hit the juncture of the rim and backboard, sliding away as the buzzer was still sounding.

"I thought it had a chance, just like about every other shot that I shoot," said Stevens, who led the Rams with 18 points and seven assists. "I wish it went in for us, but it didn't."

Colorado State came away with a 20 wins in a uniquely trying year, and it was the second consecutive season under Medved the Rams have hit the total. The last time that happened was back in the 2011-12/2012-13 seasons.

The Rams, who have no seniors on roster, know they are on the way up. It just didn't feel like it in the moments after the defeat.

"It stings right now, especially for me," Stevens said. "I hate to lose, but at the same time, can't dwell on it. You gotta be able to learn and grow from these situations and it will make us a better team come next season."

The players were not alone. Their head coach was struggling with the same emotions himself. After a loss like that, they will all require a cushion between heartbreak and reflection.

It likely won't come in the next 24 hours. Maybe not even in the next week. But when the Rams return to practice, Medved is confident they'll be ready to take on a new set of challenges.

"Like I told the guys, it won't feel like that now, and it doesn't for me, but I know when we reflect, this was a heck of a season and we took a major step forward," he said. "We were a few plays away from maybe playing in the NCAA Tournament and winning a Mountain West championship. The idea is to learn from the experience this year and figure out how we can get better in the offseason and try to take the next step this season."

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