Colorado State University Athletics
The Dish: Jacobs Fills Key Role In Rams Victory
2/23/2022 10:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Transfer has best offensive game at CSU
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – From start to finish, David Roddy was into this game.
His play looked inspired, and pick your reason for that. He's a great performer, a leader, a candidate for player of the year in the Mountain West. There may have been a tinge of the sinking feeling from the prior matchup with Wyoming, even a rough loss to UNLV the last time Colorado State's men's basketball team was on the Moby Arena court.
Maybe a blend of all of it. Regardless, he was sensational throughout Wednesday's Border War affair, and the Rams needed every ounce of his sixth double-double of the season (the 20th of his career) in clipping the hated Wyoming Cowboys 61-55.
But to pull away with the victory and have the student section rush the floor, the junior power forward needed a little bit of help.
In stepped Chandler Jacobs.
"He's put in the work, he's a good shooter and it's just continuing to develop that confidence," CSU coach Niko Medved said. "I think he missed the first one if I have that right, but he didn't hesitate to knock it down. The only thing was beside was he would hesitate and take it off the dribble. Just shoot it. If it was a paint touch and you're open, step in and shoot it. He made some big plays for us and some big shots, and we needed somebody else to step up and he definitely did that here tonight."
This game was everything the first matchup was in Laramie and nothing like it all rolled into one. The first game was a blur of lead changes and ties, the teams trading buckets constantly before eventually needing overtime to declare a victor.
Wednesday night held all of the same drama, just with a different flair. There were only four lead changes as Colorado State led most of the night and the entirety of the second half. But it was a few possessions of separation for most of the final 20 minutes of play.
Roddy had virtually wrapped up his double-double by half, scoring 17 of his game-best 26 points to set his mood, adding six rebounds. The auxiliary scoring wasn't quick to follow, though Jacobs led the rest of the crew with five points.
He was definitely thinking back to the prior matchup. In that game, an 84-76 loss, Jacobs scored all of five points, and he considered his approach as his head rested on his pillow Tuesday night.
"I think coming into the game, I wanted to be ultra-aggressive on both ends of the floor," Jacobs said. "That was kind of the mindset I had last night when I went to bed last night, just prepping for this game. It felt great to execute it and have some things go my way."
Maybe too aggressive at first. He noted he took a couple of bad shots at first – "I thought I was back at DBU," he quipped, to which Medved commented from the side, "Thanks for clearing that up."
The second 20 minutes was different. He was 5-of-6 from the field, hitting three of his four 3-point attempts. He also collected half of his six rebounds, and he did it all in 12 minutes of play. Defensively, he was just as good, collecting a block, a steal and guarding tough on Hunter Maldonado when he was in the game and not on the bench with foul trouble.
Nothing forced, just flow.
"Nah, it was just really what the game brought me," he said after finishing with a CSU-best 18 points. "Really, I knew I wanted to be aggressive and play my game and get back to feeling like myself in terms of offensively and defensively. Within that, I wanted to play within the team."
Nobody was happier to see it come than was Roddy.
He just never relented, even on a night he said he was the most even-keeled he's ever been for a game. He carried a confidence of himself and his teammates, certain they were going to find a way to win.
He shot well from everywhere, be it powering his way in the paint or dropping four of his seven 3s. He made 6-of-7 from the foul line, too. But on a night when neither team reached 40-percent shooting, every contribution helps.
"It was awesome. He's a great kid and can shoot the lights out, as you can see," Roddy said of Jacobs. "We just wanted him to stay ready to shoot, because they're leaving him wide open. He stepped up and hit a lot of big shots today."
And amid a flock of fans, the Rams found their way off the court to celebrate a win they really needed to have, against a team they really wanted to beat.
His play looked inspired, and pick your reason for that. He's a great performer, a leader, a candidate for player of the year in the Mountain West. There may have been a tinge of the sinking feeling from the prior matchup with Wyoming, even a rough loss to UNLV the last time Colorado State's men's basketball team was on the Moby Arena court.
Maybe a blend of all of it. Regardless, he was sensational throughout Wednesday's Border War affair, and the Rams needed every ounce of his sixth double-double of the season (the 20th of his career) in clipping the hated Wyoming Cowboys 61-55.
But to pull away with the victory and have the student section rush the floor, the junior power forward needed a little bit of help.
In stepped Chandler Jacobs.
"He's put in the work, he's a good shooter and it's just continuing to develop that confidence," CSU coach Niko Medved said. "I think he missed the first one if I have that right, but he didn't hesitate to knock it down. The only thing was beside was he would hesitate and take it off the dribble. Just shoot it. If it was a paint touch and you're open, step in and shoot it. He made some big plays for us and some big shots, and we needed somebody else to step up and he definitely did that here tonight."
This game was everything the first matchup was in Laramie and nothing like it all rolled into one. The first game was a blur of lead changes and ties, the teams trading buckets constantly before eventually needing overtime to declare a victor.
Wednesday night held all of the same drama, just with a different flair. There were only four lead changes as Colorado State led most of the night and the entirety of the second half. But it was a few possessions of separation for most of the final 20 minutes of play.
Roddy had virtually wrapped up his double-double by half, scoring 17 of his game-best 26 points to set his mood, adding six rebounds. The auxiliary scoring wasn't quick to follow, though Jacobs led the rest of the crew with five points.
He was definitely thinking back to the prior matchup. In that game, an 84-76 loss, Jacobs scored all of five points, and he considered his approach as his head rested on his pillow Tuesday night.
"I think coming into the game, I wanted to be ultra-aggressive on both ends of the floor," Jacobs said. "That was kind of the mindset I had last night when I went to bed last night, just prepping for this game. It felt great to execute it and have some things go my way."
Maybe too aggressive at first. He noted he took a couple of bad shots at first – "I thought I was back at DBU," he quipped, to which Medved commented from the side, "Thanks for clearing that up."
The second 20 minutes was different. He was 5-of-6 from the field, hitting three of his four 3-point attempts. He also collected half of his six rebounds, and he did it all in 12 minutes of play. Defensively, he was just as good, collecting a block, a steal and guarding tough on Hunter Maldonado when he was in the game and not on the bench with foul trouble.
Nothing forced, just flow.
"Nah, it was just really what the game brought me," he said after finishing with a CSU-best 18 points. "Really, I knew I wanted to be aggressive and play my game and get back to feeling like myself in terms of offensively and defensively. Within that, I wanted to play within the team."
Nobody was happier to see it come than was Roddy.
He just never relented, even on a night he said he was the most even-keeled he's ever been for a game. He carried a confidence of himself and his teammates, certain they were going to find a way to win.
He shot well from everywhere, be it powering his way in the paint or dropping four of his seven 3s. He made 6-of-7 from the foul line, too. But on a night when neither team reached 40-percent shooting, every contribution helps.
"It was awesome. He's a great kid and can shoot the lights out, as you can see," Roddy said of Jacobs. "We just wanted him to stay ready to shoot, because they're leaving him wide open. He stepped up and hit a lot of big shots today."
And amid a flock of fans, the Rams found their way off the court to celebrate a win they really needed to have, against a team they really wanted to beat.
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