Colorado State University Athletics
Sunday, December 17
Fort Collins, CO
4:00 PM
Colorado State
10-1,0-0Mountain West
86
vs
54
CSU-Pueblo
6-6,2-3RMAC
1
2
F
CSU Pueblo
26
28
54
Colorado St.
46
40
86
No. 17 Rams Cruise Past CSU Pueblo
12/17/2023 7:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Confidence and value growing in young guards
Get back in the groove.
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After eight days of mulling over their first loss of the season to St. Mary's, the No. 17/18 Colorado State men's basketball team was eager to get back on the court and regain a stride.
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An 86-54 win against CSU Pueblo wasn't a bad way to do it in front of a Moby Arena crowd of 5,739.
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In a game when the Rams trailed only once and led by double digits most of the way, head coach Niko Medved had the freedom to tinker with lineups and plays. With freshman forward Rashaan Mbemba on the sideline, Kyle Evans put up nine points and two blocks in 18 minutes — all season highs.
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"We really had no choice but to tinker with lineups with some guys out," Medved said. "I think it's great for guys to get some minutes. Kyle Evans is a guy who hasn't really had an opportunity yet this year, … he knew today he would get an opportunity and I thought he did some really good things."
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Another way Medved played with the lineup was by starting sophomore guard Taviontae Jackson for the first time this season.
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With the Rams' two best perimeter defenders Jalen Lake and Josiah Strong out with injuries, Jackson's career-high-tying five steals filled that hole well. He also added a season-high 11 points without missing a single shot.
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"The one thing with (Jackson) is he can make shots when he's open and when he's got his feet set and I thought it was great to see a couple go in," Medved said. "He's obviously really athletic and active; he can make plays for us defensively, so that's a real boost for us. … That's kind of what we need right now and that's what I challenged him to do."
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While Jackson saw his role increase against the Thunderwolves, another young guard Kyan Evans played for more than 20 minutes for the third time this season. With the injuries at guard, the usage of both players has gone up over the past few games, mostly by necessity.Â
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In some ways, the victory over CSU Pueblo was a confidence booster for both. Jackson didn't miss a single field goal and missed only one of his eight free throws. Kyan Evans set career marks in assists (5) and 3s made (2).
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"(The confidence is growing) a lot," Kyan Evans said. "I think every game is just a learning curve and we're just getting better every day."
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The Rams will travel to Los Angeles to take on Loyola Marymount on Friday. Last season, the Rams won the matchup at Moby 87-71.
Â
After eight days of mulling over their first loss of the season to St. Mary's, the No. 17/18 Colorado State men's basketball team was eager to get back on the court and regain a stride.
Â
An 86-54 win against CSU Pueblo wasn't a bad way to do it in front of a Moby Arena crowd of 5,739.
Â
In a game when the Rams trailed only once and led by double digits most of the way, head coach Niko Medved had the freedom to tinker with lineups and plays. With freshman forward Rashaan Mbemba on the sideline, Kyle Evans put up nine points and two blocks in 18 minutes — all season highs.
Â
"We really had no choice but to tinker with lineups with some guys out," Medved said. "I think it's great for guys to get some minutes. Kyle Evans is a guy who hasn't really had an opportunity yet this year, … he knew today he would get an opportunity and I thought he did some really good things."
Â
Another way Medved played with the lineup was by starting sophomore guard Taviontae Jackson for the first time this season.
Â
With the Rams' two best perimeter defenders Jalen Lake and Josiah Strong out with injuries, Jackson's career-high-tying five steals filled that hole well. He also added a season-high 11 points without missing a single shot.
Â
"The one thing with (Jackson) is he can make shots when he's open and when he's got his feet set and I thought it was great to see a couple go in," Medved said. "He's obviously really athletic and active; he can make plays for us defensively, so that's a real boost for us. … That's kind of what we need right now and that's what I challenged him to do."
Â
While Jackson saw his role increase against the Thunderwolves, another young guard Kyan Evans played for more than 20 minutes for the third time this season. With the injuries at guard, the usage of both players has gone up over the past few games, mostly by necessity.Â
Â
In some ways, the victory over CSU Pueblo was a confidence booster for both. Jackson didn't miss a single field goal and missed only one of his eight free throws. Kyan Evans set career marks in assists (5) and 3s made (2).
Â
"(The confidence is growing) a lot," Kyan Evans said. "I think every game is just a learning curve and we're just getting better every day."
Â
The Rams will travel to Los Angeles to take on Loyola Marymount on Friday. Last season, the Rams won the matchup at Moby 87-71.
Team Stats
CSU-P
CSU
FG%
.339
.509
3FG%
.182
.385
FT%
.800
.783
RB
30
40
TO
20
15
STL
8
15
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
7
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballColorado State Basketball (M): Season 1 - Ep. 1
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