No. 15 Rams Finish Non-conference Play with 45-point Win Over Adams State

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FORT COLLINS – Jalen Lake was eager for Colorado State's matchup against DII in-state foe Adams State. Having not played since their win against Colorado a month ago, it was understandable.

For the most part, the Rams missed him nearly as much. Without Lake and Josiah Strong, who suffered hand injuries within a week of each other, CSU missed out on serious perimeter defense and shooting.

A 106-61 win over the Grizzlies was a nice way to get back in the groove.

In some ways, Lake's performance in his first game back was like he never left, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting (1-2 from 3) while playing some pesky defense. He started the game by hitting four straight shots.

"It's a lot better having (Lake) back," teammate Joe Palmer said. "I tell a lot of guys in the locker room he and Josiah (Strong) are our best on-ball defenders, so getting these guys back is super crucial, especially going into conference play now. It was nice getting Lake back, and the outside shooting threat opens up the floor."

Palmer added to a barrage of Rams 3-pointers, hitting three of his five attempts from beyond the arc. CSU finished with 14 3s on the night, shooting 50 percent as a team — both season highs.

Lately, it's been a weird stretch of playing just one game a week. So to shoot at that clip right before conference play begins brings a heightened sense of excitement at least for Palmer, despite opening the Mountain West schedule with three straight games against three of its best teams.

"This was a big game for me, I've kind of been struggling these past few games," Palmer said. "It was good seeing those threes go in right away and having other guys hit them as well. It was great to see, a big confidence boost for everyone to see them go through."

For the second time in program history, seven players (Lake, Palmer, Joel Scott, Isaiah Stevens, Nique Clifford, Patrick Cartier and Javonte Johnson) recorded double-digit points. Some of it was thanks to the impressive 3-point shooting figures. Most of it was the Rams' ability to get to the paint mostly at will.

The morale came from many places against the Grizzlies, but no factor was larger than the Moby Arena crowd of 6,852. An impressive figure given the relative absence of students gone for winter break.

Head coach Niko Medved wasted no time acknowledging what it means to him and the team to have that sort of fan support.

"It's just incredible. I remember days when we first got here when we'd be lucky to get 2,400 for a conference game," Medved said. "That's really awesome. It's a testament to these guys and the way they're playing. I think the style they play and the way they engage with fans, they're just so thankful for the fans. That's really exciting as we move into league play."

The Rams will open the Mountain West schedule at home against New Mexico Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 8:30 p.m.

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