Stevens Delivers For Rams to Open Tourney

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LAS VEGAS – Something happened on the way to the Rams cruising toward victory.

Weirdness. A technical foul following a Fresno state 3. A serious cold spell, including a missed dunk by CSU, the second of the game.

A 12-point lead with less than 8 minutes became a three-point deficit with 1:46 remaining.

Then Isaiah Stevens came to the rescue.

The senior guard hit an old-fashioned 3-point play to tie the game, then answered with a running floater in the lane with 2.7 seconds to regain the lead and set the final score of 67-65 for Colorado State's men's basketball team in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Never a doubt.

"Maybe a little bit," Stevens said. "But nah, those games are always fun."

Only when you win them. When the Rams built up a big lead, no one ever figured dramatics were going to be on the table.

When Eduardo Andre threw down a dunk, there were no shockwaves. When Jemarl Baker Jr. hit a 3 off an offensive rebound, and on the play, Baylor Hebb was called for a flagrant technical and Isaiah Hill drained both free throws, the ripples were coming quicker.

In less than a minute, the Rams' big lead was down to five points.

It all coincided with the coldest shooting stretch for Colorado State in the game – the Rams went 7:27 without a field goal. Add in some defensive breakdowns, it's a recipe for disaster.

Thankfully for the Rams, just a near disaster.

"We just go play by play," said John Tonje, who led the team with 20 points. "No one lost their mind in that situation, and we just stayed composed and kept playing."

Medved knows his team didn't handle the end of the game very well, but he also watched them respond perfectly when Hill hit three free throws after being fouled at the top of the key for a 65-62 lead for the Bulldogs.

There was chaos, but Medved also knows his roster has a big dose of calm at the point.

"Whether we're tied or not tied or whatever, having a guy like that is pretty comforting. He's so calm under pressure in those situations," Medved said. "His mind slows down, he gets it, he's done that since his freshman year. That's' a joy to have as a coach. I didn't think we managed the end of the game very well."

Fresno State missed a chance to build on the lead after causing a CSU turnover in the paint, but subsequently missed a shot. With the Rams in transition, Stevens drove the lane for a layup and was fouled, turning it into a three-point play and a tie game.

It wasn't the game-winning play, but it was the one which gave the Rams a chance.

"The three-point play was huge. They had finally taken the lead and then we come down and boom, an and-1 and he makes it and we come right back and tie it right up," Medved said. "I thought that was a huge jolt to our team, because we had let that lead slip away down the stretch. I really thought that was a huge momentum play."

The Rams rebounded another Bulldog miss, and with less than 30 seconds remaining, kept pushing forward knowing Stevens would have the ball in his hands at the end.

It's been there time and time again throughout his career. He's missed a few chances, but he also has a pocketful of game-winning plays on his resume. Tonje, who has seen them all, said his only real job is to stay out of the way and let Stevens work.

What happens next has never been the same, but it begins with the man in charge.

"It's really just a read based on positioning, personnel, who is guarding me, who is guarding (Tonje)," Stevens said. "Who is likely to switch or double or something like that. There's a lot of things we're looking at and reading kind of as it's happening in the moment. It all depends on what the defense does."

What it did was give Stevens a lane on the left, which he hit, then pulled up with a running jumper which fell with 2.7 seconds remaining.

Fresno State inbounded past halfcourt and called timeout. Then CSU did too. The Bulldogs called another, all with 1.9 seconds remaining. Then they threw the ball out of bounds on the inbound.

"I thought the momentum really turned when they made a 3, we committed the flagrant foul. They got back in the game quickly," Medved said. "Then when they took the lead, we didn't panic. That's' what you have to do. You have to stay with it emotionally and find a way to win it, and that's what we did."

Stevens finished with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists. Patrick Cartier contributed 12 points.

Colorado State advances to face top-seeded and No. 20 San Diego State on Thursday at 1 p.m. (MT).

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