Colorado State University Athletics
Friday, March 15
Las Vegas, NV
10:00 PM
Colorado State
24-10,10-8Mountain West
61
vs
74
New Mexico
25-9,10-8Mountain West
1
2
F
Colorado St.
25
36
61
New Mexico
33
41
74
Lobos Rush Rams Out of Vegas
3/16/2024 1:42:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Team Awaits Selection Sunday
LAS VEGAS – Right off the jump, New Mexico set a frantic, chaotic pace.
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Just the way the Lobos want a game to be played, exactly what Colorado State sought to avoid.
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The Rams were able to claw back from an 11-0 opening jolt by the Lobos to open Friday's semifinal matchup in the Mountain West Men's Basketball Tournament, tying the game at 23 later in the half.
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An 8-0 run by New Mexico wasn't ideal either, but it wasn't an insurmountable margin if the Rams could just shoot better.
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They never did, and now the Rams will await their NCAA Tournament fate from the committee after a 74-61 loss which leaves them at 24-10 on the season.
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"I don't know. God, it looks to me at least like there's just not a ton of separation in seeding between so many of these teams right now," CSU coach Niko Medved said. "You never know. Obviously, another win tonight would have helped us, so I don't know. Part of the fun of it is not knowing and having that on Selection Sunday. You have no idea what your seed is going to be, where you are going to go, who you are going to play, and that's some of the beauty of it.
"You know me. I'm such a competitive guy. I hated the way that -- wish we would have played better here tonight, but at the same time, this group has given us a lot, and we have to wake up tomorrow and strong chin and stick our chest out. Selection Sunday is a really, really special time. That's what these guys dream about, so we can't let this take away from that on Sunday."
It wasn't just that it was an off shooting night for the Rams, but the way it came down. Not just the how, but the who.
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Isaiah Stevens, Josiah Strong, Nique Clifford and Jalen Lake were a combined 0-of-17 from the field in the first half. Stevens didn't drop his first field goal until 26:19 had expired in the game. Clifford didn't hit his first until the 27:36 mark.
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The pace of play wasn't too fast. The 14 turnovers the Lobos created weren't alarming. What Medved felt was New Mexico sped up some of the Rams' shots and particularly their decision making.
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"That's what they do. They speed the game up and execute on both ends at that pace," Stevens said. "We were able to generate some good looks, like you said. Maybe rushed at times. We just have to settle in.
"Honestly in the first half there were some shots out there we just have to hit."
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Even though New Mexico played at a high-octane pace, it wasn't as if they set a blowtorch to the majority red-clad Thomas & Mack Center, but they didn't need to after forcing Colorado State into a style of game where they were comfortable, and the Rams were not.
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The lone constant Colorado State had was Joel Scott inside as he muscled his way to 20 points. Even he met resistance as the Lobos blocked nine shots. Even the stuff he got had to be earned.
"I mean, that's just, again, high-level basketball. It's going to be tough, especially inside the paint," Scott said. "Everyone is going to be battling in there. It's going to happen. Blocked shots are going to happen, so you just have to move on, keep playing, and they played very physical down there tonight. That's just how it is."
Stevens would rebound a bit in the game, finishing with 13 points. The Lobos had a trio in double figures led by Jaelen House and his 19. JT Toppin added 16, and Mustapha Amzil came off the bench with 10 as New Mexico becomes the first team to not have a first-round bye to make the tournament final, where it will meet San Diego State.
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Just the way the Lobos want a game to be played, exactly what Colorado State sought to avoid.
Â
The Rams were able to claw back from an 11-0 opening jolt by the Lobos to open Friday's semifinal matchup in the Mountain West Men's Basketball Tournament, tying the game at 23 later in the half.
Â
An 8-0 run by New Mexico wasn't ideal either, but it wasn't an insurmountable margin if the Rams could just shoot better.
Â
They never did, and now the Rams will await their NCAA Tournament fate from the committee after a 74-61 loss which leaves them at 24-10 on the season.
Â
"I don't know. God, it looks to me at least like there's just not a ton of separation in seeding between so many of these teams right now," CSU coach Niko Medved said. "You never know. Obviously, another win tonight would have helped us, so I don't know. Part of the fun of it is not knowing and having that on Selection Sunday. You have no idea what your seed is going to be, where you are going to go, who you are going to play, and that's some of the beauty of it.
"You know me. I'm such a competitive guy. I hated the way that -- wish we would have played better here tonight, but at the same time, this group has given us a lot, and we have to wake up tomorrow and strong chin and stick our chest out. Selection Sunday is a really, really special time. That's what these guys dream about, so we can't let this take away from that on Sunday."
It wasn't just that it was an off shooting night for the Rams, but the way it came down. Not just the how, but the who.
Â
Isaiah Stevens, Josiah Strong, Nique Clifford and Jalen Lake were a combined 0-of-17 from the field in the first half. Stevens didn't drop his first field goal until 26:19 had expired in the game. Clifford didn't hit his first until the 27:36 mark.
Â
The pace of play wasn't too fast. The 14 turnovers the Lobos created weren't alarming. What Medved felt was New Mexico sped up some of the Rams' shots and particularly their decision making.
Â
"That's what they do. They speed the game up and execute on both ends at that pace," Stevens said. "We were able to generate some good looks, like you said. Maybe rushed at times. We just have to settle in.
"Honestly in the first half there were some shots out there we just have to hit."
Â
Even though New Mexico played at a high-octane pace, it wasn't as if they set a blowtorch to the majority red-clad Thomas & Mack Center, but they didn't need to after forcing Colorado State into a style of game where they were comfortable, and the Rams were not.
Â
The lone constant Colorado State had was Joel Scott inside as he muscled his way to 20 points. Even he met resistance as the Lobos blocked nine shots. Even the stuff he got had to be earned.
"I mean, that's just, again, high-level basketball. It's going to be tough, especially inside the paint," Scott said. "Everyone is going to be battling in there. It's going to happen. Blocked shots are going to happen, so you just have to move on, keep playing, and they played very physical down there tonight. That's just how it is."
Stevens would rebound a bit in the game, finishing with 13 points. The Lobos had a trio in double figures led by Jaelen House and his 19. JT Toppin added 16, and Mustapha Amzil came off the bench with 10 as New Mexico becomes the first team to not have a first-round bye to make the tournament final, where it will meet San Diego State.
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Team Stats
CSU
UNM
FG%
.343
.452
3FG%
.214
.385
FT%
.875
.813
RB
44
39
TO
14
9
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
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