Colorado State University Athletics
Tuesday, January 28
Fort Collins, CO
7:00 PM
Colorado State
14-7,8-2Mountain West
79
vs
58
Air Force
3-18,0-10Mountain West
1
2
F
Air Force
37
21
58
Colorado St.
38
41
79
A Spark Can Change a Game
1/28/2025 10:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CSU Men's Basketball Experiment With Their Lineup
Getting the flame roaring may require a little bit of an extra spark.
After the fuse reached its end, Colorado State claimed victory against Air Force 79-58.
Nikola Djapa acted as the spark, so to speak, and was brought in during the second half to cover spots Rashaan Mbemba was before, bringing a bit of fire with him.
"He's really done a great job of staying ready," coach Niko Medved said. "He obviously helped us in the Boise State game and sometimes it's game to game. I just felt that their fives were kind of big and physical and we just needed a little more juice in the spot. It was a gut call."
Whatever it was—lighter fluid, a match or plain old friction, the fire was surely started and impacted the rest of the game.
Holding AF to 16% in the second half was surely a sign flames were abound. So was Nique Clifford's ninth double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
One thing which was also engulfed by the flames was the Falcons' Ethan Taylor. Scoring 15 points in the first half and just seven in the second, CSU's attack had worked to pressure their offense.
"We switched up coverage a bit," Clifford said. "It was really more of a pride thing. He was going off in the first half, so somebody had to sit down a lock him up. Ethan (Morton) did a really good job of doing that. (Jalen) Lake took turns on him."
Morton didn't show up completely statistically impactful in the box score, but his defense started to lock down Taylor, which was difficult against a player who is so quick on their feet.
An ability to lean on the bench when needed and draw out the dark horses of the roster is something Medved will continue to use to his advantage further into conference play.
"I think our bench is a strength," Medved said. "Guys can come in and give us a spark, and that's what you need. We're going to need that in the second half of the season. It's been a great start to lead play, there's no question, but that doesn't matter anymore. It's all about what we have to do moving forward. And I think our bench can play a big part in that."
One player who showed his spark throughout the game was point guard Kyan Evans. The sophomore has shown how integral his decision making is getting the ball to where it needs to be.
Though the first half was not outstanding defensively, figuring out the puzzle Air Force's offense presented made it click.
"We all agree on that," Evans said. "That first half, we didn't do what we wanted on the defensive side of the ball. In the second half, we held them to 16% shooting, so we did what we wanted to do in the second half."
Throwing in some new guys and changing some things around has paid off in dividends. But at the end of the day, for Medved, it continues to be about teaching.
Taking a starter out and putting a new player in, could ruffle some feathers but the ending is always well thought out.
"What they know is, when it does happen, they know I'm serious," Medved said. "And I think what they realize is that I'm usually right. That's not my mentality, I'm a teacher, and sometimes that is teaching. We all need it. Sometimes we need a kick in the tail. We need truth tellers in our life. That was what the team needed, that's what some of the guys needed, and they responded."
The response of the Rams influenced their streak now sitting at 8-2 conference heading into a much-needed bye week.
Their next game is against New Mexico, Medved will see if this spark continues to help or snuffs out the flame.
After the fuse reached its end, Colorado State claimed victory against Air Force 79-58.
Nikola Djapa acted as the spark, so to speak, and was brought in during the second half to cover spots Rashaan Mbemba was before, bringing a bit of fire with him.
"He's really done a great job of staying ready," coach Niko Medved said. "He obviously helped us in the Boise State game and sometimes it's game to game. I just felt that their fives were kind of big and physical and we just needed a little more juice in the spot. It was a gut call."
Whatever it was—lighter fluid, a match or plain old friction, the fire was surely started and impacted the rest of the game.
Holding AF to 16% in the second half was surely a sign flames were abound. So was Nique Clifford's ninth double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
One thing which was also engulfed by the flames was the Falcons' Ethan Taylor. Scoring 15 points in the first half and just seven in the second, CSU's attack had worked to pressure their offense.
"We switched up coverage a bit," Clifford said. "It was really more of a pride thing. He was going off in the first half, so somebody had to sit down a lock him up. Ethan (Morton) did a really good job of doing that. (Jalen) Lake took turns on him."
Morton didn't show up completely statistically impactful in the box score, but his defense started to lock down Taylor, which was difficult against a player who is so quick on their feet.
An ability to lean on the bench when needed and draw out the dark horses of the roster is something Medved will continue to use to his advantage further into conference play.
"I think our bench is a strength," Medved said. "Guys can come in and give us a spark, and that's what you need. We're going to need that in the second half of the season. It's been a great start to lead play, there's no question, but that doesn't matter anymore. It's all about what we have to do moving forward. And I think our bench can play a big part in that."
One player who showed his spark throughout the game was point guard Kyan Evans. The sophomore has shown how integral his decision making is getting the ball to where it needs to be.
Though the first half was not outstanding defensively, figuring out the puzzle Air Force's offense presented made it click.
"We all agree on that," Evans said. "That first half, we didn't do what we wanted on the defensive side of the ball. In the second half, we held them to 16% shooting, so we did what we wanted to do in the second half."
Throwing in some new guys and changing some things around has paid off in dividends. But at the end of the day, for Medved, it continues to be about teaching.
Taking a starter out and putting a new player in, could ruffle some feathers but the ending is always well thought out.
"What they know is, when it does happen, they know I'm serious," Medved said. "And I think what they realize is that I'm usually right. That's not my mentality, I'm a teacher, and sometimes that is teaching. We all need it. Sometimes we need a kick in the tail. We need truth tellers in our life. That was what the team needed, that's what some of the guys needed, and they responded."
The response of the Rams influenced their streak now sitting at 8-2 conference heading into a much-needed bye week.
Their next game is against New Mexico, Medved will see if this spark continues to help or snuffs out the flame.
Team Stats
USAFA
CSU
FG%
.351
.518
3FG%
.292
.278
FT%
.846
.842
RB
29
37
TO
10
5
STL
3
6
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballColorado State Basketball (M): Season 1 - Ep. 1
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Behind the White Board - Ken DeWeese
Monday, August 04