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Colorado State University Athletics
Tuesday, December 9
Fort Collins, CO
7:00 p.m.
Colorado State
8-2,0-0Mountain West
76
vs
55
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Dartmouth
3-5,0-0Ivy League
1
2
F
Dartmouth
24
31
55
Colorado St.
33
43
76
Final Product Hits the Mark
12/9/2025 9:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Rams pull away from Dartmouth for eighth win
A team wants to check off boxes, particularly early in the season. Target areas for growth then attack them. It can be a process, and it has been for Colorado State early.
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Offensively, there hasn't been much to complain about. No matter what a team throws at them, the Rams find an answer. Defensively, that's where the hard work has come into play, and Tuesday's game with Dartmouth was another chance.
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The final result was spot-on for the team in a 76-55 victory at Moby Arena. The Rams limited a team averaging 80 points per night to 55, allowing the Big Green to shoot just 40.4 percent from the field and 31 percent from deep.
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How they got there, and where the Rams are trying to get to, will be dissected. They weren't always strong defensively, even on a night which produced a season-best 13 steals.
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"It's just -- and I told them that -- it's not that they're not doing it, it's just eight-and-a-half out of 10 times, and that's not good enough for where you want to get to, and I'm not lowering the standard, and I don't think they want me to either, though, so it's all of us," CSU coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. "As a staff, we've got to keep doing a better job holding them accountable to certain things, and at some point, though, they have to hold themselves accountable, too. Then hold each other accountable, and they do a good job of that, but it's, like I told them, we're not going to be a top-20 defense from Saturday to Tuesday.
Â
"That's not going to happen. But can we take a couple steps, and get better in these areas, and then carry that to the next one, and they did that. They did get better in some areas tonight, so that's what I told them. I was pleased with how they did progress tonight."
Â
Every season is going to look different, and with roster turnover, expectations have to alter. What this team is lacking is some elite individual defenders, players such as Nique Clifford, Jalen Lake and Ethan Morton. Last year's squad opened shaky on the defensive end, too, then turned it into a strength by season's end.
Â
Farokhmanesh will push toward that type of improvement, but it will just have to look different. They have to be sounder as a group – whichever five is on the floor – and communicate to the extreme.
Â
This night was a step forward.
Â
"Just being more disciplined on defense, helping each other out," Jevin Muniz said. "In the past games, we could have been better defensively, but It's been a main focus lately, so just helping each other out, being a help for each other."
Â
Forcing 15 turnovers, matching a season best, is a start. The fact the majority of them came on steals was another sign of active and smart hands, with Carey Booth pacing the effort with three. As a team, the Rams won the boards by a slim margin and controlled the paint, holding a 46-20 edge.
Â
They did all that with 12 players seeing the floor, a few of them who haven't recorded much time this season, let alone as of late.
Â
The process requires time and effort, and even minimal progression should be seen as a positive.
Â
"I think we definitely did, especially coming off the last game," Jace Butler said. "I felt like we didn't defend the way we could. We still won the game, so it was better to learn that way. But the coaches, we made a big emphasis in practice, just that you've got to defend to be the team you want to be ultimately. So I think we did."
Â
The onset of a game was a struggle for a couple of reasons. The obvious one to Farokhmanesh, the one he expected, was coming down a bit after an emotional win over a rival in a sold-out environment. He felt he could have altered his squad a bit better.
Â
Then there was the Dartmouth defense. It was man. The Rams prepared to face a 3-2 zone, one the Big Green used a few days earlier at Wyoming.
Â
Eventually, the team made the adjustment, leading toa 43-point second half. When they hit the finish line, five Rams were in double figures, led by Brandon Rechsteiner with 14. Kyle Jorgensen added 12, Muniz 11 and Josh Pascarelli and Butler 10 each.
Â
CSU hit at a 61.1 percent clip, though they hit just 7-of-18 3s. And despite scoring 46 points in the paint, the Rams shot just three free throws, all coming in the final 5 minutes. That was a topic Farokhmanesh sidestepped with veteran poise.
Â
On that end, the Rams are confident. They've seen just about every defense a team can throw at them, and they're scoring well. Some nights it's from deep, others they will favor the paint. Need a blend, the Rams have done that, too. Some nights they will be able to share the ball to create. Others, such as Tuesday with just 13 assists on 33 field goals, individually they may need to open space on their own.
Â
"I think we have a really good offense, so I think no matter what they try to run, we have a counter for everything," Butler said. "So I think just as guys get more comfortable, and you know, we're about 10 games in now, so I think it's starting to come together well. I feel good."
Â
At 8-2, it's hard not to feel good. Down the road, the goal is to feel a whole lot better. And 10 games in, the Rams feel they are checking off the right boxes.
Â
Â
Offensively, there hasn't been much to complain about. No matter what a team throws at them, the Rams find an answer. Defensively, that's where the hard work has come into play, and Tuesday's game with Dartmouth was another chance.
Â
The final result was spot-on for the team in a 76-55 victory at Moby Arena. The Rams limited a team averaging 80 points per night to 55, allowing the Big Green to shoot just 40.4 percent from the field and 31 percent from deep.
Â
How they got there, and where the Rams are trying to get to, will be dissected. They weren't always strong defensively, even on a night which produced a season-best 13 steals.
Â
"It's just -- and I told them that -- it's not that they're not doing it, it's just eight-and-a-half out of 10 times, and that's not good enough for where you want to get to, and I'm not lowering the standard, and I don't think they want me to either, though, so it's all of us," CSU coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. "As a staff, we've got to keep doing a better job holding them accountable to certain things, and at some point, though, they have to hold themselves accountable, too. Then hold each other accountable, and they do a good job of that, but it's, like I told them, we're not going to be a top-20 defense from Saturday to Tuesday.
Â
"That's not going to happen. But can we take a couple steps, and get better in these areas, and then carry that to the next one, and they did that. They did get better in some areas tonight, so that's what I told them. I was pleased with how they did progress tonight."
Â
Every season is going to look different, and with roster turnover, expectations have to alter. What this team is lacking is some elite individual defenders, players such as Nique Clifford, Jalen Lake and Ethan Morton. Last year's squad opened shaky on the defensive end, too, then turned it into a strength by season's end.
Â
Farokhmanesh will push toward that type of improvement, but it will just have to look different. They have to be sounder as a group – whichever five is on the floor – and communicate to the extreme.
Â
This night was a step forward.
Â
"Just being more disciplined on defense, helping each other out," Jevin Muniz said. "In the past games, we could have been better defensively, but It's been a main focus lately, so just helping each other out, being a help for each other."
Â
Forcing 15 turnovers, matching a season best, is a start. The fact the majority of them came on steals was another sign of active and smart hands, with Carey Booth pacing the effort with three. As a team, the Rams won the boards by a slim margin and controlled the paint, holding a 46-20 edge.
Â
They did all that with 12 players seeing the floor, a few of them who haven't recorded much time this season, let alone as of late.
Â
The process requires time and effort, and even minimal progression should be seen as a positive.
Â
"I think we definitely did, especially coming off the last game," Jace Butler said. "I felt like we didn't defend the way we could. We still won the game, so it was better to learn that way. But the coaches, we made a big emphasis in practice, just that you've got to defend to be the team you want to be ultimately. So I think we did."
Â
The onset of a game was a struggle for a couple of reasons. The obvious one to Farokhmanesh, the one he expected, was coming down a bit after an emotional win over a rival in a sold-out environment. He felt he could have altered his squad a bit better.
Â
Then there was the Dartmouth defense. It was man. The Rams prepared to face a 3-2 zone, one the Big Green used a few days earlier at Wyoming.
Â
Eventually, the team made the adjustment, leading toa 43-point second half. When they hit the finish line, five Rams were in double figures, led by Brandon Rechsteiner with 14. Kyle Jorgensen added 12, Muniz 11 and Josh Pascarelli and Butler 10 each.
Â
CSU hit at a 61.1 percent clip, though they hit just 7-of-18 3s. And despite scoring 46 points in the paint, the Rams shot just three free throws, all coming in the final 5 minutes. That was a topic Farokhmanesh sidestepped with veteran poise.
Â
On that end, the Rams are confident. They've seen just about every defense a team can throw at them, and they're scoring well. Some nights it's from deep, others they will favor the paint. Need a blend, the Rams have done that, too. Some nights they will be able to share the ball to create. Others, such as Tuesday with just 13 assists on 33 field goals, individually they may need to open space on their own.
Â
"I think we have a really good offense, so I think no matter what they try to run, we have a counter for everything," Butler said. "So I think just as guys get more comfortable, and you know, we're about 10 games in now, so I think it's starting to come together well. I feel good."
Â
At 8-2, it's hard not to feel good. Down the road, the goal is to feel a whole lot better. And 10 games in, the Rams feel they are checking off the right boxes.
Â
Team Stats
Dart
CSU
FG%
.404
.611
3FG%
.310
.389
FT%
.500
1.000
RB
25
28
TO
15
12
STL
4
13
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballColorado State Basketball (M): Ali Farokhmanesh Post-Game (Dartmouth)
Tuesday, December 09
Colorado State Basketball (M): Jase Butler (L) & Jevin Muniz (R) Post-Game (Dartmouth)
Tuesday, December 09
Colorado State Basketball (M): Ali Farokhmanesh Post-Game (Colorado)
Saturday, December 06
Colorado State Basketball (M): Josh Pascarelli (L) & Kyle Jorgensen (R) Post-Game (Colorado)
Saturday, December 06