Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, February 22
Las Vegas, NV
8:00 PM
Colorado State
18-9,12-4Mountain West
61
at
53
UNLV
14-13,8-8Mountain West
1
2
F
Colorado St.
27
34
61
UNLV
26
27
53
Rams Grind Out Victory at UNLV
2/22/2025 11:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Colorado State picks 12th conference win of the year
LAS VEGAS – Colorado State men's basketball found a way to grind out a 61-53 win over UNLV Saturday night to improve to 18-9 on the year and 12-4 in Mountain West play. The Rams held the Rebels scoreless for the final 3:11 of the game to secure the win.
How it Happened
- Strong defensive start for the Rams to go up 14-2, UNLV turned the ball over four times during the opening run.
- Rams struggled to score with a 1-for-12 shooting stretch allowing UNLV to take the lead 20-18 on a 15-2 run.
- Nique Clifford only had two points in the first half, they came in the final seconds to put CSU up 27-26 at the half.
- CSU grew its lead to eight to open the second half thanks to a pair of 3s from Kyan Evans.
- UNLV responded with a 10-1 run to take a one-point lead with 13:01 remaining.
- CSU grew its lead back to eight, but UNLV chipped away at the lead tying it with 4:09 left.
- Colorado State outscored UNLV 10-2 the rest of the way, holding the Rebels scoreless for the final 3:11.
Game Notes
- Jaylen Crocker-Johnson reached double figures scoring for the sixth time in the last eight games finishing with 10 points including a pair of 3s.
- Nique Clifford picked up his 12th double-double of the year with 14 points and 14 rebounds along with five assists and a steal. Twelve of his 14 points came in the second half.
- Kyan Evans made a huge impact on the game finishing +21 in his 26 minutes. He scored 14 points, all in the second half. Â
- The 53 points scored by UNLV match an opponent's season-low
- Colorado State has now won at UNLV seven times in the program's history. Two of those have come under Niko Medved (2023, 2025).
Play of The Game
What's Ahead
CSU will return to the state of Colorado and take on Air Force next Tuesday in Colorado Springs at 7 p.m. MT.
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Men's basketball returns to Moby Arena on Saturday, March 1 to host Utah State at 2 p.m. MT. Tickets for the game are available at CSURams.com/MBBTickets
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How it Happened
- Strong defensive start for the Rams to go up 14-2, UNLV turned the ball over four times during the opening run.
- Rams struggled to score with a 1-for-12 shooting stretch allowing UNLV to take the lead 20-18 on a 15-2 run.
- Nique Clifford only had two points in the first half, they came in the final seconds to put CSU up 27-26 at the half.
- CSU grew its lead to eight to open the second half thanks to a pair of 3s from Kyan Evans.
- UNLV responded with a 10-1 run to take a one-point lead with 13:01 remaining.
- CSU grew its lead back to eight, but UNLV chipped away at the lead tying it with 4:09 left.
- Colorado State outscored UNLV 10-2 the rest of the way, holding the Rebels scoreless for the final 3:11.
Game Notes
- Jaylen Crocker-Johnson reached double figures scoring for the sixth time in the last eight games finishing with 10 points including a pair of 3s.
- Nique Clifford picked up his 12th double-double of the year with 14 points and 14 rebounds along with five assists and a steal. Twelve of his 14 points came in the second half.
- Kyan Evans made a huge impact on the game finishing +21 in his 26 minutes. He scored 14 points, all in the second half. Â
- The 53 points scored by UNLV match an opponent's season-low
- Colorado State has now won at UNLV seven times in the program's history. Two of those have come under Niko Medved (2023, 2025).
Play of The Game
Just how we drew it up#Relentless x #TeamTogether pic.twitter.com/KpuC6CEMjI
— Colorado State Men's Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) February 23, 2025
What's Ahead
CSU will return to the state of Colorado and take on Air Force next Tuesday in Colorado Springs at 7 p.m. MT.
Â
Men's basketball returns to Moby Arena on Saturday, March 1 to host Utah State at 2 p.m. MT. Tickets for the game are available at CSURams.com/MBBTickets
Â
Team Stats
CSU
UNLV
FG%
.423
.420
3FG%
.263
.364
FT%
.857
.412
RB
35
30
TO
11
11
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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