Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, February 8
Fort Collins, CO
8:00 PM
Colorado State
15-8,9-3Mountain West
68
vs
63
San Diego State
15-6,8-4Mountain West
1
2
F
San Diego St.
35
28
63
Colorado St.
38
30
68
Rams Tough Out Win Against Aztecs
2/8/2025 11:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Clifford posts 10th double-double of season
Not a game for the faint of heart. Not a contest to gain a rhythm either.
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Saturday night was going to force a team to close at Moby Arena in front of a sold out, Orange Out crowd. Make plays. Hit key shots. Stand tall on defense. Make free throws.
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San Diego State (15-6, 8-4 Mountain West) was going to be physical, and Colorado State (15-8, 9-3) matched the tone throughout. Fouls were going to be called – 44 in all. It was going to require conviction to stick to a plan, stick to a personal skill and the team's identity with impunity.
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In short, make the type of plays which win a game, which the Rams did in a 68-63 decision.
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"It's hard for most teams, and it's hard for young teams – it's hard for our team," CSU coach Niko Medved said. "When you're struggling on offense and things aren't going your way, what usually happens to your defense … You let that affect that end of the floor. It takes time to grow.
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"I'm so proud of the growth of our team that way. they don't flinch. Free throws don't go down, we had some wide-open 3s that didn't go down. They didn't let that frustration … we turned it over, but we got back and played. We wouldn't have done that in early November. This program we just beat, that's what they make their money on."
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The Aztecs don't give up many runs, but a 12-1 burst by the Rams led to a 64-56 lead with just more than three minutes on the clock. And with 1:09 remaining, the lead was down to 65-61. The Rams did not drain shots in the moment, but they did extend their possession twice, with Nique Clifford and Rashaan Mbemba both grabbing offensive rebounds.
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It led to Mbemba making a pair of free throws, no small task in the game for either team. A defensive board by Clifford -- his 13th on the night in a double-double which included 21 points – led to Kyan Evans making a pair. Prior to the four consecutive makes, the Rams were just 13-0f-20 from the stripe. Much better than the Aztecs, who finished 11-of-21.
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For the Rams, it was simply going hard at a play when it had to be made. The team he watched Saturday is the team Medved has come to love, a squad playing without fear. It's also not the same team he watched in November.
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These Rams have grown to enjoy what doesn't come easy.
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"It's super tough. Give those guys a ton of credit," Ethan Morton said. "They've kind of been the standard in this league for a long time. Coach did a great job. He told us to beat those guys you have to beat them at their own game. We knew it was going to be a rock fight. It's just trying to have a stronger will, and we were able to figure it out tonight."
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Those final two offensive board gave the Rams 17 in the game (the most in a game in the Medved era), two more than SDSU, and part of the switch in the team. Mbemba when up hard for his, despite playing with four fouls.
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With a bit of a pick-me-up, Clifford went back to finding joy in the grind.
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Recently, it has been for him offensively, coming off a tough night against New Mexico offensively, but also just 1-of-11 from deep the past two games. He finished 4-of-7 from behind the arc, 8-of-15 overall from the floor.
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"I think at times maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself to make shots instead of just having fun and playing," he said. "Lucas (Stieber), one of our graduate assistants, talked to me and just told me to get back to that. That helped me a lot, just having fun and not putting pressure on myself, just go shoot the ball."
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He didn't force a thing, either. He didn't score until 6:19 remaining in the first half, but went on a surge, scoring 11 points to give the Rams a 38-35 edge at the break. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson was the only other Ram to reach double figures, scoring 10, but Evans finished with nine playing through early foul trouble. Even he got involved with the offensive glass, grabbing a pair in the final five minutes.
Â
When the Aztecs came out hot to start the second half, the Rams didn't flinch. They settled back down and met the Aztecs rock for rock.
Â
On this night, they were able to cast the last couple of stones on the offensive glass.
Â
"People get it misconstrued. You think it's the shots that aren't falling or whatever the case may be," Clifford said. "That's something Coach Medved stresses to us, is it comes down to the little plays, like those offensive rebounds, free-throw block outs and they get an extra possession off a rebound, which can change a whole game.
Â
"We take a lot of time to work on the details and those little plays that can really change a game."
Â
Â
Saturday night was going to force a team to close at Moby Arena in front of a sold out, Orange Out crowd. Make plays. Hit key shots. Stand tall on defense. Make free throws.
Â
San Diego State (15-6, 8-4 Mountain West) was going to be physical, and Colorado State (15-8, 9-3) matched the tone throughout. Fouls were going to be called – 44 in all. It was going to require conviction to stick to a plan, stick to a personal skill and the team's identity with impunity.
Â
In short, make the type of plays which win a game, which the Rams did in a 68-63 decision.
Â
"It's hard for most teams, and it's hard for young teams – it's hard for our team," CSU coach Niko Medved said. "When you're struggling on offense and things aren't going your way, what usually happens to your defense … You let that affect that end of the floor. It takes time to grow.
Â
"I'm so proud of the growth of our team that way. they don't flinch. Free throws don't go down, we had some wide-open 3s that didn't go down. They didn't let that frustration … we turned it over, but we got back and played. We wouldn't have done that in early November. This program we just beat, that's what they make their money on."
Â
The Aztecs don't give up many runs, but a 12-1 burst by the Rams led to a 64-56 lead with just more than three minutes on the clock. And with 1:09 remaining, the lead was down to 65-61. The Rams did not drain shots in the moment, but they did extend their possession twice, with Nique Clifford and Rashaan Mbemba both grabbing offensive rebounds.
Â
It led to Mbemba making a pair of free throws, no small task in the game for either team. A defensive board by Clifford -- his 13th on the night in a double-double which included 21 points – led to Kyan Evans making a pair. Prior to the four consecutive makes, the Rams were just 13-0f-20 from the stripe. Much better than the Aztecs, who finished 11-of-21.
Â
For the Rams, it was simply going hard at a play when it had to be made. The team he watched Saturday is the team Medved has come to love, a squad playing without fear. It's also not the same team he watched in November.
Â
These Rams have grown to enjoy what doesn't come easy.
Â
"It's super tough. Give those guys a ton of credit," Ethan Morton said. "They've kind of been the standard in this league for a long time. Coach did a great job. He told us to beat those guys you have to beat them at their own game. We knew it was going to be a rock fight. It's just trying to have a stronger will, and we were able to figure it out tonight."
Â
Those final two offensive board gave the Rams 17 in the game (the most in a game in the Medved era), two more than SDSU, and part of the switch in the team. Mbemba when up hard for his, despite playing with four fouls.
Â
With a bit of a pick-me-up, Clifford went back to finding joy in the grind.
Â
Recently, it has been for him offensively, coming off a tough night against New Mexico offensively, but also just 1-of-11 from deep the past two games. He finished 4-of-7 from behind the arc, 8-of-15 overall from the floor.
Â
"I think at times maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself to make shots instead of just having fun and playing," he said. "Lucas (Stieber), one of our graduate assistants, talked to me and just told me to get back to that. That helped me a lot, just having fun and not putting pressure on myself, just go shoot the ball."
Â
He didn't force a thing, either. He didn't score until 6:19 remaining in the first half, but went on a surge, scoring 11 points to give the Rams a 38-35 edge at the break. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson was the only other Ram to reach double figures, scoring 10, but Evans finished with nine playing through early foul trouble. Even he got involved with the offensive glass, grabbing a pair in the final five minutes.
Â
When the Aztecs came out hot to start the second half, the Rams didn't flinch. They settled back down and met the Aztecs rock for rock.
Â
On this night, they were able to cast the last couple of stones on the offensive glass.
Â
"People get it misconstrued. You think it's the shots that aren't falling or whatever the case may be," Clifford said. "That's something Coach Medved stresses to us, is it comes down to the little plays, like those offensive rebounds, free-throw block outs and they get an extra possession off a rebound, which can change a whole game.
Â
"We take a lot of time to work on the details and those little plays that can really change a game."
Â
Team Stats
SDSU
CSU
FG%
.379
.415
3FG%
.348
.368
FT%
.524
.708
RB
35
44
TO
8
12
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballColorado State Basketball (M): Season 1 - Ep. 1
Sunday, August 10
Ramily - CSU Men's Basketball
Tuesday, August 05
Ram Line - Shoot Around with Josh Pascarelli & Darnez Slater (MBB)
Monday, August 04
Behind the White Board - Ken DeWeese
Monday, August 04