Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, February 7
Fort Collins, CO
7:00 p.m.
Colorado State
13-10,4-8Mountain West
65
vs
57
San Jose State
6-17,1-11Mountain West
1
2
F
San Jose St.
29
28
57
Colorado St.
30
35
65
Rams Fight For Themselves and Others
2/7/2026 10:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bench plays key role in victory
Every now and then, a team just needs a specific outcome. The how and why don't really matter as long as the bottom line is met.
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A victory. And Colorado State's men's basketball team picked one up Saturday night at Moby Arena, one which snapped a three-game skid with a 65-57 decision against San Jose State. It improved the Rams to 13-10 on the campaign, 4-8 in Mountain West play.
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The visiting Spartans are battling with demons of their own – a sixth-consecutive defeat to slot them at 6-17, 1-11. Two teams caught up in the chase for something to feel good about, and Colorado State is happy to walk out the squad celebrating.
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Not just for themselves, but the cancer warriors they represented and played for in the Fight Like a Ram game in partnership with UC Health. In a pregame assembly, CSU coach Ali Farokhmanesh walked through the line of all of them, with the last warrior he met giving him yet another reason to cry and a reminder of the assignment.
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"It was hard. There was a lady at the end of the line when we shook hands with all the cancer warriors out there, and she kind of broke down right when I got to her, and you could just tell how much it meant to them, and you look at them and what they're going through, and especially what she was telling me about all the radiation treatments and how her friend was going through that," Farokhmanesh said. "Then, the only thing she said to me was -- excuse my language -- but fight like (freaks) out there, and I was like, 'oh, wow.'
Â
"She just said that in that moment, and you could tell, like, man, this game meant so much to her, just being here. She said she hadn't been out of the house in almost two and a half months, and just for her, that game meant more than just a basketball game. I think whatever it was, but that moment meant a lot to her, and for us to provide that for them, and provide something … I mean, you look at what they're going through, the perspective of the hope that they bring for us, and the toughness that they show with what they deal with, for us to do anything, even put a smile on her face, just being in the arena, I think that's special. That's the least we can do."
Â
The game has created a lasting impact on both basketball programs at Colorado State (the women played their game earlier), as well as the cancer community. Players have remained in touch through the years with the people they played for, and on this night, 20 past cancer warriors made the trip to this game, including one of the original warriors – Kim Gagnon -- who made the trip from Maryland.
Â
Farokhmanesh, an admitted crier, said he was out of tears by the end of the night, the last ones spilled while speaking with the media. But it wasn't just the game, or the few hours before. For him and the players, it was a culmination of going to the oncology center and reading letters from those whose names were on the back of their jerseys this night.
Â
For Rashaan Mbemba, this was his third experience with the game. Each is unique to him, but the impact is the same.
Â
"Everybody has their own unique story. To this day, the people I met from last year, they keep texting me, and are still watching these games," he said. "Before that, they might have never been interested in basketball, and just because of that, the event we have, we've got new people coming to our games, and new people showing all the support. I think for us, it's just great, playing in front of our crowd, we're getting support, and if we get the chance to give something back that's big. We're grateful to take that opportunity."
Â
The statistics from the night aren't the prettiest the team has posted this season, though there were definitely positives. The Rams took care of the ball better than they have been. They dominated the boards getting a myriad of contributors, including Jojo McIver's career-best seven.
Â
He did so off the bench, and the Colorado State reserves made a major contribution. The first two Rams to reach double figures in the game came off the pine, starting with Mbemba. Then Jevin Muniz followed.
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The CSU reserves paced the scoring with 36 points, with two former starters leading the effort. While Muniz led with 15 – and his two consecutive buckets late (one a 3) – helped create a cushion down the stretch. Mbemba finished the night with his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Â
"We wanted to get them to the point of the bench helping us and them extending the lead. And tonight I thought they didn't only extend the lead, I thought they kept the lead. Really, the bench was kind of the ones playing in crunch time, too. It's a huge advantage when you can have Rashaan who plays 20 minutes and then Jevin's 26, JoJo's 19, Augie's (Augustinas Kiudulas) 11 minutes. So your bench played a significant amount of minutes, too.
Â
"And in an eight-point win, they were all … They all played the way we wanted to, and I hope that's going to carry going forward for us. I really believe that. I think that that bench is going to be massive for us going forward."
Â
A win to break a slide is always a good thing, no matter how it actually occurred. Muniz brought up the Rams won the battle of the glass by 20 and won by eight. In some ways, that just didn't add up for him.
Â
Even still, he felt good. Every win is good. For the body and the soul. They focus on the process no matter the outcome, but in certain situations, the outcome becomes necessary. And no matter how it got there or how they felt about it, the Rams kept taking it somewhere else.
To someone else.
Â
"It means a lot, just for them to come outside. The jersey I had on, her last name, (Jessica Winter) hadn't come outside in two years, so, just for her to come outside, it's just a blessing," Muniz said. "Just looking at that, we play for a lot more than that, and we knew what this game was, so just playing for them. We're playing a game and they're playing for their life, so it's a little bigger than basketball, so we're all appreciative of that, and we're thankful for them coming out."
Â
Â
A victory. And Colorado State's men's basketball team picked one up Saturday night at Moby Arena, one which snapped a three-game skid with a 65-57 decision against San Jose State. It improved the Rams to 13-10 on the campaign, 4-8 in Mountain West play.
Â
The visiting Spartans are battling with demons of their own – a sixth-consecutive defeat to slot them at 6-17, 1-11. Two teams caught up in the chase for something to feel good about, and Colorado State is happy to walk out the squad celebrating.
Â
Not just for themselves, but the cancer warriors they represented and played for in the Fight Like a Ram game in partnership with UC Health. In a pregame assembly, CSU coach Ali Farokhmanesh walked through the line of all of them, with the last warrior he met giving him yet another reason to cry and a reminder of the assignment.
Â
"It was hard. There was a lady at the end of the line when we shook hands with all the cancer warriors out there, and she kind of broke down right when I got to her, and you could just tell how much it meant to them, and you look at them and what they're going through, and especially what she was telling me about all the radiation treatments and how her friend was going through that," Farokhmanesh said. "Then, the only thing she said to me was -- excuse my language -- but fight like (freaks) out there, and I was like, 'oh, wow.'
Â
"She just said that in that moment, and you could tell, like, man, this game meant so much to her, just being here. She said she hadn't been out of the house in almost two and a half months, and just for her, that game meant more than just a basketball game. I think whatever it was, but that moment meant a lot to her, and for us to provide that for them, and provide something … I mean, you look at what they're going through, the perspective of the hope that they bring for us, and the toughness that they show with what they deal with, for us to do anything, even put a smile on her face, just being in the arena, I think that's special. That's the least we can do."
Â
The game has created a lasting impact on both basketball programs at Colorado State (the women played their game earlier), as well as the cancer community. Players have remained in touch through the years with the people they played for, and on this night, 20 past cancer warriors made the trip to this game, including one of the original warriors – Kim Gagnon -- who made the trip from Maryland.
Â
Farokhmanesh, an admitted crier, said he was out of tears by the end of the night, the last ones spilled while speaking with the media. But it wasn't just the game, or the few hours before. For him and the players, it was a culmination of going to the oncology center and reading letters from those whose names were on the back of their jerseys this night.
Â
For Rashaan Mbemba, this was his third experience with the game. Each is unique to him, but the impact is the same.
Â
"Everybody has their own unique story. To this day, the people I met from last year, they keep texting me, and are still watching these games," he said. "Before that, they might have never been interested in basketball, and just because of that, the event we have, we've got new people coming to our games, and new people showing all the support. I think for us, it's just great, playing in front of our crowd, we're getting support, and if we get the chance to give something back that's big. We're grateful to take that opportunity."
Â
The statistics from the night aren't the prettiest the team has posted this season, though there were definitely positives. The Rams took care of the ball better than they have been. They dominated the boards getting a myriad of contributors, including Jojo McIver's career-best seven.
Â
He did so off the bench, and the Colorado State reserves made a major contribution. The first two Rams to reach double figures in the game came off the pine, starting with Mbemba. Then Jevin Muniz followed.
Â
The CSU reserves paced the scoring with 36 points, with two former starters leading the effort. While Muniz led with 15 – and his two consecutive buckets late (one a 3) – helped create a cushion down the stretch. Mbemba finished the night with his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Â
"We wanted to get them to the point of the bench helping us and them extending the lead. And tonight I thought they didn't only extend the lead, I thought they kept the lead. Really, the bench was kind of the ones playing in crunch time, too. It's a huge advantage when you can have Rashaan who plays 20 minutes and then Jevin's 26, JoJo's 19, Augie's (Augustinas Kiudulas) 11 minutes. So your bench played a significant amount of minutes, too.
Â
"And in an eight-point win, they were all … They all played the way we wanted to, and I hope that's going to carry going forward for us. I really believe that. I think that that bench is going to be massive for us going forward."
Â
A win to break a slide is always a good thing, no matter how it actually occurred. Muniz brought up the Rams won the battle of the glass by 20 and won by eight. In some ways, that just didn't add up for him.
Â
Even still, he felt good. Every win is good. For the body and the soul. They focus on the process no matter the outcome, but in certain situations, the outcome becomes necessary. And no matter how it got there or how they felt about it, the Rams kept taking it somewhere else.
To someone else.
Â
"It means a lot, just for them to come outside. The jersey I had on, her last name, (Jessica Winter) hadn't come outside in two years, so, just for her to come outside, it's just a blessing," Muniz said. "Just looking at that, we play for a lot more than that, and we knew what this game was, so just playing for them. We're playing a game and they're playing for their life, so it's a little bigger than basketball, so we're all appreciative of that, and we're thankful for them coming out."
Â
Team Stats
SJSU
CSU
FG%
.350
.379
3FG%
.250
.222
FT%
.909
.750
RB
28
48
TO
4
10
STL
6
2
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballColorado State Basketball (M): Ali Farokhmanesh Post-Game (San Jose State)
Saturday, February 07
Colorado State Basketball (M): Rashaan Mbemba (L) & Jevin Muniz (R) Post-Game (San Jose State)
Saturday, February 07
Colorado State Basketball (M): Ali Farokhmanesh Post Game (Wyoming)
Saturday, January 31
Colorado State Basketball (M): Kyle Jorgensen Post Game (Wyoming)
Saturday, January 31