Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
21-11,11-9Mountain West
Fresno State
13-19,7-13Mountain West
Proof of Habit Against Fresno State
3/11/2026 10:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
After trailing early, the Rams come back with Butler-fueled second-half surge
They had been in this situation before. They knew the playbook.
There was no tricking the other side anymore — not this late in the season, not after multiple meetings. It would come down to who could grind out the final possessions. Colorado State leaned on the habits it has built all season, pulling away late for a gritty 67–63 win over Fresno State.
The Rams had been warned exactly where the danger would come from: the paint.
Whether through second-chance points or physical finishes, Fresno State attacked inside early. That left Kyle Jorgensen with a heavy defensive assignment, and the Bulldogs capitalized. As the first half unfolded, the frustration showed, even from the sideline.
Something had to change.
That something was Jase Butler.
"He had zero hesitation with everything he did," coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. "We ran an action for him that we haven't run for him all year and he drills that big 3Â for us. I think that put us up three at that point. And then we ran that last possession. It's everything I thought Jase was going to be coming out of high school. It's awesome to see from June to now how much confidence he has.
"He's earned all of it. There's a reason why he's in the position he is. He works his tail off. I think everyone can see he's one of the hardest-playing guys, not only on our team, but in this whole league."
The stat line backed the praise.
Butler finished with 20 points and hit a career-high six 3-pointers, tying the Colorado State record for most made in a Mountain West Tournament game alongside Prentiss Nixon and Gian Clavell.
But the first half largely belonged to Fresno State. The Rams struggled to counter the Bulldogs' scoring bursts, and Butler managed only one 3Â before the break. Meanwhile, true freshman Gasper Kocevar proved nearly unstoppable, going 7-for-7 from the field with three emphatic dunks.
"I think Fresno's just been putting us down every time we've played," Butler said. "They're a good team and we know what they're capable of. I give credit to them. They fought, and I think we were just able to throw a little more punches at the end."
Those punches came during a stretch which flipped the game.
Josh Pascarelli finished a fast-break layup. On the next possession, JoJo McIver jumped a loose ball and pushed it ahead to Jevin Muniz for a transition basket. Suddenly, CSU had its first lead since the early minutes — 46–45.
The crowd, heavy with green and gold, felt it too.
"I think we needed that little jolt," Farokhmanesh said. "But it comes from our guys. They've got to get the crowd back involved again. As soon as that play happened, you could feel the momentum change and the crowd started getting into it. Our guys responded in a huge way.
"It was great to see so much green and gold in the building tonight, and our guys definitely felt it."
Still, nothing came easy.
When the score tightened again at 61–61, both teams held two timeouts. Both had five fouls. One possession would likely tilt the balance. For CSU, the moment looked familiar.
"It was just staying the course and sticking to our principles," Carey Booth said. "Down the stretch, nothing really changes. The game stays the same. The ball stays the same. The work stays the same. If you just invest in each other and stick to the game plan, things work themselves out."
Earlier in the night, the composure had been tested.
Fresno State shot 52% in the first half and dominated the paint 22–10. Rebounds felt out of reach. Open looks rimmed out. The energy dipped.
"There was a little frustration in the first eight minutes," Farokhmanesh said. "You could physically see that. Our guys are not good at lying about that to me. One of the best examples was we ran that driving play for Kyle and he's got a point-blank layup, and he misses it. But the next time down he just faces up and hits a mid-range jumper. That's kind of the definition of the group — just making the next play. And when they went up eight, our response and all the hustle plays we made after that really stood out."
Few embodied that energy more than McIver.
The freshman guard has quietly carved out a role as Brandon Rechsteiner's backup, bringing defensive pressure and a steady hand off the bench in the moments he is needed most. It has not gone unnoticed.
"He was just a pest," Booth said. "That's really all you can ask from someone coming off the bench, especially a freshman point guard. Suppress the ball, do the little things, make the right plays. That's how you earn trust. And he does that every time."
In the final minute, CSU leaned on the same poise which had carried it through every bump of the night. Butler's shooting stretched the defense. Jorgensen stayed persistent inside. McIver's pressure forced a rushed Fresno State possession.
Then Booth stepped to the line and closed the door.
As the buzzer sounded, players who had been frustrated, trailing, doubted — any number of adjectives really — walked off the court with something simple and solid: proof. Proof their habits hold. Proof their depth matters. Proof their trust travels.
CSU didn't reinvent itself to win.
It simply doubled down on who it already was, which was enough to move on.
