Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021
CONTACT: John A. Martin, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications
(540) 476-1259 | John.A.Martin@colostate.edu
ONLINE: http://csura.ms/35ZfQDS
CSU MBB Recap: CSU Hands Utah State Its First Conference Loss of the Season, 84-76
The Rams have four in double figures, including Dischon Thomas with a season-high 15
LOGAN, Utah – Colorado State battled early, made plays throughout the second half and made free throws in the final minutes to come away with an 84-76 win at Utah State Thursday night. With the win, the Rams improved to 11-3 and 8-2 in Mountain West play, while the Aggies had their 11-game win streak snapped and suffered their first conference loss to fall to 12-4 and 9-1 in the league.
Utah State got off to another good start, leading 19-9 just under six minutes into the game. But CSU had a strong response, as sophomore Dischon Thomas rattled off 11 consecutive points for the Rams, including three triples, to make it 21-20 Utah State. The Rams then grabbed the lead on a Kendle Moore layup and held it the remainder of the half, going into the intermission up 37-35.
The Aggies came out with a sense of urgency to start the second half, retaking the lead by scoring the first six points of the period. However, the visitors continued to fight and this game saw several lead changes in the second half. Down 56-53 with [7:39] to go, the CSU defense stepped up as the offense started to convert and the Rams took the lead for good on a pair of Moore free throws to make it 57-56. But that wasn’t all for this run, as CSU went on a 10-0 run, capped by a Moore 3 off a kick out from sophomore David Roddy to go up 63-56 with just over five minutes to go. The Rams never led Utah State closer than five the rest of the way and built it to as many as 12 in the final two minutes by connecting at the free throw line.
Colorado State finished 50.0 percent (25-of-50) from the floor and 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from the three-point line. Utah State was held to just 42.2 percent (27-of-64) from the field and 25.8 percent (8-of-31) beyond the arc. The Rams took advantage of the free throw line, connecting on 25-of-29 (86.2 percent) at the charity stripe. The Aggies held just a slight advantage on the board, 35-32, but CSU forced 15 Utah State turnovers.
The Rams had four in double figures, led by Isaiah Stevens with 18 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals, while Moore had 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. Roddy added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Thomas added a season-high 15 points off the bench. Utah State had five in double figures, led by Brock Miller with 14.
STAT OF THE GAME
• The Rams went 11-of-12 from the free throw line in the final two minutes to seal the victory.
NOTES
• Utah State still leads the series 59-40 as CSU picked up just its 12th win in 49 tries in Logan.
• CSU leader Niko Medved picked up his first win in six tries against Utah State as a head coach.
• The 8-2 conference start is the best for CSU in program history.
• The Rams are now 8-0 this season (6-0 MW) when leading at the break and 33-6 all-time (21-3) under Medved.
• CSU is now 4-0 in games decided by eight points or less this season, all in conference action.
• Thomas hit a career-high three triples in the contest, while Stevens’ four steals were a season best.
NEXT UP
• The Rams return home for another key Mountain West matchup, taking on co-MW leader Boise State for a pair of nationally-televised games on Jan. 27 and 29.
• Wednesday’s game will tip at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz and Dan Dickau on the call. Friday night will be a 9 p.m. MT tip on FS1, with Tim Neverett and Doug Gottlieb handling the broadcast.
• The audio will be on the Colorado State Sports Radio Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth and Adam Nigon on the call. CSU Sports Network broadcasts can be also accessed on mobile devices through the TuneIn app (free on all Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Amazon Kindle devices) – once downloaded, search “Colorado St. Rams Sports Network” in the app for the games and coaches’ show broadcasts.
• The game will also have live stats on CSURams.com.
– CSURams.com –
540.476.1259 (C) | john.a.martin@colostate.edu
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