Colorado State basketball takes down San Diego State in much-needed bounce-back win

What a response.

The Colorado State men’s basketball team suffered what will be one of the unlikeliest defeats in college basketball this season Saturday at Wyoming.

Blowing an 11-point lead in the final minute was stunning and could have left scars.

CSU insisted after that game that they would be able to rebound and move on from it.

A team kickball game the next day served as a mental reset before the huge test of San Diego State at home.

And the Rams passed it impressively. CSU beat last season's national runner-up 79-71 in a sold-out Moby Arena. It's the fourth home sellout of the season.

It snaps a mini two-game losing streak (CSU had also lost four of its last six) and adds another Quad 1 win to the NCAA Tournament resume.

"They showed exactly who they are," CSU coach Niko Medved said of the response of his team.

Here's how it happened:

Nique Clifford, Isaiah Stevens set tone

The beginning was surely going to be key in this one given how the last game ended.

CSU (16-5, 4-4 Mountain West) has been slow-starting recently, and another early hole could loom large after the shock defeat.

The stars set the tone. Nique Clifford grabbed two offensive rebounds on CSU’s first two possessions. He and Isaiah Stevens combined for CSU’s first 11 points as the Rams raced to a quick lead.

It was exactly what CSU needed.

"That was something that we challenged ourselves as a team in the locker room and in our huddles before we went out for the tip was: Can we execute out of the gate?" Stevens said. "Can we be locked in out of the gate? Can we do our job out of the gate? Not let it take us 3, 4, 5 minutes to figure out."

That set the tone for the game, as CSU’s starting five dominated the starting five of San Diego State.

CSU’s first group was a combined plus 87 in the game, led by plus 24 for Clifford in 31 minutes of action. San Diego State’s first five were a combined minus 86, with Micah Parrish a minus 32 in just shy of 20 minutes.

Clifford was sensational throughout and another highlight-reel dunk helped cap the game-winning run.

He finished with 20 points on 8-11 shooting. His 11 rebounds gave him his fifth double-double of the season, plus he added five assists and four steals.

Stevens also scored 20 and had six assists and three steals.

Clifford and Stevens scored or assisted on 27 of CSU's 28 field goals.

Defending Jaedon LeDee

San Diego State (16-5, 5-3 MW) star Jaedon LeDee is one of the best players in the country, averaging 21 points and nine rebounds per game.

CSU’s Patrick Cartier spent much of the night defending him, with Joel Scott and Rashaan Mbemba also taking runs at it. The Rams as a whole did an excellent job denying entry passes and forcing LeDee to work for anything he got. He finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, and it took him 11 shots to get there.

It was a night where the interior duo of Cartier and Scott shined. Not only were they sound defensively, but they were important on offense.

Cartier scored just six points on 2-5 shooting, but his layup with 7:13 to go answered San Diego State taking the lead for the first time in the game and sparked a 9-0 run to give the Rams control for good.

Scott scored 15 points on 4-7 shooting and hit two 3-pointers. The second came with 2:53 and CSU up five. It may not have quite been a dagger but was close to it.

CSU had 11 steals and forced 15 San Diego State turnovers. The Rams outscored San Diego State 30-22 in the paint.

Absorbing runs

CSU led for 39 minutes of game action and San Diego State for just 16 seconds. The Rams were up by as many as 14 points in the first half and double-digits several times in the second half. Yet there were key surges the Rams had to withstand.

They mostly came when Stevens left the floor. CSU was up 14 in the first half when Stevens left the floor for his first break. San Diego State immediately went on a 10-0 run. The Rams were up 10 when he took his quick second-half rest and San Diego State went on a 5-0 run with him out, which extended to a 7-0 run.

Stevens played 36:30, but the Rams were outscored 15-0 in the 3:30 he wasn’t on the floor. It’s something that will need fixing.

San Diego State had that 7-0 run and then a quick 6-0 run shortly after to take that brief lead.

But every time, CSU answered. The Rams quickly regained the lead in the second half and never looked back.

"When San Diego State took the lead, we just buckled right back up and did what we needed to do," Medved said.

Like Saturday at Wyoming, CSU had to find a way to close it out late, but they did it efficiently this time with strong defense.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: CSU basketball takes down San Diego State in much-needed win