Colorado State basketball thumps Saint Mary’s for signature win

Back-to-back 3-pointers opened the game, elevating the ruckus in Moby Arena to top levels.

The tone was set and it carried through the day Saturday.

The Colorado State men’s basketball team took the game to Saint Mary’s from the very beginning and thumped the Gaels 74-58 for a marquee win in front of a nearly full house.

None of the comeback stress that CSU (9-0) had needed (with extreme effectiveness) earlier this season.

This was a 40-minute showing of excellence in a matchup of two mid-majors who could (and probably should) become NCAA Tournament teams.

Beat them at their game

Saint Mary’s (8-2) and CSU play with completely different styles. The Rams are one of the highest scoring teams in the nation and love playing with pace.

Saint Mary’s is the opposite, with the 328th slowest pace among all Division I teams, per KenPom.com metrics.

CSU played, and beat, Saint Mary’s at its own game in the first half to build a lead. The Rams opened the game with 3-pointers from Adam Thistlewood and David Roddy to start the game, but it was still a pretty slow pace all half.

But CSU kept getting open looks and the Rams kept forcing Saint Mary’s turnovers and contested shots. It was an 11-point halftime lead (33-24) for CSU.

The Rams opened the second half again with a quick 6-0 run with an and-1 and then 3-point shot from Dischon Thomas. Tone set, again.

CSU’s defense stayed excellent, mixing man and zone in the second half and the Rams unleashed the full force of the offense.

The Rams shot 53% overall and 56% from 3-point range.

“We told our guys ‘they’re a hard team to score on, you can’t get frustrated. It’s not going to come easy," Medved said. "But I also told our guys, ‘hey, we’re one of the best offensive teams in the country, too, now.’ So, we’re not going to start changing or backing down or whatever. We’re going to do what we do."

The lead ballooned to 21 points early in the second half and from there Saint Mary’s never threatened. The game was never a single-digit contest in the second half and CSU never trailed or was tied (other than 0-0) in the game. It was a double-digit game for the final 22 minutes.

Dominant on both ends from start to finish.

Isaiah Stevens, David Roddy shine

Isaiah Stevens has modeled his game after NBA great Chris Paul and it looks the part. He’s king of the midrange, an assist master adept at managing the game however it is needed.

His skillset was on full display in the first half. The highlight? A behind-the-back move to split two defenders, followed by a patented midrange jumper.

He had 12 points at halftime to lead CSU to its big lead and finished with 14 points, four assists and just two turnovers.

“I thought early in the game Isaiah Stevens really set the tone with how aggressive he was and got some shots to fall and really brought confidence to our whole outfit that way," CSU coach Niko Medved said.

His running mate is the unicorn, 6-foot-6 guard/forward/former quarterback David Roddy. Roddy was held down in the first half (five points on 2-6 shooting) but flexed every bit of his skillset in the second half.

In one mini stretch he had a fancy reverse layup, then drew a charge on defense and followed with a thunderous dunk. He finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.

CSU’s stars were sensational.

A year ago CSU was held to 33 points in an ugly loss at Saint Mary's. The Rams had been waiting for this one.

“I would say a little bit, for sure. We definitely try not to dwell on the past, there’s nothing we can do about that game now," Stevens said. "But we definitely remembered a little bit how that game went."

John Tonje added 12 points for CSU.

CSU is grabbing attention

It would be wrong to say CSU has been overlooked this season. The Rams are receiving votes in both top 25 polls, were voted preseason Mountain West favorites and are on most national lists as one of the top mid-major teams.

That said, the hype machine has more room to grow and this win will grab some national attention.

Saint Mary’s has wins this season over Notre Dame, Oregon and Utah State, plus a close loss to Wisconsin. The Gaels held all those teams to 61 points or fewer and hadn’t allowed more than 68 once this season.

Saint Mary’s is highly likely to be in the NCAA Tournament and the Rams just thumped them. The Gaels entered the game No. 34 in Division I in KenPom rankings (CSU was No. 45).

This is a quality NCAA Tournament resume win.

If CSU isn’t in the top-25 on Monday, it will be close.

The road doesn't get easier, though. CSU plays Mississippi State next Saturday (Dec. 11 in Fort Worth), then Tulsa on Dec. 18 (in Fort Worth) and Alabama on Dec. 21 (In Birmingham) to finish nonconference play.

“This is a big win for us, there’s no question," Medved said. " there’s a lot of basketball left."

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This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado State basketball thumps Saint Mary’s for signature win