Shorthanded Colorado State men's basketball grinds out gritty win over Washington
If Niko Medved had been shown the script to this one before the game he wouldn’t have been thrilled.
One key player out injured. Another would-be starter coming off the bench as he returns from injury.
A starter ejected early in the game.
The best player saddled with three fouls in the first half.
It’s a recipe for a loss all the way.
Not this team.
A shorthanded No. 20/21 CSU beat Washington 86-81 in Las Vegas despite all the setbacks.
"That’s as tough of a win as I’ve ever been part of," Medved said on the postgame show on 99.1 FM.
It means the Rams are now 8-0 and likely to move up even more in the top-25 rankings next week.
Here's a look at how it happened and what it means.
Setbacks galore
This was going to be difficult before the game even started.
Washington (4-3) is a top-60 team in KenPom and built with long, physical players who play at pace. And CSU was going to be shorthanded.
Sixth-man Jalen Lake underwent surgery this week on a broken finger and is out for more than a month. Starting big Patrick Cartier did return from a back injury, but wasn't able to start. His decision to play came minutes before tip-off.
Then less than 6 minutes into the game, starter Nique Clifford was ejected after a review handed him a Flagrant 2 for contact into the groin area of an opponent as he went around a screen. The announcers on CBS Sports Network said it was a questionable ejection.
CSU star Isaiah Stevens was hit with three fouls less than 15 minutes into the game. Joe Palmer, who slid into the sixth-man role and then started the second half with Clifford out, picked up his fourth foul early in the second half.
The Rams overcame it all.
"You find out what type of team and what type of person you are when adversity hits," Cartier said on the postgame radio show. "We really focus on being a connected group on and off the court."
Second-half comeback
CSU trailed by three (44-41) which likely felt like a manageable number considering how the first 20 minutes had gone.
Stevens had just two points and a Washington team that shoots 29% on the season from 3-point range was 7-for-14 from deep at that point.
Stevens, as he does, set the tone early in the second half. He hit his first three shots, including two 3-pointers.
Still, it was a wild, back-and-forth game. There were 15 lead changes.
CSU led most the final 10 minutes, but Washington star Keion Brooks tied it at 78 late on. A huge shot gave CSU the lead for good when Joel Scott hit just his fifth 3-pointer of the season as the Rams went up three.
The Rams made a stop and Josiah Strong hit free throws. Another Washington 3-pointer briefly cut it to one possession, but the Rams hit their free throws late and CSU forced Washington to miss its final three shots.
Depth effort
CSU once again showed how deep it is, and every bit of it was needed in this one.
Stevens scored "just" 12 points, five below his average. Clifford didn't score before his ejection. But five Rams were in double figures, led by 17 from Scott, who also added eight rebounds.
Strong and Cartier scored 16 points each and Joe Palmer had 10. Freshmen Rashaan Mbemba (seven points, three rebounds) and Kyan Evans (five points, five rebounds) played important minutes.
Washington has two 7-footers and significantly outsizes CSU, but the Rams won the rebounding battle 39-37 and paint points 40-34.
Niko Medved joins 100 club
The win gives Medved 100 as a Ram, becoming the fifth coach in program history to reach the 100 wins mark.
Dale Layer is next up at 103 and Medved's winning percentage is second-best for CSU coaches with more than two years leading the program.
Medved and the Rams will now likely rise in the rankings and next host Denver at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Shorthanded Colorado State basketball grinds out gritty win over Washington
