If one thing is apparent two games into the Colorado State men’s basketball season, it’s that the offense runs through the big men.
The Rams got a big performance out of their big men Wednesday night en route to their 84-75 win over the Fort Lewis Skyhawks to improve to 2-0 on the season in a game that was closer than few outside of Durango expected it to be.
Colorado State head coach Larry Eustachy was one of those few.
“This team beat BYU last year,” Eustachy said. “We knew when we played Fort Lewis we could lose.”
While Eustachy may have warned his team of what the Skyhawks were capable of, it seems his team didn’t get the memo early on.
Just as they did against New Mexico State on Sunday, the Rams suffered from another sluggish first half. Their first lead of the game came with 25 seconds left in the first half following a Che Bob three-pointer.
Alongside Bob was Emmanuel Omogbo, who led Colorado State into halftime with seven points apiece, but the second half was where they took over, when the Rams needed them most.
Both Bob and Omogbo ended the game leading all scorers with 20 points, but it was on the boards where Omogbo took control. He added 15 rebounds to his stat line, making him the only Ram to record a double-double on the night.
“Coach said [they were] going to come in, hit really tough shots and all we had to do was really contest,” Omogbo said. “Some of them went in, some of them didn’t go in. We made a living on the glass tonight.”
Following his big game against New Mexico State, forward Braden Koelliker said that different players were going to have to step up every night to help the team win. Following his big game tonight, Omogbo echoed that same statement.
“Every night it’s going to be different people,” Omogbo said. “It’s not just going to be the same guys every night that keep doing it. I’m going to do my part as a senior on this team. Rebounding, doing whatever I have to do on the court.”
Through two games, the big men have played pivotal roles in the Rams’ two wins. Koelliker followed up his big game on Sunday with eight points to go along with his 11 rebounds and Bob added seven rebounds to go along with his 20 points off the bench.
“When I get out there, I just want to give it all I got,” Bob said. “Play hard, go to the glass, play defense, you know just do the little things to get my team up where we need to be. If that’s boarding, getting a stop, anything. Just want to come in and be productive.”
The Rams will head to Stanford to take on the Cardinal in their first road game of the season. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. MST.
