Colorado State couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the Niko Medved Era than this.
The Rams improved to 2-0 by blowing out the Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Saturday afternoon, winning 92-67 CSU played as a true “Team Together,” sharing the ball for 21 assists and out-rebounding the visitors 35-32.
In the first half, Nico Carvacho was dominant. He put up 12 points and eight rebounds, while recording two assists as well. He attacked the rim and knew there was no one who could stop him in the paint. Carvacho and the Rams led 47-28 at halftime, shooting better than 50 percent both from the floor and from outside the arc.
The second half brought much of the same. Carvacho earned his second straight double-double early in that half, finishing with a game-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. CSU cruised and pushed their lead to 35 at one point, sharing the ball very well, finding open shooters. J.D. Paige hit 4-5 from downtown to lead the Rams who made 52.2 percent from beyond the arc in the contest.
“It’s a confidence booster when you make a lot of them,” Adam Thistlewood said of the team hitting 3-pointers well in the first two games.
“I just think it’s sharing the ball,” head coach Niko Medved said of hitting open 3-pointers. “Guys are moving the ball, they’re making the extra pass, they’re turning down a good shot to get somebody else a great shot.”
Colorado State improved to 2-0 on the season with the victory, leading into their next game in which they host Montana State at 7 p.m. MST on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Then, the Rams take part in the Gulf Coast Showcase with games on Nov. 19, 20 and the 21. Those will be the team’s first road tests of the year.
