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In another thrilling edition of the Border War, Colorado State battled with Wyoming through two overtimes before the visiting Cowboys slipped out of town with a 91-86 victory, Jan. 31. With the loss, the Rams slipped to 10-14 on the season and 3-8 in Mountain West action, while the Cowboys improved to 15-7 on the year and 6-3 in Mountain West play having won their last three games in extra time.
Tied at 72 after regulation, neither team could get more than a two-point lead in the first overtime period, with two ties and six lead changes ending at the teams knotted at 80. Wyoming hit a three to open the second overtime and held on to the lead the remainder of the way, as the visitors went 6-of-8 from the free throw line, including 3-of-4 in the final 18 seconds, to secure the victory.
For the two regulation halves, CSU built early leads in both, only to see them slip away as the half wore on. In the opening 20 minutes after Wyoming scored the first bucket, the Rams put together a 15-0 run to take a 13-point lead less than six minutes into the contest. The hosts led by as many as 14 at 24-10 before Wyoming came back to take a 32-30 halftime lead. In the second half. CSU used a 19-7 run to lead by 10 and built it to as many as 16 with 5:31 to play before the Cowboys closed the second 20 minutes on a 26-10 run, including a three by Nyaires Redding with 12 seconds left that sent the rivalry game to an extra period tied at 72.
For the contest, the Rams shot 39.5 percent (30-of-76) from the floor and 36.7 percent (11-of-30) beyond the three-point line, while the Cowboys were 40.6 percent (28-of-69) on field goal attempts and 37.8 percent (14-of-37) behind the arc. CSU was 15-of-23 (65.2 percent) at the free throw line, with Wyoming hitting 65.6 percent (21-of-32). The Rams had a slight advantage on the glass, 51-47.
The Rams had all five starters finish in double figures, led by junior Deion James‘s career-high 24 points and career-best tying 14 rebounds. Redshirt-sophomore Anthony Bonner added 18 points, while redshirt-sophomore Raquan Mitchell added 14. Senior Che Bob had 13 points with redshirt-sophomore Nico Carvacho added 10 points and 13 rebounds. Wyoming was led by Hayden Dalton and Justin James, who scored 26 and 25 points, respectively.
Next up, Colorado State hosts defending Mountain West champion Nevada on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. The contest between the Rams and Wolf Pack will be televised on ESPNU, as it is CSU’s annual “White Out” game. The game will air across the Colorado State Sports Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with Brian Roth and Adam Nigon on the call. CSU Sports Network broadcasts can be also accessed on mobile devices through the Tune In app (free app – available on all Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Amazon Kindle devices) – once app has downloaded, then search “Colorado St. Rams Sports Network” in the app for the games and coaches’ show broadcasts.