Fight has been a key word used often of late.
Ali Farokhmanesh keeps talking about the fight needed for the Colorado State men’s basketball team.
The Rams are fighting a bit of a January wall, with injury, illness and inconsistency having the team in a stretch of up-and-down performances.
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So, Farokhmanesh was more than happy to win ugly because it showed just where this team is striving to improve.
Ugly it was, but a win it was as well Jan. 9 as CSU beat UNLV 70-62 at Moby Arena.
“We needed a win, but I thought we needed a win in that manner,” Farokhmanesh said.
Here are takeaways from the game.
How Colorado State won the ‘rock fight’
UNLV (7-8, 2-2 Mountain West) led much of the second half, equaling its largest lead of the game when the Rebels went up 56-51 with 8:36 to go.
It was gut check time for a CSU (11-5, 2-3 MW) team off to an 0-2 start to home games in conference play.
As the Rams did in the first half when they trailed but rallied to take a halftime lead, there was a big response.
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CSU locked down defensively with a key switch to a zone. UNLV was finding success on drives (and what CSU felt were questionable fouls) but the Rebels are not a good outside shooting team, so Farokhmanesh made the switch.
“Our guys executed it great,” Farokhmanesh said of the zone.
CSU held UNLV to just one field goal and four total points in the final 5:38 of the game.
It won it for CSU even as the offense never fully hummed.
The Rams finally regained the lead on a pair of Rashaan Mbemba (more on him later) free throws with 2:57 to go to make it 57-56 CSU.
Next possession Jevin Muniz hit a midrange to put the Rams up three. UNLV tied it with an And-1, but Muniz responded with a layup.
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Next possession in the zone he grabbed a steal and it led to a Jase Butler layup and foul to put the Rams up five with 35 seconds to go. Nikola Djapa made a big defensive stop seconds later and the win was sealed.
“I thought that was the first time we won a game that it was a true rock fight,” Farokhmanesh said. “I think we’ve won shootouts when our offense is good, when both teams are kind of flowing. We’ve won those games, but that’s the first rock fight we’ve won. I’m really proud of our guys for the way they fought.”
It was a staggered and ugly game. There were 46 total fouls and 55 total free throws. The teams combined for 31 turnovers.
“We know we can play a lot better but games like this you just have to find a way to win,” Muniz said. “We didn’t play our best basketball, just finding a way to win is big.”
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Muniz finished a plus-18 in 25 minutes played. He had five points, four assists and two steals. Brandon Rechsteiner led CSU with 15 points, Carey Booth had 13, Mbemba had 11 and Josh Pascarelli scored 10.
Rashaan Mbemba makes instant impact in return
The 6-foot-7 Mbemba was expected to be a key player for the Rams this season but injuries had limited him to just 27 total minutes of action over two games this season.
He had missed eight contests in a row ahead of this one but finally returned.
Mbemba came off the bench and his impact was instant. He played 20 minutes, scoring 11 points with 10 free throw attempts (7-10 from the line). He had six rebounds and four of them on the offensive end. He drew eight UNLV fouls.
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“Rashaan was huge. It’s not always the box score, the numbers. Obviously, he played well, too, but just his presence,” Farokhmanesh said. “The intensity he brings, the joy he plays with. You felt all that and then his physicality.”
CSU’s other key big in Kyle Jorgensen remains out with a leg injury and is expected to miss several more games, which makes Mbemba’s return all the more important.
Mountain West ups and downs will continue
Prepare for riding the wave through Mountain West play.
CSU is just a quarter of the way through league play (five of 20 games) but it’s already clear how it will be full of ups and downs.
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Utah State is the clear front runner in the Mountain West, but the middle group is all likely to beat each other up. CSU’s start is a prime example. Last week the Rams dominated Grand Canyon on the road, but GCU then went to Boise State and won handily.
UNLV lost by 32 earlier in the week at Wyoming but responded with a much better effort against CSU. There are few easy nights.
“One of the best leagues in the country. As long as you stay the course and make sure you’re getting better as the season goes on and you’re playing your best basketball toward the end, I think we’ll be fine,” Booth said.
“But if you go into games and you’re not ready to play, obviously you’re going to get smacked.”
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Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado State basketball makes key plays late to beat UNLV
