FORT COLLINS — With a familiar face back in the starting lineup, the Colorado State men’s basketball team got back on track Tuesday night against Air Force.
Kyle Jorgensen was on the court for the opening tip for the first time since Dec. 20 and helped lead CSU to an 81-52 victory over the Falcons. The Rams had a fully healthy lineup for only the third time this season.
The win snapped a two-game losing skid for CSU, which improved to 12-7 overall and 3-5 in the Mountain West Conference.
“Kyle just brings a different edge,” CSU head coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. “He didn’t quite have that at Boise State (last Friday) because he was just getting back into it. You know when he starts to feel comfortable is when he starts talking a little bit. And you could say he got comfortable tonight.
“For our offense, he’s the quintessential B spot guy because he can stretch the floor and shoot. He can pass and make reads for other guys. He can also post up versus mismatches. That’s what’s unique about him.”
CSU came out hot, jumping out to a 10-2 lead behind 3-pointers from Josh Pascarelli and Jase Butler sandwiched around a jumper and a layup by Jorgensen.
The Rams never trailed after that opening run and spent the first half using different rotations and combinations to wear down the struggling Falcons who lost for the 12th game in a row and second straight with interim head coach Jon Jordan leading the team.
Air Force head coach Joe Scott has been suspended indefinitely pending an investigation into the treatment of cadet-athletes.
The Falcons were able to keep the Rams from taking a double-digit lead for more than 15 minutes of the first half, but a layup by Jevin Muniz gave CSU a 28-17 advantage with 4:29 left before halftime.
A 3-pointer by Pascarelli, his second of the first half, gave the Rams their largest lead of the first period at 38-21 with three seconds remaining before the break. CSU took that 17-point lead into halftime.
Colorado State’s JoJo McIver drives past Air Force’s Cam Sanders on Tuesday at Moby Arena in Fort Collins. (Nathan Wright/Loveland Reporter-Herald)“Going into the game, we knew they were going to run zone, so we thought this was a good game for us to really get the ball moving after the last couple of games, not having as good ball movement as we know we can,” Butler said. “I think this was good for us just to get the ball flowing around.”
CSU shot 48.3% from the field in the first half while holding Air Force to 28.6% percent. The Rams were 7-of-15 from behind the 3-point line and outrebounded the Falcons 21-17 in the first 20 minutes.
Butler led the Rams with eight points in the first half. He and Pascarelli accounted for four of the Rams’ seven threes in the opening period.
The Rams’ dominance continued in the second half. CSU opened the final 20 minutes with a 12-5 run punctuated by a slam dunk by Carey Booth to go ahead 50-26 with 15:21 remaining.
CSU took a 30-point lead when JoJo McIver made a pair of free throws to put the Rams ahead 68-38 with 7:28 left in the game.
Air Force was able to cut the Rams’ lead to 26 but the Falcons couldn’t get closer than that. CSU’s largest lead of the game ended up being 33 points at 80-47 with 2:38 on the clock.
CSU was led in scoring by a trio of players who put up 11 points — Pascarelli, Butler and Rechsteiner. Jorgensen finished with nine. Pascarelli and Rashaan Mbemba led the Rams on the boards with seven rebounds each.
The Rams ended up shooting 51.9% from the field while holding the Falcons to 35.8% CSU outrebounded Air Force 37-30 and only turned the ball over six times while forcing 14 from the Falcons. Ten of those 14 turnovers were steals by the Rams.
“The activity level,” Farokhmanesh said of what he liked the most out of his defense. “I thought we were way more active in the gaps. I thought we really attacked their drives. They were really trying to get downhill, and the guys adjusted to it great, and I think the 10 steals is the biggest statistic that shows that, too.”
CSU will be back in action Friday when they host Utah State at 8 p.m. at Moby Arena. The Aggies defeated the Rams 100-58 in Logan on Dec. 20.
Colorado State’s, from left, Brandon Rechsteiner, Rashaan Mbemba and Augustinas Kiudulas react after Kiudulas made a layup and was fouled against Air Force on Tuesday at Moby Arena in Fort Collins. (Nathan Wright/Loveland Reporter-Herald)Hence then, the article about csu rams dominate air force to snap short losing skid was published today ( ) and is available on GreeleyTribune ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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