In an outing led by the spirit of Aggie, the Rams finished the game with a nail biting 78-75 victory over the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (9-8, 2-3 Mountain West).
“Another high-level Mountain West Game,” Coach Niko Medved simply said.
The Rams found production offensively, made crucial stops on defense, and took efforts to get to the line, shooting 14-of-16 from the charity stripe. But the Rams at times went cold offensively.
“We went through a stretch where we could not make an open shot. I thought we were getting good looks, we just couldn’t get anything to go,” Medved said, “But we hung in there, and to their credit, they’re a good team, I mean they’re making timely shots, but our guys hung in there.”
In the weeks leading up to this contest, UNLV was dealt a terrible hand, going on an 8-game losing streak before finally clutching a victory over Bosie State 68-64 on Tuesday.
This Friday, Vegas played their cards right in the first half, posting a 39-32 lead on the Rams. Keylan Boone, the 6-foot-8 offensive powerhouse and twin of teammate Kalib Boone, netted 13 on 4-of-9. Shooting percentages for both teams were similar, in which the Rams shot 45% on 13-of-29 and the Rebels shooting 47% of 15-of-32. Ram’s guard Nique Clifford went near perfect from the field on 5-of-6.
The scoring from Clifford did not stop in the first half. It was simply just one of those nights for Nique Clifford, finishing with 21 points on 7-of-8 and 3-of-3 from 3.
Despite the fantastic scoring from Clifford, accompanied by 18 points and 7 assists from Stevens, the Rams were simply unable to match what UNLV had offensively.
Scoring from the Rams seemingly lost all progress, and a score of 52-44 midpoint in the second half left a win looking even farther fetched than imagined. But at the 12:38 mark, Moby Madness took control.
It started with Joel Scott finding the paint for a layup.
Scott then threw down a dunk. At 11:39, another layup. Then one more at 10:46. Fans began nervously watching every play the Rams executed.
The score was 56-52. A pair of free throws came for Jalen Lake, and the Ram’s had the opportunity to tie the game with just over ten minutes remaining.
After an agonizing two minutes of play, with exactly 10 minutes left, Scott took advantage of a fastbreak and rolled in another layup. The game was tied at 56. Moby Arena once again came to life, and the momentum was back.
“Finally, when we tied it up and we took the timeout – three minutes to go, finally you know, Pat drills one, then Isaiah makes one under the ball screen,” Medved said, “it just kind of, boom, you know that was it.
UNLV’s luck had run dry.
The sold-out full house at Moby Arena, and the record setting (4,410) students in attendance proved to be the spark the Rams needed.
“I give all the credit to Moby Madness,” Stevens said.
Scott went through the gauntlet during his time on the floor. Early in the second half, he could be seen riding the bike on the sideline after taking a shot to the leg. After returning, he was hit once more fighting for a ball under the hoop, causing him to tumble at mid-court. Finally, in the fan’s heated distress, the officials were forced to call an injury timeout.
“Yeah, I’ll be alright,” Scott Said, “It happens, I’ll be alright though.”
Scott finished with 14 points of 7-of-9, 3 rebounds and one assist.
The previous matchup between these teams left the Rams with a 71-83 defeat at home court. The time before that was Steven’s “Jackpot in Vegas” game, where he knocked down the game winning three in overtime for an 82-81 victory.
Stevens has his history competing against the Rebels. From his game winner in Vegas, to the most recent loss, he recognizes the grittiness of the organization and the fight they put up against their opponents.
“UNLV is a heck of a program, I’ve been competing against them for obviously a long time now, and I don’t know if it’s ever been just a runaway game against them,” said Stevens, “Man they come to compete no matter who’s over there so we take them all, and we appreciate them all.”
Colorado State, after finishing in the AP Top 25 seven weeks in a row, started the week unranked. After two home wins against Air Force and UNLV, the Rams are certainly back in the conversation as top contenders in The Mountain West and college hoops.
The Rams, (15-3, 3-2 MW) hit the road to take on Nevada in Reno at 8:30 p.m. January 24.