Rams Battle Back to Defeat Idaho - Colorado State Athletics

Team	1	2	F
Idaho	33	34	67
Colorado St.	36	42	78

After spending much of the first half chasing Idaho, Colorado State found its opening just before the buzzer and took the lead to defeat Idaho at Moby Arena on Friday, 78-67.

A last-second basket sent the Rams into halftime with a 36-33 lead, turning a slow start into a momentum shift that CSU carried into the second half.

The Rams entered the season with eight returners, two transfers and five freshmen, bringing a sense of familiarity onto the court. Facing off against a strong Idaho team coming off a Big Sky tournament, this was just another chance for CSU to play a big team before Pac-12 play.

"We're playing three really high-level Big Sky teams to open up the season. I think that's a really good basketball team," coach Ali Farokhmanesh said. "Montana State was a really good basketball team. I was really proud of the guys, though, for the way they fought."

An aggressive start and an immediate 3 from the Vandals put pressure on the Rams offense, forcing them to adjust and create scoring opportunities.

As the Vandals pushed the Rams towards the perimeter and limited their 3-point opportunities, they had to find ways through the gaps as the half progressed.

CSU began to recognize Idaho's patterns and keep the gap to no more than seven in the half. Both offense and defense improved, making it difficult for Idaho to finish off possessions.

Totaling 20 rebounds and 17 of those being defensive, the Rams used this ability to guard the net and stay within reach.

"It was up and down that first half. We really didn't follow the game plan defensively to start. I think they got four 3s early on," Farokhmanesh said. "We said I didn't think they could beat us from 2 and as the game wore on, that kind of proved to be true. We were really locked."

As the timer ticked down on the first half, the Rams needed a push to take them into the lead. Carey Booth answered the call with a buzzer beater, putting the Rams in the lead with a last-second 3.

"Just an energy boost going into half," Booth said. "We weren't really happy with the outcome of the first half, but that definitely led us into the second half with great energy."

After spending the first half adjusting to Idaho's aggressive defense, CSU entered the locker room with a lead for the first time of the game, 36-33.

This needed momentum boost shifted the Rams challenge of chasing the lead to now holding it.

Coming off the energy of the ending half, the Rams responded with the largest lead they had seen in the game so far and continued to find scoring opportunities after adjusting to Idaho's defense.

As the pace increased, the Rams returners were forced to maintain composure as Idaho responded with aggressive play inside the paint, using their size to stay in the game.

Idaho began to adjust, and CSU responded.

The Vandals started to create more space and find opportunities to score, with CSU adjusting defensive positioning to recognize Idaho's patterns. The Rams ability to limit second-chance opportunities allowed them to maintain control as the game moved toward the final minutes.

The Rams returners brought familiarity to the game, and their chemistry helped them adjust to Idaho's defensive pressure.

"Continuity, it's not as common in college basketball anymore. So having guys that have been here two, three years in a row, it's a great thing," Booth said. "We kind of built a certain type of chemistry and already know the system and how things work, so it's definitely good."

Kyle Jorgensen and Jase Butler led the scoring for the Rams, each with 19 points. Booth proved himself all around with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The returning players' leadership also helped the team navigate the ups and downs of the game, particularly as Idaho attempted to regain momentum in the second half.

"Those guys have been great. Rashaan (Mbemba), Kyle, and Jase have been the vocal leaders. Rashaan didn't have a great game tonight, but we talked about it. There's some simple things that I think he's going to be able to see on film and he'll be fine. He's a senior. He's played a lot of games," Farokhmanesh said.

"Their leadership and helping those guys understand the ups and the downs, they've all been through it too. Kyle had plenty of ups and downs as a freshman. Rashaan went through it. Jase went through it in Washington. Even last year, Jase went through it at times. They've really helped those guys stay in the middle. Never too high, never too low."

The Rams continued to defend and grab rebounds and hold Idaho back from taking a lead.

Similar to Booth's first-half buzzer-beater, he ended the game in a similar fashion. With the final seconds down and a win already secured, Booth executed a perfect dunk to finish the night.

"When I was a freshman, my coach was like, when there's seven seconds on the shot clock, whatever you work on in the driveway or by yourself, that's the move you go to," Booth said. "So I just went between my guys and I hesied, and then the lane was open, so I just dunked it."

Throughout his time at CSU, Booth has been able to grow as a player and provide clutch moments when it's needed.

Both on the court and in practice, he's proved his skill and became another example of the Rams returning players building on their experience.

"I mean, just God-given ability. I see it every day, I kind of got used to it. It fires me up, fires everybody up, it's hard not to love it, right?" Jorgensen said. "But man, he's been working so hard, and it's so great to see. His confidence, you can see his confidence just keep building game after game and from a teammate perspective, man, I love to see that."

After spending the first half searching for answers against Idaho's aggressive defense, the Rams found their rhythm when it mattered most.

With the help of their returning core, and last second finishes, the Rams showed how experience and consistency wins games.

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