LAS VEGAS — They call the Thomas & Mack Center Pit West for a reason.
New Mexico fans take over the arena for the Mountain West tournament.
They sure have this week as the Lobos desperately needed a few wins to make the NCAA Tournament.
The Colorado State men’s basketball team felt the fervor Friday night as New Mexico took down the Rams 74-61 in the Mountain West tournament semifinal.
New Mexico had an 11-0 run to start the game and light the crowd on fire. The Lobos then went on an 8-0 run to end the half, holding CSU scoreless for the final 6:48 of the half.
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The No. 6-seeded Lobos (25-9) built a 16-point second-half lead before No. 7 CSU (24-10) hit one final surge to cut within seven in the final 6 minutes.
But CSU never got closer.
“I thought the run at the end of the first half was critical. They kind of went into the locker room with momentum. They made a lot of plays. They made shots. They made plays. They were active defensively,” CSU coach Niko Medved said.
“We just weren’t able to get enough shots down or come up with a timely rebound, or we had a key turnover. We just got really outplayed, I thought, on both ends of the floor. Disappointing, but we’ll move on and get ready for what’s coming on Sunday.”
New Mexico advances to Saturday’s title game against San Diego State.
Here’s what happened in the semifinal and what it means ahead of Selection Sunday.
Colorado State offense struggles
CSU’s star guard Isaiah Stevens hobbled into the locker room inside the final minute of the first half and seemed to have discomfort in his left leg during the game.
He returned and played big minutes and looked healthy in the second half, so it appeared to be a manageable issue.
But, if he’s off, so is CSU’s offense. It took until late for the Rams to finally start rolling a bit.
At halftime (where CSU trailed 33-25) four key players — Stevens, Nique Clifford, Josiah Strong and Jalen Lake — were a combined 0-17 shooting with just two points.
“That’s what they do. They speed the game up and execute on both ends at that pace. We were able to generate some good looks,” Stevens said. “Maybe rushed at times. We just have to settle in. Honestly in the first half there were some shots out there we just have to hit.”
Stevens finished with 11 points on 4-11 shooting. Joel Scott scored 20 on 9-15 shooting.
CSU shot 6-28 (21%) from 3-point range and 34% from the field.
On his calf injury, which he was icing at the postgame press conference, Stevens said: “I’ll be fine. Nothing to it more than that. I’m excited to keep playing, moving forward.”
New Mexico surging
No team in the league had more on the line entering the conference tournament.
New Mexico needed at least two wins to secure an NCAA Tournament berth. With a lot of bubble and bid-stealing teams winning, a third might have become necessary — and the Lobos played like it late Friday night.
The Lobos responded well when CSU cut it to seven late, going on a mini 4-0 push of their own to reestablish full control.
New Mexico shot 45% from the floor. Jaelen House had 19 points and eight assists. JT Toppin had 16 points and nine rebounds.
CSU was outscored 42-30 in the paint and 22-6 in points off turnovers, which is New Mexico’s lifeline.
New Mexico came out with ferocity and rarely let down. A Quad 1 win over CSU should land the Lobos a spot in the Big Dance.
Selection Sunday waits
CSU, obviously, would have liked to win and pick up another important resume win, but the Rams can now rest and wait to hear their name on Selection Sunday.
Most sites have CSU projected as a No. 8 or 9 seed.
The NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed at 4 p.m. Mountain on Sunday, March 17.
“Part of the fun of it is not knowing and having that on Selection Sunday. You have no idea what your seed is going to be, where you are going to go, who you are going to play, and that’s some of the beauty of it,” Medved said. “You know me. I’m such a competitive guy. I hated the way that — wish we would have played better here tonight, but at the same time, this group has given us a lot, and we have to wake up tomorrow and strong chin and stick our chest out.”
If CSU is in (which is considered a lock), it will be the second time in three seasons for the Rams.
“Selection Sunday is a really, really special time. That’s what these guys dream about, so we can’t let this take away from that on Sunday,” Medved said. “We will tonight, which you should as a competitor, but wake up tomorrow and look forward to what’s next.”
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
First appeared on www.coloradoan.com