In a competitive battle between Colorado State and San José State, the Rams emerged victorious with a 72-62 win in the opening round of the 2024 Mountain West Tournament on Wednesday. Neither team showcased its best form leading up to the game. San José State arrived with a six-game losing streak, concluding the regular season with a 9-22 record. On the flip side, Colorado State had appeared in the top-25 rankings several times during the season but slipped to seventh in the Mountain West after four losses in their last seven regular-season games.
Photo Cred: Coloradoan
These recent challenges have raised questions about CSU’s NCAA tournament prospects, but a strong showing in the conference tournament could settle the debate. While Colorado State managed to secure the victory, their performance left room for improvement, allowing the Spartans to stay competitive throughout the game. The pivotal moment came with the score tied at 56-56 and just under five minutes remaining, when CSU embarked on a 16-6 run to close out the game. San José State struggled, shooting an abysmal 1 for 7 in the final 4:51, finishing below 25% from three-point range.
The Rams weren’t significantly better from beyond the arc, shooting 6 for 19, slightly above 31%. However, CSU shot over 50% from the field overall, led by senior forward Joel Scott, who tallied 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. Surprisingly, senior Joe Palmer came off the bench as the second-leading scorer for Colorado State, hitting four of his five three-point attempts to finish with 14 points in the win.
Photo Cred: Mountain West
For San José State, Alvaro Cardenas and Myron Amey Jr. led the team in scoring with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Despite their double-digit contributions, it was a challenging game for Amey Jr., shooting 7 for 20 overall and 1 for 8 from three-point range. The Spartans struggled from deep, facing tough defense that resulted in four of their shots being blocked by the Rams.
The loss concluded San José State’s season with a 9-23 overall record and a 2-16 record in the Mountain West Conference. Next up for Colorado State is a matchup with No. 23 Nevada in the quarterfinals on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET. CSU aims to avoid a season sweep against the Wolf Pack, having lost both previous meetings this season. A victory in this game would likely solidify the Rams’ spot in the NCAA tournament, pending the selection committee’s decision.
