Colorado fell short in its first road test of the season on Wednesday night, losing to archrival Colorado State 88-83. The Buffs started the game sluggishly, clearly affected by playing in their first road environment of the season. Moby Arena in Fort Collins was rocking, and the Rams fed off their fans. After a tightly-contested first few minutes, the Rams started knocking down shots from the outside, eventually creating some separation when senior Joe Palmer made back-to-back threes off the bench.

“Disappointing,” said head coach Tad Boyle. “In the second half, we fought hard, but we weren’t good enough defensively all night long. We never strung together stops, putting a lot of pressure on our offense. Our offense improved in the second half, but not in the first half because they were the aggressors. Colorado State is good, but it was really disappointing because it was a winnable game. It was a great college basketball atmosphere, and we didn’t do our part.”

Photo Cred: Buff Zone

The bench was the x-factor in the first half for Colorado State. Palmer notched 11 points with three three-pointers before halftime, grabbing a few crucial offensive rebounds. Guard Jalen Lake, playing with a broken finger, also contributed by putting up nine points. The end of the first half proved to be a decisive sequence. In the final seconds, with Colorado trailing by 10, J’Vonne Hadley fouled Lake on a three, giving the reserve guard three free throws he smoothly knocked down. Then, CSU guard Josiah Scott stole the ensuing inbounds pass and laid it in at the buzzer to give the Rams a 41-26 lead at the break.

The Buffaloes weren’t ready to roll over for their rivals, however. KJ Simpson and freshman Cody Williams came out of the half with a renewed sense of aggression, trying to will the Buffs back into the game. Both Simpson and Williams dominated on the offensive end after halftime to keep their team within striking distance. Defensively, however, CU couldn’t find the same success. CSU point guard Isaiah Stevens took the game over for the Rams, upping his scoring in the final 20 minutes while continuing to set the table for his teammates. Every time Colorado had a little run in them, Stevens and the Rams answered with one of their own to stay out in front.

“We had zero kills defensively,” Boyle said. “A kill is when you get three stops in a row. We want three in each half. We had zero for the game.”

Photo Cred: SI

Despite the efforts of Simpson and Williams, the Rams stayed out in front just long enough to take home the 88-83 win. Simpson recorded his second career 30-point game, scoring 30 points with four assists. Williams had a career-high 21 points, all after halftime, and was incredibly efficient driving the basketball in the second half. In the final 20 minutes, Simpson and Williams combined for 41 points on 14-for-16 shooting, carrying Colorado on the offensive end.

For the Rams, Stevens finished with 20 points and 11 assists. He dominated the game offensively with his passing and scoring, especially in the second half. Former Buff Nique Clifford had a productive showing in his first game against his old team, scoring 15 points and snagging six boards. Without starting big man Patrick Cartier due to a back injury, forward Joel Scott provided the inside presence for the Rams and finished with 15 points of his own.

“We weren’t our best tonight, and we needed our best,” Boyle said. “We didn’t have to play perfect, but we needed to be at our best, and we weren’t at our best offensively or defensively.”

With this loss, the No. 20 Rams project to jump even higher in the AP Top 25 next week. Meanwhile, CU will get farther away after dropping just outside the rankings this week. The Buffaloes will get one more chance to pick up a win this week as they host Pepperdine on Sunday in Boulder.