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Colorado State Overcomes NC State 65-61

Rams advance to NIT Semifinals

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CSU overcame a bad shooting night from behind the arc.

David Roddy wasn’t the leading scorer for the Rams on the day, but he did make the winning basket to finish off a back and forth battle with the NC State Wolfpack. He struggled in the first half with only six points, but made an impact on the boards with seven rebounds to atone for the early shooting struggles.

A poor shooting night from behind the arc (3-23 from the three-point line) was offset by a terrific defensive game plan for the Rams. The Rams played a stingy inside defense, basically daring NC State to beat them from deep and they couldn’t. Along with forcing 17 turnovers, the Rams had four blocks on the lengthier Wolfpack squad.

Isaiah Stevens was the Rams leading scorer on the day. He finished with 18 points and chipped in four assists. Roddy and Kendle Moore both chipped in 16 points. Roddy also finished with another double-double as he collected 11 rebounds in total.

NC State was already going to struggle without two players including leading scorer Devon Daniels. But when Braxton Beverly was announced as out due to injury it only made things worse for the Wolfpack. Their leading three point shooter was out and they now had to rely more on their freshman backcourt.

Things actually looked okay early for NC State as they jumped out to a 7-0 lead with DJ Funderburk scoring all seven points. From there though, they let off the gas. The Wolfpack didn’t make as many mistakes in the first half as they did in the second, but they made enough mistakes to give the Rams hope.

Jericole Hellems was the leading scorer on the night for NC State. He finished with 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Joining him in double figures were Funderburk (13 points and nine rebounds) and Manny Bates (13 points and six rebounds).

Next Up:

NC State is done for the season. Meanwhile, the Rams now have two more games to play. They’ll be facing Memphis on Saturday after they beat Boise State 59-56. And win or lose, CSU will get another game. Either the championship or the third-place game against either Mississippi State or Louisiana Tech.

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