Rams take “gut-punch” in buzzer-beater loss

FORT COLLINS >> Just when it looked like Colorado State had completed a second-half comeback to send its game against Nevada to overtime, the Wolf Pack made sure extra time would not be needed.

Isaiah Stevens drained a jumper to tie the game at 74 with 2.8 seconds remaining, but the Wolf Pack’s Jarod Lucas banked in a half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer to claim a 7774 victory Tuesday night at Moby Arena.

It was CSU’S first Mountain West conference loss at home and just its second loss at home this season.

It was also CSU’S third straight loss overall on the heels of an 0-2 road trip last week at New Mexico and UNLV.

The Rams dropped to 20-9 overall and 8-8 in the Mountain West with two games remaining in the regular season.

“Basketball can be unforgiving sometimes,” CSU head coach Niko Medved said. “Tonight was a gutpunch. There’s no other way around it.”

Trailing 39-28 at halftime, the Rams scored the first four points to cut the Wolf Pack lead to 39-32 and then cut it to five at 42-37 on a layup by Patrick Cartier with 14:21 remaining in the game.

But a 3-pointer followed by three free throws from a foul on a 3-point attempt pushed the Wolf Pack’s lead back to double digits at 48-37 with 13:20 left.

CSU got back within five after a three-point play by Patrick Cartier made it 53-48 with 10:15 remaining. The Rams got that close a few more times, the last coming on a free-throw by Jalen Lake with 4:19 remaining that made it 63-58.

With 3:23 remaining, the Rams got within two at 63-61 on a three-point play by Stevens, but the Wolf Pack answered, as they did all game, with four straight points to extend their lead to multiple possessions again.

Finally, the Rams got within striking distance, pulling within three on a 3-pointer by Nique Clifford with 22 seconds left and then two on a jumper by Stevens with 11 seconds remaining and then tied it on another jumper by Stevens with just under three seconds left.

Then Lucas, who missed a pair of free throws between Stevens’ two jumpers, raced down the sideline, heaved the ball from

T.coleman 6-8 1-1 16, Davidson 0-6 2-2 2, K.hymes 1-2 1-4 3, Lucas 6-18 8-11 23, Mcintosh 4-11 4-4 14, Foster 4-6 3-4 13, Rolison 1-2 4-4 6, Pope 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-54 23-30 77.

Cartier 2-6 4-5 8, Scott 6-10 3-4 15, Clifford 4-8 0-0 10, Stevens 9-15 3-3 23, Strong 1-4 0-0 2, Lake 2-5 2-2 7, Mbemba 1-2 3-4 6, Palmer 0-2 3-4 3, Kya.evans 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 18-22 74.

Halftime: Nevada 39-28; 3-Point Goals: Nevada 10-21 (T.coleman 3-4, Lucas 3-5, Foster 2-3, Mcintosh 2-7, Davidson 0-2), Colorado St; 6-18 (Clifford 2-4, Stevens 2-6, Mbemba 1-1, Lake 1-2, Cartier 0-1, Palmer 0-2, Strong 0-2); Fouled Out: T.coleman, Clifford; Rebounds: Nevada 32 (Davidson 12), Colorado St; 29 (Cartier 8); Assists: Nevada 10 (Lucas

3), Colorado St; 20 (Stevens 6); Total Fouls: Nevada 22, Colorado St; 23.

halfcourt and banked in.

“It was a heck of a game,” Stevens said. “We kept fighting. I give our team a lot of credit, but we just didn’t make that last play.”

Stevens led the Rams with 23 points. Joel Scott added 15 and Clifford 10.

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