The Colorado State men’s basketball team capped a busy five days with an 80-58 rout of Alcorn State in a nearly empty Moby Arena on Sunday afternoon to improve to 5-1 on the season.
Sunday’s game marked the third game in the last five days for the Rams, and it was clear from the start that all of that basketball was beginning to take it’s toll.
“It’s been a long week and today caught up with us early,” head coach Larry Eustachy said following the win.”The whole game we seemed just to be kind of a step slow.”
After sinking their first two shots of the game, the Rams went nearly four minutes in between made shots. Right when Colorado State needed someone to shake off the fatigue, redshirt sophomore guard J.D. Paige stepped up.
The story of Colorado State’s young season has been their ability to score by committee. In each one of their victories, a different player has stepped up. Tonight it was Paige’s turn.
“My teammates were finding me,” Paige said of his career night. “The shots just came.”
Paige was the Rams’ offense in the first half. His 19 first-half points lifted Colorado State to a 44-33 lead at the half.
“We just kept going to J.D.,” redshirt senior Emmanuel Omogbo said. “He had a career night, why not go to him? He has the hot hand.”
Just as the Rams rode Paige’s hot hand in the first half, they rode senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo’s hot hand in the second. Omogbo scored 11 of his 15 points and grabbed seven of his 15 rebounds in the second half.
In a season where any Ram can step up on any given night, Omogbo has been a player the Rams have relied on through six games. His 15 points and 15 rebounds gave him his fourth double-double on the season.
“Right now our anchor is Emmanuel and J.D.,” Eustachy said. “They really hold us together. Without them, I don’t feel real comfortable.”
Despite finishing the first half with 19 points, Paige’s workload decreased in the second half. He finished the game with a career-high 23 points to go along with his six assists, leading all players on both teams in each category.
In the win, the Rams improved to 5-0 at home this season. A tired Colorado State will have a few well-deserved days off before heading to Boulder on Wednesday for what is arguably their biggest test of the season in the 5-1 Colorado Buffaloes.
“I just look at it as another game,” Paige said looking ahead to Wednesday.
While Paige may look at Wednesday’s matchup with CU as just another game, Eustachy knows it’s much more than that.
“I’ve always said it’s not just another game as some coaches say,” Eustachy said of the rivalry. “I know how big it is to our people.”
Colorado State will take on Colorado at the Coors Event Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
