Vol 127, No 78, Friday, January 19 2018

Carvacho’s Vision Proving Beneficial PAGE 7

WBB Relying on Defence and Discipline PAGE 11 Volume 127, No. 78 Friday, January 19, 2018

Inside The Lines

Rams Look to Climb MW Standings PAGE 4 & 14

MOBY MADNESS

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Inside The Lines Friday, January 19, 2018

MW turning into two-team race for regular season title

By Austin White @ajwrules44

March looms for the college basketball world as the beginning to the madness is only a little more than a month away.

For teams in the Mountain West, they are running out of time to catch the front-running Nevada Wolfpack and Boise State Broncos.

The Colorado State Rams (10-10, 3-4 MW) currently sit three-and-a-half games out of the first place and undefeated in conference Wolfpack (173, 6-0 MW). The Rams most recently lost at home to the Air Force Falcons (8-10, 2-4 MW) for the first time in head coach Larry Eustachy’s tenure in Fort Collins.

Conference season and the year as a whole have been very streaky for the Rams who have shown glimpses of potential while also displaying their struggles. All three of their conference wins have come on the road and they are winless at home with losses to San Diego State, Fresno State and Air Force.

As a team, the Rams have issues scoring as seen by their 46.1 field goal percentage ranking last in the Mountain West. Their 71.4 points per game is not much better as that number comes in ninth out of the 11 Mountain West squads.

Those numbers are not the fault of junior guard Prentiss Nixon though as his 17.9 points per game is the fifth best in the conference. However, injuries continue to nag Nixon who ended their last game against Air Force with a left leg injury after already coming into the game wearing a serious brace on his right knee.

The Eustachy system calls for a team that drives the ball to the basket and is strong down low. Redshirt sophomore Nico Carvacho is starting to fill into that role. He recorded his third double-double in the last four games Wednesday night against the Falcons and his 8.9 boards per game ranks fourth in the conference.

Leading the Mountain West Conference is the preseason pick for Player of the Year in

Junior Prentiss Nixon calls out a play against Wyoming on Jan. 13. The Rams defeated the Cowboys 78-73. PHOTO BY JAVON HARISS COLLEGIAN

Chandler Hutchison of Boise State. The senior guard leads the Mountain West in points per game with 19.6 and ranks sixth in boards per game at 8.3. He also falls in the top 10 in assists per game. Hutchison helped lead the Broncos (16-3, 6-1 MW) to their upset victory on the road over the Oregon Ducks with 20 points, snapping the Ducks’ 46game home win streak.

Boise State is currently a half game behind Nevada for the conference lead as the two teams will square off this Saturday for the first time this season in Nevada.

The Wolfpack have their own Player of the Year candidate in North Carolina State transfer Caleb Martin. The junior forward comes in right behind Hutchison in points per game with 19.3. Often times the Player of the Year winner benefits from being on the best team, and Nevada continues to look like Lory Student Center Box 13 Fort Collins, CO 80523 This publication is not an official publication of Colorado State University, but is published by an independent corporation using the name ‘The Rocky Mountain Collegian’ pursuant to a license granted by CSU. The Rocky Mountain Collegian is a 6,500-circulation student-run newspaper intended as a public forum. It publishes four days a week during the regular fall and spring semesters. During the last eight weeks of summer Collegian distribution drops to 3,500 and is published weekly. During the first four weeks of summer the Collegian does not publish.

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the top squad.

They spent a week in the top 25 of the AP poll at No. 22 after starting the year 8-0 before losing two close contests with Texas Tech and the current No. 24 TCU Horned Frogs. Nevada is also the only Mountain West team receiving points in the AP poll with 23 coming for the Wolfpack in the latest release.

Nevada was the preseason favorite to take the conference and right behind them was the SDSU Aztecs who have not met those expectations.

The Aztecs (11-6, 3-3 MW) have a new coach for the first time since 1999 when Steve Fisher took over the program.

Fisher retired following the end of last season and the Aztecs appear to be going through some growing pains under new head coach Brian Dutcher as they sit at 3-3 in conference, on a two-game losing streak.

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conference’s only AP Top 25 win this season however, after they defeated then No. 12 Gonzaga at home, 72-70.

No teams have been too surprising but the upstart team of the year in the Mountain West has been Fresno State (14-6, 4-3) who is tied for third in conference at 4-3. Two of the Bulldogs losses came at the hands of Nevada and Boise State, but Fresno State stayed close in both games and looked as if they could pull off some upsets come conference tournament time.

The Bulldogs are currently tied with Nevada for the best 3-point percentage in conference and are led by senior guard Jahmel Taylor who ranks fifth in the conference in the stat among players who have attempted 100 or more 3s. Taylor went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc against the Rams on his way to 13 points to help Fresno State take the 82-79

overtime victory.

As for CSU, the road to a regular season title looks like it will be out of reach after dropping to 3-4 and losing to the perineal bottom-dwelling Air Force Falcons. They still have to play Nevada twice and finish the regular season with games against the top four teams in the standings currently.

CSU will try to turn their .500 season around beginning Saturday, Jan. 20 when they welcome the UNLV Rebels, who are the conference’s top scoring team with 87.8 points per game.

The Rams currently give up 75.4 a game which ranks 254th in the country.

The game is set to tipoff at 3 p.m. from Moby Arena and can be viewed on CBS Sports Network.

Austin White can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com.

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The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Friday, January 19, 2018

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Inside The Lines Friday, January 19, 2018

CSU women face uphill battle for fifth consecutive MW title

By Christian Hedrick @ChristianHCSU

The Colorado State women’s basketball team (12-6, 4-3 Mountain West) is tied for fourth place in the MW, unfamiliar territory for the four-time defending conference champions through a third of the league schedule.

In their run of four consecutive title-winning campaigns, the Rams never amassed more than three conference losses.

With 11 games remaining and a logjam in the middle of the conference standings, the Rams have plenty of time to make a run at another regular season conference title. But they will have to overcome a crop of contenders consisting of Fresno State, New Mexico, Boise State, UNLV and Wyoming.

After losing at San Diego State to open the conference slate, Wyoming has rattled off four consecutive wins to claim a share of first place in the Mountain West with UNLV. Behind only the Rams, no one has given up fewer points than Wyoming in MW play.

The Rams and Cowgirls are neck-and-neck in defensive efficiency, having allowed nearly seven fewer points per game than any other team in the league.

When the two defensive stalwarts matched up at Moby last Saturday, it was the Cowgirls who pulled out a four-point win in the lowscoring ballgame. CSU will have one more chance to gain ground on their Border War counterparts when the two sides meet again in Laramie on Jan. 31.

Before the Rams can focus on the rematch in Laramie, they have another test with the best set for Saturday afternoon at UNLV. Picked to finish fifth before the season, the Rebels have hushed doubters with four consecutive wins after an opening-night loss at Boise State. While producing 67.8 points per game and allowing just over 61, the Rebels have generated the best offense-to-defense efficiency margin in league play.

Though the league leading Cowgirls and Rebels have never won a Mountain West title, each collected a handful of first place votes before the season. Boise State topped those preseason projections with seven first place votes, but the reigning Mountain West tournament champions currently sit a game behind the league leaders and a game ahead of the Rams in third place.

Featuring preseason AllMountain West forward selection and nightly double-double threat

Shalen Shaw, the Broncos average over 70 points a game. Against most sides, anything over 70 points should get the job done, but not when matched up against New Mexico. The Lobos are 4-3 in the league, but their 83.9 points per game average is more than 12 points higher than any team in the conference.

Although Lobo guard Cherise Beynon opened the season as the projected player of the year, sophomore Jaisa Nunn has averaged 15.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game to pace the league’s most efficient offense. With New Mexico alone atop of the league in offensive efficiency, the Rams’ 53.7 points per conference game is four fewer points than any team in the league.

A top defense juxtaposed against a tepid offense has made gaining ground in the standings difficult for the defending conference champions, but the Rams have found a glimmer of offensive stability in redshirt freshman guard Grace Colaivalu.

Colaivalu’s 16.5 points per conference game lead the Rams and are good for ninth in the league. League coaches and select media voted New Mexico point guard N’dea Flye as the projected freshman of the year before the

Stine Austgulen (2) defends against a player during the second half of the game on Sunday afternoon against the University of Northern Colorado. PHOTO BY FORREST CZARNECKI COLLEGIAN

season, but Colaivalu could run away with the hardware if she keeps up her torrid pace.

Along with Colaivalu, CSU guard Stine Austgulen has positioned herself among the league leaders in three-point efficiency with 2.3 makes per game for a share of sixth place in the Mountain West. With Colaivalu and Austgulen providing consistency on the offensive side of the floor, only New Mexico has taken down more defensive rebounds than CSU’s 28.4 per game. The Rams also lead the conference in field goal defense, limiting all opponents to just a

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.342 mark.

Consistency on both sides of the ball will be the key for CSU to not only return to their familiar place atop the conference standings, but also to stay in the top half of the standings. Though the Rams are within striking distance of the conference leaders, only one game separates them from eighth place San Jose State.

The Rams will look to generate some breathing room in the tight Mountain West standings when conference play resumes with a 2 p.m. MT tip on Saturday at UNLV. Christian Hedrick can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Friday, January 19, 2018

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Inside The Lines Friday, January 19, 2018

Rams lost two legends, but their season is alive and well

By Luke Zahlmann @lukezahlmann

The loss of two star players, one a scorer and the other a do-it-all point guard, has had a profound impact on the CSU women’s basketball team.

In the past two seasons combined, the Rams lost a total of 11 games. Between the loses, the wins piled up to a pristine 56, a winning percentage over 80 percent.

In the 2017-18 season, the Rams are more than halfway to the loss total of the past two seasons combined. The loss of their identity has sent them searching to find the team they want to be. A defensive stalwart? A fast pace offensive juggernaut? The answer is a mixture.

The Rams rank top 15 in the nation in turnovers per game, a sign of an offense unwilling to let mistakes sink them. Despite the absence of mistakes, their scoring is 266th in the nation in points, something expected to an extent given the loss of two of their primary scorers, but not to the extreme it currently resides.

On the other side, the Rams sit at seventh in the nation in opponents’ field goal percentage, a lockdown unit capable of keeping their opposition at bay, even when their offense hits a lull. Having only allowed a single opponent to cross the 80-point plateau, defense is another strong suit for a Rams unit searching for their way.

The complication for the Rams lies in an inability to turn their clean basketball into additional points. This would allow their defense to be an equal asset, not a crutch. Utilizing skills to their advantage is a trait that has eluded the young Rams squad through the first half of their schedule, a schedule that has recently entered the grueling phase of conference play.

Redshirt freshman Grace Colaivalu has been a spark plug for a team in need of a scoring boost. Despite playing little at the beginning of the year, Colaivalu is the only Ram that averages double-digit points a game, a sign that the team has switched to a group mentality in the scoring department.

Unfortunately, the new approach has left the offense

searching for a punch, a sign of life in big moments.

The talent level on the Rams is an indicator that positive regression is in store for the rest of the season. A cold streak by senior Sofie Tryggedsson has dropped her scoring average to below five per game, a number that is sure to rise back up. Fellow senior Stine Austgulen has picked up the slack from outside the arc for the Rams, pushing her team-leading amount of 3-pointers to 41 on nearly 50 percent shooting, an outstanding tally.

A combination of fresh faces and battle-tested upperclassmen gives the Rams hope that the ceiling for their team is one that is currently miles from where they are. A change of momentum from Tryggedsson, steady hands of Colaivalu and Hannh Tvrdy and hot shooting of Austgulen could propel the Rams to another Mountain West title.

The remaining schedule for the Rams features multiple games against teams ahead of them in the Mountain West standings. Two games against New Mexico and a single game against each of the other three teams ahead of them can send the Rams skyrocketing to the top spot with a strong second half of the season.

An uptick in offense from the team will go a long way towards changing the tone of their season. A defense that is well adept at limiting their opponents’ made field goals will handle the other side of the court, while a number of cold hands getting hot will boost the mediocre scoring numbers.

In a game of runs, both for and against, the Rams have been starring down the barrel of far too many scoreless runs on offense. Austuglen and Tryggedsson can set the Rams up for success the remainder of the year and allow premier guards in Tvrdy and Colaivalu to have driving lanes and kick the ball out to their eagerly awaiting 3-point shooters.

With a confidence boost and a luck of the roll in down spurts offensively, the Rams are due for an uptick in success, and another championship to Moby Arena.

Luke Zahlmann can be reached at sports@collegian. com.

CSU freshman guard Grace Colaivalu (32) moves down the court against UCCS guard Kristen Vigil and (5) and guard Lauren Bennett (24) during Wednesday’s exhibition game. PHOTO BY DAVIS BONNER COLLEGIAN

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Senior Hannah Tvrdy passes the ball around Boise State defender. PHOTO BY TONY VILLALOBOS-MAY COLLEGIAN

Inside The Lines Friday, January 19, 2018

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Nico Carvacho developing into one of CSU’s best distributors

By Colin Barnard @ColinBarnard_

It’s rare for big men to possess top-tier vision to accompany their rebounding prowess, but the combination of talent does exist.

Nikola Jokic, Kevin Love and Marc Gasol are proving this at the professional level. At Colorado State, center Nico Carvacho is in the midst of developing the same skillset.

Guards Prentiss Nixon and J.D. Paige still lead the team in assists per game. That makes sense, given how often the two ball-handlers control the offense. Carvacho is the one delivering highlight-reel passes on a nightly basis since the beginning of conference play, though.

The 6-foot-11, 240-pound center has always been physical down low, but his added ability to facilitate is widely apparent.

In addition to leading the Rams with 8.9 rebounds per game, Carvacho is second in total assists behind Paige.

What’s more, Carvacho has proven to be smart with the ball in his hands. He is the only Ram to start every game who boasts an assist/turnover ratio north of one. On the entire team, he is one of just three players with significant playing time who share that label.

“I really just play off what I have, use my IQ to hit the open person,” Carvacho said. “I’m not trying to force anything. If I see someone open, I’ll give them the ball.”

Though the numbers are not staggering, the way in which Carvacho finds teammates is noteworthy. Banking on backcourt cuts from his teammates, Carvacho’s vision leads to easy baskets.

Against Utah State, Carvacho held the ball at the 3-point line before firing a one-handed dot through two defenders to hit a driving Anthony Bonner for the layup. In the next game against Wyoming, the teammates dialed up nearly the exact same play as Carvacho split an even tighter gap with perfection for another easy bucket.

It’s these passes that stand out among Carvacho’s skillset.

Possibly more important than the assists themselves, Carvacho’s passing talent keeps the defense off balance. As he continues to grow into the role, he can control the game from the top of the key and low post. Very few near 7-footers can lay claim to that statement.

Over the same stretch, the big man’s physicality on the glass has matched his athletic makeup. Carvacho has notched at least 13 rebounds in the last four games, including a 19-rebound performance against Fresno State on Jan. 6.

Carvacho has a total of 50 rebounds during the four-game span . An impressive 40 percent of those boards have come on the offensive side as Carvacho consistently finds ways to give the Rams a second opportunity to score.

The center showed his rebounding prowess by

beginning the season with 15and 20-rebound games against Sacramento State and Winthrop.

Despite going the next 14 games without double-digit rebounds, his last four games cause reason for excitement.

Coach Eustachy has longtouted Carvacho and his athletic abilities. This season, his combination of vision and strength show why. The next step for the big man is taking advantage of scoring

opportunities in the paint.

If and when that happens, Carvacho could find himself among the best in the Mountain West.

Colin Barnard can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

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Inside The Lines Friday, Janaury 19, 2018

Conference season turns Moby Madness into sadness

By Austin White @ajwrules44

Home court advantage is supposed to be exactly that, an advantage.

However, this boost has disappeared for the Colorado State men’s basketball team in the first half of their conference season.

The Rams are currently tied for sixth in the Mountain West at 3-4 and have lost all three of the home conference matchups.

In contrast, the Rams’ three wins have all been in tougher situations out on the road.

“Winning those games out on the road was good for us, but coming home, can’t lose those type of games,” junior Deion James said. “I think we just let the energy get to us and we just got to stay consistent through the whole game, we got to know what the plan is the whole time.”

In the non-conference portion of the season, CSU did exactly opposite of what is occurring in Mountain West play. They lost all six of their road matchups while

winning all seven of their home games, including an emotional victory over the rival Colorado Buffaloes who came into the matchup undefeated.

MW STANDINGS ■ Nevada: 17-3 (6-0 MW) ■ Boise State: 16-3 (6-1 MW) ■ Fresno State: 14-6 (4-3 MW) ■ New Mexico: 9-11 (4-3 MW) ■ San Diego State: 11-6 (3-3 MW) ■ Colorado State: 10-10 (3-4 MW)

The losses on the road were ugly as well with three of them being by 25 points or more to the Tulane Green Wave, Arkansas Razorbacks and Oregon Ducks.

CSU was also ran off the court by the hot-shooting New Mexico State Aggies in their 13-point win over the Rams.

Despite the road woes, the Rams could rely on their home cooking and that was

most evident in their last nonconference game which ended with junior Prentiss Nixon nailing a 3-pointer at the buzzer to defeat Long Beach State, 6866.

But ever since that shot, Moby Madness has turned into Moby sadness.

“I’ve had teams with a lot more experience that start games out like (against Air Force), you know trying to take a little shortcut, ‘It’s just going to work out,’ type thing and we’ve been able to gather ourselves and win those games,” head coach Larry Eustachy said.

“This team’s just not there yet. I don’t think it has anything to do with home or away.”

A road win finally came when the Rams took care of the 3-15 San Jose Spartans 59-52 before they returned to Fort Collins to play the San Diego State Aztecs. SDSU was picked to finish second in the Mountain West in the preseason and flexed their muscles against the Rams in a 77-68 victory.

A loss to the Aztecs was understandable for the Rams,

but a win against Fresno State at home was expected as the Bulldogs had not won in Fort Collins since 1994. However, like many teams the Rams have played this year, the Bulldogs shot lights out in the 82-79 overtime victory.

Hope for a turnaround still loomed for CSU who went on the road and beat Utah State and their biggest conference rival in the Wyoming Cowboys.

A home game against the Air Force Falcons would follow, a team that the Rams had not lost too since 2011, a year before head coach Larry Eustachy took over the program.

Once again, the home rims favored the rivals as the Falcons game plan of living by the three worked in their favor despite the Rams controlling the glass and many other areas of the matchup in the 76-71 loss.

“I think we just need to stay consistent,” center Nico Carvacho said on the team’s home struggles. “I feel like we play in spurts at home but we just don’t play like we do on the road.”

With 11 games remaining in the season and the Rams currently trailing the first place Nevada Wolfpack by three-anda-half games, wins will be crucial no matter the location. The chance to make the comeback at home is still present as well as the Rams still have to play three of the conference’s top four teams at home with Nevada, Boise State and New Mexico on the home docket.

CSU has only two regular season conference titles to their name and the last one came in 1990 as a member of the WAC. The young talent has proven themselves on the road and now they want to show the fans in Fort Collins what they are capable of doing.

The Rams will not have to wait long as they get another matchup Saturday against the UNLV Rebels, the conference’s top scoring team. The matchup will begin at 3 p.m. inside Moby Arena.

Austin White can be reached by email at sports@collegian. com

Junior guard J.D. Paige buries his face in his jersey against Fresno State on Jan. 6. The Rams were defeated by the Bulldogs in overtime. PHOTO BY JAVON HARRIS COLLEGIAN

Inside The Lines Friday, Janaury 19, 2018

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Defense and discipline driving CSU women’s hoops

By Christian Hedrick @ChristianHCSU

Legendary Alabama football coach Bear Bryant once said, “Offense sells tickets and defense wins championships.” Bryant won more national titles than any coach in history and the Colorado State women’s basketball team hopes his winning philosophy reigns true on the hardwood as well.

With the lowest points per game output of any side in league play, strong defense and discipline on both sides of the ball has kept the Rams (12-6, 4-3 Mountain West) within reach of their fifth consecutive Mountain West title.

Although CSU’s 53.7 points per game is a full four points lower than 10th place Utah State, no team has conceded less points on average than the Rams’ 52.3 through seven league games.

This tight margin of offensive and defensive efficiency has generated a number of uncomfortably close games, yet it has yielded the Rams a winning record and positioning in the top half of the conference standings.

When matching up against the Rams, opponents are generally met with a 2-3 defensive zone right out of the gates.

Though this particular zone look encourages patient passing and perimeter shooting, the Rams

often put added pressure on the perimeter, forcing opponents to jack up tough shots and make hurried passes.

The hard-nosed perimeter defense is a leading contributor to the Rams’ Mountain West-leading .342 opponent shooting percentage. The mark also ranks sixth out of 335 Division I programs. Less than one percentage point below the Rams sit Geno Auriemma’s undefeated UCONN Huskies, the consensus No. 1 ranked team in the nation.

Another key factor in the Rams’ elite field goal defense is not allowing the opposition a second chance on rebounds and looks from the paint. In the Mountain West, only New Mexico claims more defensive rebounds per game than CSU’s 28.4.

Leading CSU’s charge to the glass is an experienced bunch made up of senior Veronika Mirkovic and redshirt seniors Stine Austgulen and Hannah Tvrdy. In conference play, Tvrdy has collected an average of 5.1 defensive rebounds per game, while Mirkovic and Austgulen each average over four.

Scoring on CSU’s tight defense from the field and around the glass is already a tall task, but to make matters worse for the opposition, the Rams have not been handing out any free passes.

Head coach Ryun Williams rallies the team during a timeout in the last quarter of the Border War at Moby Arena on Jan. 13. The Rams fell to the Cowgirls 53-49. PHOTO BY ASHLEY POTTS COLLEGIAN

After turnovers and sloppy play crept into the Rams’ game in the non-conference portion of the season, CSU cleaned up the mistakes and now boast a 12.7 turnovers per game average.

An average of 12.7 turnovers per game places the Rams atop the Mountain West and 20th nationally in the category.

The Rams’ discipline isn’t just limited to when they have

the ball. CSU has kept opponents off the charity stripe and out of the bottom of the basket by committing an average of just 14.2 personal fouls per game. Only Wyoming has committed fewer turnovers per game in the Mountain West and both the Rams and Cowgirls are among the top 20 in the nation in said category.

CSU’s discipline and dynamic defense has kept them in

the hunt for a fifth consecutive Mountain West title, despite their sluggish offensive numbers.

If defense truly can win championships, the first indicator will be Saturday afternoon when CSU heads to Las Vegas to take on first place UNLV at 4 p.m. MT. Christian Hedrick can be reached by email at sports@ collegian.com

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COLLEGIAN.COM Friday, January 19, 2018

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The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Friday, January 19, 2018

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Inside The Lines Friday, Janaury 19, 2018

CSU prepares for draft prospect Brandon McCoy, UNLV

By Colin Barnard @ColinBarnard_

Following its first loss to Air Force in six years, the Colorado State men’s basketball team will host UNLV Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Rams’ annual Orange Out game.

CSU (10-10, 3-4 Mountain West) has struggled at home in conference play this season where they have yet to gain a victory in three chances.

UNLV (13-5, 2-3 MW) continued its conference struggles with a loss against New Mexico the last time out.

Following a terrific start to the season in which they won 11 of their first 13 games, the Runnin’ Rebels have been inconsistent to begin conference play, losing three of five.

The Rebels showed their talent in the non-conference portion of the schedule as their only two losses came in overtime, one of which against current No. 14 Arizona. UNLV held a 13-point lead against the Wildcats in the second half before falling by three points in the overtime period. Their only other non-conference loss came at the hands of Northern Iowa in the Mountain West/ Missouri Valley Challenge.

After a five-game win streak to end non-conference play, the Rebels lost their first game in the MW to Boise State, who currently sits second in the conference standings.

UNLV also lost to Utah State, a team CSU defeated on Jan. 10.

Led by forwards Brandon McCoy and Shakur Juiston, the Rebels lead the MW in scoring at 87.8 points per game, nearly six points higher than second-place Nevada, and rank eigth in the entire nation in the category. UNLV also leads the conference in field goal percentage (51.3 percent) and rebounding (40.9 per game).

A 7-foot, 250-pound behe-

moth from Chicago, Ill., McCoy has proven to be a top talent in the MW. He ranks fifth in the conference in scoring and second in rebounding with 18.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest. He also sits in the top 5 in field goal percentage and blocked shots.

Ranked as the No. 16 player in the 2017 recruiting class, McCoy turned down offers from Arizona, Michigan State and Oregon to join the Runnin’ Rebels.

Frontcourt mate Shakur Juiston has also been a force to be reckoned with in his first year with UNLV. After spending two years with Hutchinson Community College, Juiston is tops in the conference in rebounding, hauling in 10.1 per game. Along with guards Javon Mooring and Jordan Johnson, Juiston scores north of 14 points per game.

The Rams will almost certainly be without leading scorer Prentiss Nixon. The guard, who ranks just behind McCoy in scoring, injured his left ankle in the closing seconds of Wednesday’s loss to Air Force.

Nixon attempted to draw a foul on a 3-point shot, causing him to land awkwardly on his left foot.

Already nursing a right knee injury he sustained against San Diego State, Nixon could miss extended time with the new ailment.

In Nixon’s absence, many Rams will be forced to step up, led by guard J.D. Paige. The redshirt junior averages 10.2 points per contest and will likely be the main ball handler should Nixon miss any time.

Center Nico Carvacho will be handed the daunting task of slowing down McCoy. Carvacho, standing an inch shorter and weighing ten pounds less than his counterpart, ranks fourth in the conference in rebounding. He enters the game having recorded a double-dou-

Coach Larry Eustachy reacts towards a ref during the second half of an 80-76 win over Winthrop on November 14. PHOTO BY JOVAN HARRIS COLLEGIAN

ble in three of the Rams’ last four games.

Carvacho has shown an increased tenacity on the glass in those games after failing to reach double digit rebounds in the previous 14 games. His ability to limit McCoy’s effectiveness on the boards will be monumental in CSU’s chances of knocking of UNLV. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and can be watched on CBS Sports Network or heard on CSU Radio Network.

Colin Barnard can be reached by email at sports@ collegian.com

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Inside The Lines Friday, Janaury 19, 2018

15

Rams look to extend win streak over the Rebels to eight in Vegas

By Luke Zahlmann @lukezahlmann

A 4-1 road record and a chance to make up ground in their conference serves as the baggage on the backs of CSU women’s basketball going into a road matchup against UNLV. The Rebels’ junior-laden squad has them sitting at second in the standings having conjured up a 6-3 record.

Though the Rebels sit at second in the conference, they have a 9-7 record, worse than the Rams, accompanied by a negative scoring margin (-1.8 points a game).

Three scorers for the Rebels are in double digits per game, a feat only present in one player among the Rams.

Senior guard Brooke Johnson leads the team with 15.8 points a game, and stands as the lead-

er in minutes overall (577) and per game (36.1).

Johnson has her game play out from both sides of the arc as the leader of the team in 3-pointers and field goals made overall, to be expected with the overwhelming leader in minutes. Alongside Johnson in the backcourt is fellow guard and redshirt junior Nikki Wheatley who is third on the team in points per game (12.4) and second in rebounds per game (8.3).

From the inside, the Rebels boast junior center Katie Powell who is averaging a near double-double with 14.7 points and 9.1 boards a game. With a stature taller than any Rams regular, Powell will be a consistent issue inside for the Rams, and will pose as one of their biggest challenges in gaining ground in the conference.

Stopping the Rebels’ big

three will serve as a catalyst if the Rams hope to have success out west against an older team.

With prowess from inside and out, the Rebels pose a unique challenge for the offensively deprived Rams. For a team that is averaging just over 60 points a game, the Rams will be forced to once again rely on their defense to keep them competitive against the Rebels.

In the Rams’ favor is their seven-game win streak against the squad from Sin City. One of their longest win streaks in the conference, the Rams have found a recipe to consistently come out on top against the Rebels, regardless of the two teams’ rosters.

The Rams have dealt with an offensive lull for much of the season and have been unable to regain their confidence.

With their only consistent

Freshman Guard Grace Colaivalu drives to the hoop during the first quarter of play against the Colorado State Buffaloes on Dec. 6. The Rams fell in a hard fought battle 70-67 in Moby Arena. PHOTO BY ELLIOTT JERGE COLLEGIAN

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threat from outside being redshirt senior Stine Austgulen, the Rams have been forced to do their damage in the paint.

Redshirt freshman Grace Colaivalu has risen as the cream of the crop on a young Rams squad in search of their identity. As the only Ram above the decade mark in the scoring column (11.3), she has been forced to shoulder the load of the offense, consistently driving and forcing defenses to collapse. Unfortunately for the young guard, her outside shooters have been unable, for a better part of the year, to knock down shots with any regularity.

Despite being behind many of the Rams in minutes, Colaivalu has managed to hoist up the second most shots on the team, hitting over half of them (51.8%). With one of the most successful seasons on the

team thus far, Colaivalu has cemented herself as the production leader of the team, and energy source for the offense.

Coming off a concussion, she is still looking to regain her full footing after the injury having scored a total of 11 points in her past two games since returning.

Being forced to rely on many things reversing their course, the Rams appear to be entering the latest matchup as underdogs, fighting to keep ground in the Mountain West.

With a Saturday afternoon tip at Cox Pavilion, the Rebels will look to extend their fourgame win streak and hand the Rams their first loss against them in the past four years.

Luke Zahlmann can be reached at sports@collegian. com

16 Friday, January 19, 2018 | The Rocky Mountain Collegian

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