Coaching Career of Matt Grahoben

[grahoben]

After a back and forth first half, Colorado State went on a run to start the second half, giving the Rams a lead they would hold on to for the remainder of the game. The Rams had big time production from the bench once again, as DeShawn Phillips and Brandon Hancock scored 20 and 16 points respectively. This was one of Colorado State's best performances from deep, as the Rams went 9-19 from three.

Notes:
-Jacob Rhymer dealt with foul trouble, but he was great when on the court, as his plus/minus for the game was +20.
-Brandon Hancock set a career high with minutes, and the freshman delivered with his best game of the year so far.

Utah State 72 @ UNLV 60
San Jose State 65 @ New Mexico 77

[grahoben]

Boise State didn't mess around on the road at Colorado State, as the Broncos took a 10 point lead into the half after shooting lights out from the field. They eventually extended the lead to 20, as Colorado State was in the midst of its worst defensive performance of the year. Dan James sparked a 10-0 run with 6 minutes to go, but the Rams would never get closer than 6 points in the second half.

Notes:
-DeShawn Phillips led the Rams in scoring for the third straight game, and also played a season-high 25 minutes.
-The Rams had only 13 assists, compared to 19 turnovers on the day.

Wyoming 81 @ Fresno State 96
Air Force 88 @ Nevada 88
San Diego State 55 @ San Jose State 57

[grahoben]

After trailing by as much as 14 in the second half, Colorado State chipped away to eventually force the game into overtime on a late three by Art Bonner. In the second overtime, Oliver Harvey beat the buzzer to extend the game further, but the Aggies pulled ahead in the second and final overtime period.

Notes:
-Art Bonner had a career night, scoring 29 points on 10-16 shooting.
-DeShawn Phillips received his first career start, although he ended up having a quiet game. The Rams have had success with him and Dan James on the court together, so this lineup may allow them to each get more minutes.
-This was another weak rebounding effort for Colorado State, as Utah State pulled in 13 offensive rebounds.

New Mexico 64 @ Wyoming 78
Nevada 82 @ Boise State 67
Fresno State 60 @ Air Force 65
UNLV 55 @ San Diego State 85

[grahoben]

Colorado State fell for the third straight game, as Nevada came out on top in a close 7-point victory. Poor outside shooting hurt the Rams, as they went just 4-18 from three and 11-17 from the free throw line. Turnovers were also an issue once again, as the Rams coughed the ball up 21 times.

Notes:
-Jacob Rhymer had a rough game, and as a result only received 10 minutes of playing time. With Art Bonner playing well recently, he could start cutting into Rhymer's minutes.
-This was one of the first games where Colorado State dominated on the glass, as the Rams had 11 offensive rebounds.

Wyoming 60 @ San Diego State 78
New Mexico 57 @ Boise State 80
Air Force 75 @ San Jose State 70
Fresno State 64 @ Utah State 73

[grahoben]

Colorado State's losing streak came to an end, as the Rams had perhaps their best defensive half of the season by holding Fresno State to 23 points in the first 20 minutes. Fresno State turned the ball over 22 times, and could never get into a rhythm offensively. The Bulldogs used a 12-0 to cut the lead to 5 with under 6 minutes remaining, but Colorado State survived after Craig Conrad made three baskets in a row in the closing minutes.

Notes:
-The Rams created havoc on defense all day, putting up 16 steals.
-Three point shooting was off once again, but Brandon Hancock came off the bench in the second half and made two consecutive threes.

New Mexico 69 @ UNLV 62
San Jose State 73 @ Boise State 81
Wyoming 60 @ Air Force 70

[grahoben]

Colorado State went into one of the toughest environments in college basketball and took it to New Mexico immediately, taking a 15 point lead within the first 10 minutes. The Lobos fought back hard to start the second half, and eventually tied the score with 10 minutes to go. From there, the Rams regrouped to finish strong and win by 14 points. Jacob Rhymer took over at the end of the game, finishing with a season high 23 points.

Notes:
-Nathan Jessie had another huge game off the bench, scoring 18 points and going 9-9 from the field. He is among the nation's leaders in field goal percentage, as he is shooting over 73% on the year.
-Dan James left late with a sore calf, and he is questionable for the next game against UNLV.

San Diego State 68 @ Air Force 79
Nevada 60 @ Fresno State 81
Boise State 67 @ Wyoming 83
Utah State 56 @ San Jose State 52

[grahoben]

With Dan James injured, Nathan Jessie got his first start of the season and made the most of it, scoring a game-high 27 points. UNLV fought hard in the first half, but a big run by the Rams blew the game open in the second half. Colorado State's second half surge was fueled by outside shooting, as the Rams made 9 three pointers.

Notes:
-Eddie Hunter had his best game to date, scoring 9 points in just 7 minutes off the bench.
-Colorado State stayed out of foul trouble, which was huge with Dan James out with an injury. James will hopefully return for the next home game against San Diego State.

San Jose State 44 @ Utah State 81
New Mexico 68 @ Nevada 81

[grahoben]

It wasn't easy, but Colorado State did just enough to secure a victory over San Diego State and extend its winning streak to 4. The game featured 16 lead changes, the and largest lead occurred when San Diego State was ahead 11-4 after the first media timeout. Art Bonner made a pair of clutch free throws with 9 seconds to go, and Dwayne Shelton's three to tie narrowly missed at the buzzer.

Notes:
-DeShawn Phillips didn't play much due to foul trouble, but he was still the leading scorer with 15 points.
-San Diego State did most of its damage inside, as the Aztecs scored 36 points in the paint.

San Jose State 56 @ UNLV 63
Wyoming 64 @ Utah State 77
Fresno State 66 @ New Mexico 55

[grahoben]

Colorado State avoided a land mine against the worst team in the Mountain West, as the Rams were able to hold on despite only scoring 67 points. Colorado State held the Spartans to just 33% from the field, and blocked an incredible 14 shots on defense.

Notes:
-Nathan Jessie had another big game off the bench, scoring a game-high 20 points.
-6 different Rams blocked a shot, as this was one of their best defensive performances of the year.

New Mexico 75 @ Air Force 91
Nevada 58 @ San Diego State 84
Utah State 96 @ Boise State 71
UNLV 76 @ Wyoming 84

[grahoben]

Wyoming's up-tempo and aggressive style failed early, as Colorado State picked their defense apart to score 37 points within the first 10 minutes. The Rams put together a dominant offensive performance throughout the game, shooting 64% from the floor. The Cowboys mounted a small comeback late, but Colorado State held on to win both ends of the Border War in 2019.

Notes:
-Wyoming's press gave Colorado State problems occasionally, as the Rams had multiple 10-second violations.
-Colorado State leads the Mountain West in points per game and field goal percentage.

Nevada 75 @ San Jose State 79
Boise State 51 @ UNLV 69
San Diego State 85 @ New Mexico 72

Bubble Watch:
Utah State is projected to receive an 11 seed as the Mountain West's autobid. The conference could potentially receive multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament if another team wins the conference tournament.
Nevada nearly dropped off the bubble after taking a bad loss against San Jose State.