Fort Collins, CO – The Colorado State Rams put on a show Friday night at Moby Arena beating the University of New Mexico Lobos 92-84. Both teams closed out their regular seasons with incredible offensive performances. The first half was back and forth, ultimately going into halftime with the Rams up 41-35. CSU’s bench unit was led by Patrick Cartier who on top of his seven points and three rebounds, broke into the 2000 point club at the university. On the opposite side of the ball New Mexico’s offensive fire-power fought back on 12-of-35 shooting from deep, consistently moving the ball. Both teams were able to keep it close for all 40 minutes. The Lobos largest lead was three points near the beginning of the first half, while the Rams had a 12-point lead just before the halfway point of the second half.
The Rams were led by senior guard and NBA prospect John Tonje, who finished the game with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting and five 5 boards in 34 minutes. Predicted by some as a 2nd round pick in this year’s NBA draft, Tonje is known for his lights out shooting ability, particularly from beyond the arc where he’s shot 37.8 percent this season. He has a quick release and can knock down shots from all three levels. He is also an excellent athlete with good speed and leaping ability. The star forward is a promising young player with a bright future ahead of him.
The Lobos dropped to 21-7 on the season with the loss with senior forward Morris Udeze leading the team with 25 points and 7 rebounds. Udeze is a true big man with a powerful body, deceptive length , and aggressive style inside the paint. He’s athletic for his size and excels in catch-and-finish play. He also has strong back-to-basket moves with a strong drop-step move often putting him at the line where he shot 9-of-13 this game.
Colorado State finishes the regular season below .500 with an overall record of 14-17, and 6-12 in the Mountain West. The win against the Lobos was crucial to seeding for CSU in the upcoming Mountain West tournament, With a UNLV loss against Nevada Saturday afternoon, the Rams would be the seventh seed; but with a UNLV win they’ll be the eighth seed. New Mexico finishes their own regular season dropping to 21-10 (8-10 in conference) with today’s loss. The Lobos look ahead to the Mountain West tournament where they are predicted to be the five seed.
This article was written by Nick Mazzetta, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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