The team matched the moment.

This was one of the biggest early-season Colorado State men’s basketball games in years.

The Rams just joined the top-25 rankings at the earliest point in a season in program history.

Rival Colorado was coming to a sold-out Moby Arena.

CSU had the eyes of college basketball on it. And the Rams did the job, smothering Colorado in the first half and holding off run-after-run in the second for an 88-83 win.

“Everybody kept telling me how electric it gets in the arena when it gets packed. It was really cool to see that,” CSU’s Nique Clifford said. “I couldn’t even here my name being introduced out there, I was just seeing it on the board. We appreciate our fans for showing up and helping us out.”

Here’s a look at how the Rams won and what it means.

First-half defense, finish

The chaos came at the end as CSU tried to hold on, but the Rams largely won the game in the first half.

CSU (7-0) continued its defensive dominance from the Creighton game on Thanksgiving by shackling Colorado (5-2) in the first 20 minutes.

The Rams led throughout the first half, flirting near a double-digit lead most the first 20 minutes. A huge swing came in the final seconds.

CSU was up 10 and holding for the final shot when Jalen Lake fired from 3-point range. It missed, but he was fouled with 2.5 seconds left.

Lake hit all three free throws to put the Rams up 13. CSU then pressed the in-bound and Josiah Strong cut off the pass and ripped a steal and put in a layup as the time expired. The 5-0 run in 2.5 seconds put CSU up 15 at half.

Think that 5-0 run was important? CSU won by five.

The Rams held Colorado to 38.5% shooting in the first half. Colorado really started cooking in the second (69%) but the cushion was just enough.

“I thought the way we guarded in the first half and rebounded effectively was really what kind of got us the cushion and we were able to hold on from there,” CSU coach Niko Medved said.

The Rams led by double-digits again late but CU cut it to five in the final minute as CSU struggled with the press break, but the Rams had enough stops and free throws to close out their first win in the series since 2017.

CSU’s depth despite injuries

Big man Patrick Cartier missed the game with a back injury suffered in the Creighton win. Lake played despite a broken finger that will require surgery this week and sideline him for more than a month. Both Joe Palmer and Rashaan Mbemba, who started for Cartier, went out dinged up at points in the game. Reserve guard Tavi Jackson is still out.

It was a season-full of adversity in one week and the Rams managed it.

Five CSU players were in double figures and the Rams’ bench outscored CU’s 27-13.

CU’s stars ended up with big numbers. KJ Simpson scored 30 and five-star freshman Cody Williams had 21, but Tristan da Silva was held to 11 and no one else hit double-figures.

One of the reasons this CSU team is dangerous is because of its versatility and depth, which was again on display. It will have to be moving forward with Cartier possibly missing more time and Lake out for at least a month now.

“We have some tough guys, people playing through injuries, different things like that. We know we have a tough-minded group,” CSU wing Nique Clifford said. “We kept fighting. We knew they were going to make their run…We just kept with it.”

Another big win and rivalry importance

This game carried so much weight.

Forget the rivalry for a second and just think of the resumes. Both teams have NCAA Tournament aspirations and this was going to be an important win for whoever snagged it.

For CSU it’s now back-to-back big resume wins after toppling top-10 Creighton on Thanksgiving.

Then, the rivalry. Clifford transferred to CSU from Colorado before this season. He spent his last three seasons at CU.

He had a few mistakes on cross-court passes, but he was third on the team in scoring with 15 points, had a team-high six rebounds and was strong defensively. Clifford had a breakaway exclamation dunk in the final minute to help seal the win.

Joel Scott, who’s brother played at CU, scored 15 points.

And for Isaiah Stevens, this was one more on the checklist. Despite all his successes he hadn’t beat the Buffs. CU rolled CSU in Boulder last year shortly after Stevens returned from a broken foot. The Rams lost at Moby his freshman year against CU in his only other matchup.

“That was probably one of the last few things I had on my checklist. Didn’t want to get out of here without one. That’s a great program over there,” Stevens said. “To be able to get one in my last year is pretty special.”

A court-storming meant Stevens celebrated his first win over CU with a TV interview in front of thousands of his classmates.

He was again dominant, controlling the action. He scored a team-high 20 points to go with 11 assists for his 15th career double-double.

It’s the most points CSU has ever scored in a game against CU.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

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