Colorado State Rallies to Beat UNLV 66-65

It was a competitive back and forth game in Fort Collins on Wednesday night. With both teams looking to get their first conference win they played with a sense of desperation. The Rams were coming off a game where they rallied but fell short against Boise State and the Rebels were upset at home by Fresno State. The teams played like it in the first half, shooting the ball and lots of offense. The Rams held a 33-29 edge at the break. Prentiss Nixon led all scorers with 11 points including 3-3 from three point range. Patrick McCaw led the Rebels with 6 points. The Rams went 7-13 from beyond the arc but the Rebels stayed in the game despite only going 2-11.

The second half was filled with fireworks. The Rams extended their lead to 37-29 when UNLV decided to take a timeout. The Rams for the next couple minutes keep the lead around seven but the Rebels's offense got hot.  UNLV used a 14-0 run to take a 50-43 lead with 11 minutes left the game. The run extended to be a 19-2 run with the Rebels leading 55-45 with about 9 minutes left. UNLV kept the lead around 10 until the final TV timeout. The Rams began to chip away getting it down, with a dunk by Stephen Zimmerman gave the Rebels a 61-53 lead. John Gillon responded with a three to cut the lead to 61-56 with under four minutes to play. The lead stayed at five until Jeremiah (J.D) Paige scored 7 straight points to give the Rams a 65-63 lead including an and-one with 11 seconds left. After a Colorado State timeout McCaw quickly responded tying the game at 65 with seven seconds left.  Gillon was fouled with one second left, and made 1/2 free throws to give the Rams a 66-65 win.

It's a big win and confidence booster for the Rams as they go on the Road to take on San Jose State. The Rebels played great, but collapsed down the stretch. They're staying on the front range as they take on Wyoming on Saturday afternoon.