Colorado State University faced a tough loss against New Mexico, falling 80-70 in a Mountain West Conference matchup on Tuesday at Moby Arena. This defeat leaves the Rams with an overall record of 10-5 and a conference record of 1-3, while the Lobos improved to 12-3, 3-1 in the league. This marks the second home conference loss for the Rams this season, with their only victory coming against Grand Canyon on Saturday.
CSU struggled to find their rhythm early on, as they have in previous losses this season. Head coach Ali Farokhmanesh commented, “It”s kind of the same story with all five losses this year. I think we tip-toe into the games. We don”t run into the fight right now. We got a little shell-shocked with the pressure and you could see it in the rhythm of our offense.” He emphasized the need for a stronger offensive presence to compete effectively.
The game began with three ties and two lead changes within the first five minutes before the Lobos took the lead for good, following a three-pointer from Antonio Chol. New Mexico established a seven-point advantage, but the Rams fought back, narrowing the gap to two points at 21-19 after a layup from Brandon Rechsteiner. However, a subsequent 8-0 run by New Mexico extended their lead to 29-19.
As the first half came to a close, the Lobos held a 39-30 lead despite CSU shooting 48% from the floor compared to New Mexico”s 45.5%. Augustinas Kiudulas led the Rams with 11 points during the first half and finished the game with a team-high 20 points. Kiudulas, a transfer from Virginia Military Institute, has been stepping up as the Rams cope with injuries to key players like Kyle Jorgensen and Rashaan Mbemba, who is nearing a return.
Coming out of halftime, CSU managed to pull within four points at 43-39, but New Mexico responded decisively, extending their lead back to double digits with a three-pointer from Chol, making it 55-44. The Lobos continued to dominate, and CSU was unable to close the gap to fewer than eight points for the remainder of the game.
Kiudulas acknowledged the importance of starting strong, stating, “We”ve just got to start off strong because I feel like the way we started is going to set the tone for the game.” In addition to Kiudulas” contributions, Jase Butler added 14 points and Rechsteiner chipped in with 13. Both teams ended the game with 32 rebounds, though Carey Booth led the Rams with six.
CSU will look to rebound when they host UNLV on Friday at 8 PM at Moby Arena.
