3 thoughts: Senior stars lead Colorado State basketball past Air Force to break losing skid

AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Isaiah Stevens hounded and harassed the ball-handler, not letting him get up court.

As the Air Force player approached halfcourt he was completely cut off by Stevens.

Whistle. A 10-second violation.

“Come on!” Stevens shouted as he clapped his hands, celebrating the turnover as if it was a big 3-pointer made.

All that happened with Stevens and the Colorado State men’s basketball team in total control late in a win Tuesday at Air Force.

It’s a symbol of how locked in Stevens was for this one and how badly he wanted a win, which the Rams nabbed with a 69-53 victory.

"It felt good, man," Stevens said with a big smile after the game.

Here are three thoughts on the game.

Isaiah Stevens and John Tonje lead the way

Ahead of the game CSU coach Niko Medved reminded Stevens that Clune Arena has been a safe haven for the Rams of late.

"Before the game, I told Zay 'you know, we've played well here,'" Medved said. "He said, 'We're going to play well today.'"

Indeed they did as the Rams won their fourth game in a row at Air Force.

This is exactly the type of performance you want from your senior leaders and your two most talented players.

Not only were Stevens and John Tonje supremely efficient, but they were totally in control throughout the game. Smart decisions on when to drive, pass or shoot. They controlled the pace and scoring, leading CSU in every way.

It looked like two guys who: A) knew their defenders couldn’t stop them and B) were really sick of losing.

The two shot a combined 18-for-27 for the game, scoring 41 combined points. They were a combined 15-for-20 at one point in the second half as the Rams took total control.

"Getting to the spots, playing off each other really well and just knock the shot down," Stevens said, making Tuesday's scoring efficiency sound much more simple than it really is.

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Stevens started the game 5-for-5 and finished with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go with four assists. Tonje had one of his better games as a Ram. He scored 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go with four rebounds.

"This game is about players," Medved said. "Tonight, we had two guys that stepped up and played tremendous."

It was nearly perfect from the seniors.

Shorthanded Rams play in control

CSU (11-14, 3-9 Mountain West) again was severely limited in its roster, with Jalen Lake (concussion) and Tavi Jackson (illness) sidelined for the second game in a row, joining longterm absences Josiah Strong (illness), Kyle Evans (thumb), Jacob Jennissen (knee) and Jack Payne (redshirt).

It meant the Rams again had just seven scholarship players available and walk-on Trace Young had to play more than 12 minutes.

But CSU handled it with control. The defense was much better than in the first meeting (an Air Force OT win) when the Rams allowed 42 points in the paint.

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Medved thought the Rams were outhustled and outmaneuvered in that loss. It changed in this game. CSU won the paint battle 42-20 and rebounding 31-23, even winning the offensive boards battle.

CSU drew three charges, kept Air Force (12-13, 3-9 MW) from easy buckets and was solid on defense. On offense it mostly came down to Tonje and Stevens, but others played their part as all five other scholarship players scored. Joe Palmer had a big And-1 and a 3-pointer. Baylor Hebb drew multiple charges.

"You're playing as short a bench as we've got, everyone is going to have to contribute if you're going to win," Medved said.

The first half was tight, but the game changed right before the break. CSU locked down on defense and had a 7-0 run into halftime to take a six-point lead. It continued early in the second half, with CSU forcing Air Force into a 1-for-7 shooting start to the second half.

CSU was comfortably in control from that point forward and Air Force never truly threatened in the second half.

The team is limited roster-wise with the injuries, but they are battling and made it work in this one.

Skid finally snapped

It’s felt like ages since CSU last won. A five-game losing streak for a team in the NCAA Tournament a year ago stung worse with every ensuing loss.

Finally, it’s broken. The Rams snapped the skid, picking up their first victory since Jan. 14 (at UNLV).

It doesn’t heal the wounds from the frustrating season but sends CSU into a “bye” weekend with a good feeling and time to rest and prepare for Boise State at home on Feb. 15 (8 p.m.).

This team is far from where it wants to be, living near the bottom of the Mountain West, but they clearly have not checked out on the season.

"I try to tell people, this group, they've been battling. We've had some that haven't gone our way, but they've been fighting, they've been staying with it," Medved said. "I keep telling them you're going to get rewarded if you do that."

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

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Isaiah Stevens, John Tonje send Colorado State basketball to win over Air Force