Colorado State’s Season Ends in Disappointing 69-64 NIT Loss to Saint Joe’s

Colorado State had a tumultuous season this year, going from 9-2 to 12-10, then rebounding to win eight of nine entering the MW Tournament. After beating Fresno State 74-70 in the first round of the MW Tournament, the Rams fell to SDSU 71-62 in the quarterfinals, ending any hopes of another run to a conference title on the way out the door. After being invited to host the first round of the NIT as a three seed, it would have only been fitting for the Rams to end their season with yet another close game, but their 69-64 loss to Saint Joseph’s wasn’t really that for the majority of the proceedings, as Year 1 under Ali Farokhmanesh ends with a 21-13 record.

After the Rams jumped out to a 2-0 lead, CSU never led again the rest of the way. The Hawks flew away, leading by five at halftime and by as many as 11 with 7:02 remaining in the second half. A furious 14-3 allowed the Rams to tie the game with 1:24 to go.

The Rams’ next six plays resulted in a turnover, two missed threes, and a missed layup, all while Saint Joe’s made a three and seven free throws to ice the game, 69-64. The Rams were led by Jevin Muniz, who scored 14 points in his 37 minutes of play, along with five rebounds and five assists. Jase Butler (11) and Carey Booth (10) also scored double figures, the latter’s six rebounds only trailing Kyle Jorgenson’s tally of nine.

Thirteen was the unlucky number of the Rams’ season-ending loss, as CSU allowed three Hawk players to score exactly 13 points. Notably, all three (Austin Williford, Jaiden Glover-Toscano, and Derek Simpson) were starting guards, meaning CSU’s biggest weakness defensively this season never got even slightly fixed. Forward Anthony Finkley also ripped through the Rams’ defense, joining his teammates in double figures with 10 of his own.