Colorado State (4-3) tipped off against the Southern Illinois Salukis (4-3) in the final game of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge, and it was all Salukis. Colorado State looked helpless as the Salukis out-rebounded the Rams 34-17 and outscored them 44-20 in the paint. Nico Carvacho – CSU’s leading rebounder for the season – only managed to snag 3 total rebounds all game. None of those were offensive rebounds.
Since CSU could not establish much inside, there was trouble finding offensive rhythm throughout the game. Thanks to great shooting though, the Rams kept it close at 45-40 through the first half.