Clifford scores 24, Colorado State hits record 12 3s to beat Boise State 69-56 in MWC Championship
AP
Mar 15, 2025
LAS VEGAS (AP) Nique Clifford scored 24 points and No. 2 seed Colorado State Rams made a Mountain West Championship Tournament-record 12 3s and beat fifth-seeded Boise State Broncos 69-56 on Saturday night for its first title since 2003.
Colorado State (25-9) will make its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance on a 10-game win streak.
Boise State trailed by 10 points at the half and pulled to within five points during the first minute of the second. But Jaylen Crocker-Johnson hit consecutive 3-pointers during an 11-0 run and the Rams led 43-27. Clifford made the Rams' 12th 3-pointer with about 10 minutes left that stretched their lead to 60-36.
Ethan Moore scored a career-high 11 points and Bowen Born added nine for the Rams. Clifford and Born each made three 3s as the Rams shot 12 of 24 from distance.
Tyson Degenhart scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half to lead Boise State (24-9).
Colorado State took the lead for good about eight minutes in and led by as many as 17 points in the first half. Boise State used an 11-4 surge to cut the deficit to 32-22 at the break. Crocker-Johnson's layup gave the Rams their largest lead, 63-38, with 6:48 remaining.
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1st Half
BOISE
Broncos
22
COST
Rams
32
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
O'Mar Stanley vs. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (Jalen Lake gains possession)
19:42
Kyan Evans misses two point driving floating jump shot
19:37
Broncos defensive rebound
19:27
Pearson Carmichael turnover (bad pass)
19:16
Rashaan Mbemba turnover (lost ball) (O'Mar Stanley steals)
19:13
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson shooting foul (O'Mar Stanley draws the foul)
19:13
O'Mar Stanley misses regular free throw 1 of 2
19:13
+1
O'Mar Stanley makes regular free throw 2 of 2
1-0
18:50
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson misses three point jump shot
18:48
Pearson Carmichael defensive rebound
18:31
Jalen Lake personal foul (Alvaro Cardenas draws the foul)
18:27
Pearson Carmichael misses two point pullup jump shot
18:25
Rashaan Mbemba defensive rebound
18:13
Kyan Evans turnover (bad pass)
17:47
+3
Pearson Carmichael makes three point jump shot (Tyson Degenhart assists)
4-0
17:26
Kyan Evans misses two point driving layup
17:25
Rams offensive rebound
17:20
Nique Clifford turnover (bad pass) (O'Mar Stanley steals)
17:05
O'Mar Stanley misses two point jump shot
17:03
Broncos offensive rebound
16:48
+2
Andrew Meadow makes two point turnaround bank jump shot (Pearson Carmichael assists)
6-0
16:25
Tyson Degenhart blocks Jaylen Crocker-Johnson's two point driving floating jump shot
16:23
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson offensive rebound
16:21
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson misses two point layup
16:19
Emmanuel Ugbo defensive rebound
16:19
Jump ball. Emmanuel Ugbo vs. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (Broncos gains possession)
15:54
Tyson Degenhart misses three point jump shot
15:52
Rashaan Mbemba defensive rebound
15:46
Nique Clifford misses three point pullup jump shot
15:44
Pearson Carmichael defensive rebound
15:33
Emmanuel Ugbo misses three point jump shot
15:31
Tyson Degenhart offensive rebound
15:29
Pearson Carmichael misses three point jump shot
15:27
Emmanuel Ugbo offensive rebound
15:27
Rashaan Mbemba personal foul (Emmanuel Ugbo draws the foul)
15:27
TV timeout
15:19
Tyson Degenhart misses two point layup
15:17
Bowen Born defensive rebound
14:54
+3
Bowen Born makes three point jump shot (Kyan Evans assists)
6-3
14:39
Emmanuel Ugbo misses two point alley-oop layup
14:37
Nikola Djapa defensive rebound
14:23
+2
Ethan Morton makes two point running layup
6-5
13:58
Alvaro Cardenas misses two point floating jump shot
13:56
Ethan Morton defensive rebound
13:43
+2
Ethan Morton makes two point cutting layup (Kyan Evans assists)
6-7
13:15
Bowen Born personal foul (Alvaro Cardenas draws the foul)
13:05
+2
Julian Bowie makes two point pullup jump shot
8-7
12:44
Nique Clifford misses two point turnaround jump shot
12:42
RJ Keene II defensive rebound
12:32
O'Mar Stanley turnover (3-second violation)
12:12
+3
Bowen Born makes three point stepback jump shot
8-10
11:40
Nikola Djapa shooting foul (Andrew Meadow draws the foul)
11:40
TV timeout
11:40
+1
Andrew Meadow makes regular free throw 1 of 2
9-10
11:40
Andrew Meadow misses regular free throw 2 of 2
11:40
Ethan Morton defensive rebound
11:26
Nique Clifford misses two point running layup
11:24
O'Mar Stanley defensive rebound
11:05
O'Mar Stanley misses two point driving hook shot
11:03
Keshawn Williams defensive rebound
10:45
+3
Keshawn Williams makes three point jump shot (Ethan Morton assists)
9-13
10:30
Alvaro Cardenas misses three point jump shot
10:28
Rashaan Mbemba defensive rebound
10:12
Javan Buchanan shooting foul (Ethan Morton draws the foul)
10:12
+1
Ethan Morton makes regular free throw 1 of 2
9-14
10:12
+1
Ethan Morton makes regular free throw 2 of 2
9-15
9:51
Javan Buchanan turnover (bad pass)
9:36
Jalen Lake misses three point jump shot
9:34
Jalen Lake offensive rebound
9:27
Emmanuel Ugbo personal foul (Keshawn Williams draws the foul)
9:11
Javan Buchanan shooting foul (Rashaan Mbemba draws the foul)
9:11
Rashaan Mbemba misses regular free throw 1 of 2
9:11
+1
Rashaan Mbemba makes regular free throw 2 of 2
9-16
8:42
Javan Buchanan misses three point jump shot
8:40
Rashaan Mbemba defensive rebound
8:29
Javan Buchanan personal foul (Jalen Lake draws the foul)
8:28
+3
Jalen Lake makes three point jump shot (Nique Clifford assists)
9-19
8:04
Alvaro Cardenas misses three point stepback jump shot
8:02
Nique Clifford defensive rebound
7:56
Kyan Evans misses three point jump shot
7:54
Tyson Degenhart defensive rebound
7:24
Pearson Carmichael misses two point turnaround jump shot
7:22
Rashaan Mbemba defensive rebound
7:07
+3
Nique Clifford makes three point jump shot (Jalen Lake assists)
9-22
7:05
Broncos 30 second timeout
7:05
TV timeout
6:55
Pearson Carmichael misses three point jump shot
6:54
Rams defensive rebound
6:32
+3
Bowen Born makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Crocker-Johnson assists)
9-25
6:14
Kyan Evans personal foul (Pearson Carmichael draws the foul)
6:04
Tyson Degenhart turnover (bad pass)
5:50
Nique Clifford offensive foul (Alvaro Cardenas draws the foul)
5:50
Nique Clifford turnover (offensive foul)
5:39
+2
Pearson Carmichael makes two point driving layup
11-25
5:18
Ethan Morton misses two point turnaround jump shot
5:16
Bowen Born offensive rebound
5:10
+2
Nique Clifford makes two point cutting layup (Bowen Born assists)
11-27
5:10
Tyson Degenhart shooting foul (Nique Clifford draws the foul)
5:10
+1
Nique Clifford makes regular free throw 1 of 1
11-28
4:49
+2
Tyson Degenhart makes two point turnaround hook shot (Alvaro Cardenas assists)
13-28
4:27
Pearson Carmichael personal foul
4:15
Nique Clifford misses two point turnaround jump shot
4:13
Emmanuel Ugbo defensive rebound
3:57
Alvaro Cardenas misses two point floating jump shot
3:55
Nique Clifford defensive rebound
3:34
RJ Keene II blocks Nique Clifford's three point jump shot
3:32
Tyson Degenhart defensive rebound
3:17
+2
Tyson Degenhart makes two point layup (Alvaro Cardenas assists)
