Courtesy of Braidon Nourse

The No. 2 Colorado State Rams led for all but 14 seconds against No. 7 Nevada, but it sure didn’t feel like it.

The final score, 67-59, felt a bit more lopsided than the game was, too. Take away an 8-0 run to start the second half for the Rams, and it would have been dead even. In many ways, it was the difference.

Jalen Crocker-Johnson can be thanked for giving the Rams a jump on that streak. After getting into a bit of foul trouble and only playing seven minutes in the first half, while not taking a shot, he went 2-2 (1-1 from 3) in the second half and hit three important free throws — at a perfect rate until missing two in the dying moments of the game.

During the 8-0 run in question, he attacked the basket and completed an and-one. Later, as the game became tighter, he hit an enormous 3 to push a four-point lead to seven.

“They never look at you sideways when you sub them out of a game. They don’t get down on themselves or whatever. They’re ready when their number’s called,” Colorado State coach Niko Medved said. “They know they’ve just got to make the next play. Those guys put in the work. I love how Crock came out and didn’t hesitate at all.

“He was strong going to the basket. What a huge 3. And when that thing came to him, no hesitation at all. I love that. It’s just playing with confidence, believing in what we’re doing. Yeah, that run was massive for us.”

Rams guard Nique Clifford, like always these days, played his part in the run, too, but particularly down the stretch. His 25 points and 14 rebounds both led the game, and he seemed to have gotten whatever he wanted at times.

Only two players have reached those numbers in multiple games this season: Clifford and No. 1 New Mexico forward Nelly Junior Joseph. And they’ve both done it twice.

Over the last two games, he’s tallied 61 points — a career high over a two-game span.

“And this guy right here (pointing to Clifford) is playing at an All-American level right now,” Medved said. “He made some plays down the stretch. Got out of here with a huge win. Advance and see you tomorrow night.”

For Clifford, who led his team in steals and recorded the Rams’ only block, there’s still some room for improvement.

“I felt pretty good offensively. Honestly, I thought I was terrible defensively tonight,” Clifford said. “I had way too many easy rip drives and certain things I’ve got to be better at to help us win games. I’ve got to focus on those types of things. But I got going and it just rolled for us tonight offensively.”

Colorado State will face the winner of No. 3 Utah State and No. 6 UNLV on Friday at 9 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network.