FORT COLLINS — A kickball game may have saved Colorado State’s season.

After a heartbreaking overtime loss on Saturday to bitter rival Wyoming, one that Niko Medved described as “the most gut-wrenching loss I’ve ever been a part of,” the Rams coached decided to spend no time the next day preparing for a game against a team in San Diego State that has been the class of the Mountain West for years and was last year’s national runner-up.

It worked.

CSU picked up arguably its biggest win of the season, snapping a two-game losing streak with a 79-71 victory over the Aztecs in front of a sold-out crowd at Moby Arena.

“I had a hard time not getting emotional in the locker room after the game,” Medved said. “It’s been an interesting 72 hours, to say the least. To come out and fight and do what they needed to do here tonight was awesome. They showed exactly who they are.”

After his team blew an 11-point lead in the final minute of regulation in one of the most dramatic collapses anyone will see in a basketball game, Medved made the trip back to Fort Collins from Laramie with his wife, Erica, and their two daughters.

He was glad he didn’t ride back with his team.

“It was as difficult a trip down the highway as I’ve had,” Medved said. “I’m glad my kids had their earphones on. You felt everything. You’re angry, you’re frustrated, you’re bitter. You’re just really sad. That’s a hard deal. You get home, you process, you try to catch your breath. You talk to people, your mentors and your people in your life who you trust the most.”

One lesson from his past stuck out to him as he pondered what had unfolded on Saturday — “I’ve always learned when you’re really emotional the best thing you can do is not say too much,” he said.

The solution? Medved talked with players about life and the people in your life that reach out to you when you’re at your lowest emotionally. Then, a Sunday afternoon kickball game on a gorgeous, 60-degree day in Fort Collins.

After an afternoon filled with laughs, everyone had forgotten what happened the day before and on Monday, the Rams got ready for the biggest test for any team in the Mountain West.

Boy, did CSU come out firing.

Thanks to the play of Colorado Springs native Nique Clifford, the Rams jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the first 9½ minutes.

“Let’s call it like it is, I’m sure everyone’s wondering, ‘Oh, how is CSU gonna respond after (Wyoming)?’” Medved said. “We were flying around, we were aggressive, we were tough. We came out and said, ‘We’re here. No one’s knocked us out. We’re ready to play and fight.’”

As they always do, the Aztecs responded in the second half, even taking a brief, 61-60 lead with 7:29 left. But, led by their two stars, Clifford and Isaiah Stevens, who each had 20 points in the win, CSU responded with an immediate, 9-0 run and never looked back, holding on for an eight-point win over the conference’s best.

“I have as much respect for their program as anybody,” Medved said. “I said it before this season, they’re the team to beat. As good of a win as (we’ve) had.”

Oh, and about that kickball game? Stevens says he had the game-winning RBI, but Clifford said his team should’ve won.

“We had some baserunners, they jumped the gun a little bit and tried to go early,” Clifford said. “So we got two quick outs.”

“You gotta know the rules, man,” Stevens said.

Medved wasn’t so forgiving to the losing team.

 “A historic baserunning error that might’ve been worse than our collapse in Laramie, if we’re being honest,” he said with a laugh.

GAME RECAP

Colorado State 79, San Diego State 71

What happened: The CSU Rams (16-5, 4-4 Mountain West) had the perfect response to their worst loss of the season, jumping out to a big first half lead before closing the door in the final few minutes with a win over San Diego State (16-5, 5-3 MW). Isaiah Stevens did what stars do in big games, scoring 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field while dishing out six assists and tallying three steals.

Star of the night: Colorado Springs’ own Nique Clifford delivered another big performance and did it with the CSU “state pride” uniform on. The senior tied Stevens with a game-high 20 points and did it on an efficient, 8-for-11 shooting from the field. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

Quotable: “I think it’s important to get right back in the ring again, sometimes, and get right back in the fight and we did. There’s just a lot of life lessons you can learn of how you handle these situations as a young man. I coach young men and they proved that.” — CSU coach Niko Medved on playing three days after the loss at Wyoming

Up next: Still in search of their first road win in conference play, the Rams head to California to face Fresno State on Saturday night. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. with coverage on CBS Sports Network.