AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The recipient of the game ball was an easy choice: Colorado State junior Emmanuel Omogbo after scoring one point in 10 heavy-hearted minutes.

Omogbo gave the Rams an emotional lift in an 83-79 win over Air Force on Wednesday night, a day after losing his parents and two young relatives in a house fire.

After the game, the team huddled in the locker room and broke down.

“Most gallant effort I ever saw,” Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy said, wiping away tears. “We really wanted to win that game so we could give him a winning ball.”

Fire officials in Maryland said Caroline and Samson Omogbo died at the scene in a blaze early Tuesday in Chillum. His sister’s 2-year-old twins were taken to a hospital, where they died.

Omogbo was on the court at Clune Arena about an hour before the game to shoot a few warmup jumpers and dribble back and forth along the halfcourt line. At the request of Omogbo, there was no moment of silence.

The 20-year-old wasn’t in the starting lineup for the first time this season. He was put in with 15:10 remaining in the first half.

He spent most of the second half sitting at the end of the bench, his hands on his chin. The moment finally caught up to him, his teammates said.

“He was never right in the ballgame, he just wasn’t right,” Eustachy said. “He was holding everything in.”