Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
1-0
UMKC
1-1
Women's Basketball Opens Season With Victory Over UMKC
11/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2006
Behind a school-record performance from junior G Sara Hunter, the Colorado State women's basketball team (1-0) defeated UMKC (1-1) in the Rams' season opener Monday night at Moby Arena. Hunter scored 26 points - a school record for a season-opening game - to lead the Rams to the 89-72 victory.
"Top to bottom, there is an exciting new energy on what Colorado State basketball can do," commented head coach Jen Warden. That's exciting."
The Rams got on the board early in the contest with two free throws from senior G Molly Nohr, just 39 seconds into the game, but UMKC's Brittny Picconi - who led UMKC with 19 points in the game - gave the Kangaroos their only lead of the night, 3-2 with a three-pointer at the 18:30 mark. The Rams answered quickly, only trailing for 42 seconds in the game before a fast-break layup by freshman G Kelly Jo Mullaney gave the team a 4-3 lead.
The Kangaroos tied the contest, 6-6 at the 16:30 mark, before Colorado State mounted a 12-2 run over the next four minutes, ballooning the Rams' advantage to 10 points, 18-8. The lead hovered around that point for the remainder of the half, and Mullaney scored nine of the Rams' final 14 points of the half, to give Colorado State a 43-33 halftime advantage.
Mullaney led the Rams with 11 points heading into the locker room, but it was the Rams' returning corps of Hunter, Moulton and Nohr that heated up to begin the second half. The trio accounted for the team's first 15 points to begin the second half and following a 10-4 run that began at the 12:57 mark and ended at the 11:11 mark, the Rams had expanded their lead to 18 points, 68-50.
"It felt really good to comeback (from a shaky start) and win tonight," said Mullaney. "I was a little nervous at the beginning, I had a couple of forced errors, turnovers. But once I got into rhythm I felt good out there."
During the first half of the second stanza, Hunter took over. She netted 14 of her game-high 26 before the nine-minute mark of the second half, bringing her total for the game to 24 points and tying Katie Krusick's season-opening mark from 1990. Hunter broke the 16-year-old record by knocking down two foul shots with 56 seconds remaining in the contest to seal the Rams' 89-72 victory and finished one point shy of her personal-best.
In addition to Hunter's 26, Mullaney and Nohr each reached double-figures. Mullaney finished her Rams' regular-season debut with 22 points and five rebounds, while Nohr added 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Freshman F Juanise Cornell led the Rams in rebounding with eight and added seven points of her own.
It was the Rams' rebounding edge that proved to be the difference in the contest. Colorado State outrebounded UMKC, 47-38. "We were always going after rebounds, diving for the ball, it definitely lead us (to victory) in that sense," commented Hunter.
The Rams also received some important minutes from freshman C Nya Mason. She played 20 minutes in the game, giving relief to senior C Marilyn Moulton who got into early foul trouble. Both Mason and Moulton finished with six points for the Rams. "We needed her (Nya Mason) to have minutes," commented head coach Jen Warden. "She knew it wasn't charity; this was an important game. She had to get her feet wet and show us what she could do."
Next up, the Rams will travel to California to face San Francisco on Nov. 17. The Rams and Dons tip off at 7 p.m. MT. Colorado State will then continue its road swing with a game against Pacific in Stockton, Calif. at 3 p.m. on Nov. 19.
