Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
9-19 (2-14MWC)
San Diego State
3-24 (0-16MWC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego State Women | 24 | 34 | 58 |
| Colorado State Women | 33 | 36 | 69 |
Rams Eliminate Aztecs, Move On To Face BYU
3/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 7, 2006
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery
Senior guard Vanessa Espinoza scored 23 points, including 5-for-5 shooting from three-point range, to lift the No.8-seeded Colorado State women's basketball team to a 69-58 victory over the No. 9-seeded San Diego State Aztecs in the play-in game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.
Espinoza led all scorers in the game with her 23-point output, matching her season-high versus Colorado on Nov. 30 and marking the fourth game of the season in which she eclipsed 20 points.
The Rams and Aztecs battled back-and-forth early in the contest. The Aztecs jumped out to a 7-2 advantage, but the Rams knotted the game at seven and scored 14 of the next 21 points in the game, including a 7-0 run to separate themselves from the Aztecs.
Junior Marilyn Moulton sparked the Rams' offense in the opening half, leading Colorado State with 10 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting (4-for-4 FTs) and scored the final six points of the half to give the Rams a 33-24 halftime advantage, a lead the Rams' never gave up.
Coming out of the locker room, the Aztecs cut the Rams' lead to 39-33 early in the second half, but a layup by Molly Nohr and a three-pointer by Espinoza stopped the Aztecs run and the Rams pushed the lead to 11 points, 44-33. With the Rams ahead 62-49, the Aztecs mounted a 7-0 run led by five points from Shanna Demus to once again cut the Rams lead to six, 62-56.
Espinoza ended the Rams' scoring drought with her fifth three-pointer of the contest and she and sophomore Sara Hunter sealed the 69-58 victory at the free-throw line.
Four Rams scored in double figures led by Espinoza's 23. Junior Molly Nohr chipped in with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Senior Melissa Dennett posted the 20th double-double of her career with 11 points and 11 rebounds and now ranks fifth in school history for career double-doubles. Moulton finished with 10 points, all in the first half.
San Diego State senor Michelle Strawberry led the Aztecs with 21 points on 8-for-19 shooting in the contest and pulled down six rebounds. Erin Jackson also finished in double-figures for SDSU with 14 points in the contest.
With the win, the Rams improve to 7-5 in Mountain West Conference tournament play while the Aztecs fall to 7-0 and have never won a game in MWC Tournament history.
Next up, the Rams will square off against the No. 1 seeded BYU Cougars. Tip is set for 6 p.m. from Pepsi Center and will be telecast on a tape-delay by CSTV.
