Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
1-7
Colorado
4-2
Rams fall to rival Buffs
12/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2007
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Freshman Lauren Young turned out a ten point performance and senior guard Sara Hunter and junior Kelly Rae Finley each added eight points, as the Colorado State Rams (1-7), fell to in-state rival Colorado (4-2) Saturday in Moby Arena in front of 1,356 fans.
Young provided a spark off the bench for the Rams, hitting on two attempts from 3-point range and finishing as the team's top scorer in the loss. "It's going to be tough to keep Lauren (Young) off the court," said Head Coach Jen Warden. "When she is out there she just produces and puts up numbers that are hard to ignore."
Despite Young's effort, the Buffaloes were able to use their superior size against the Rams' lineup and out-rebounded Colorado State by a 58-26 margin. Despite Colorado's 24 turnovers Colorado State was unable to convert extra chances into points as they shot only 24.3 percent from the field for the game. The Buffaloes on the other hand shot 50.9 percent from the field for the game and were 10-for-11 from the free-throw line.
"When you play tough defense and force 24 turnovers, you can absorb some of those early 3-pointers," added Warden. "But, when you give up second chances on offensive boards, it will catch up with you."
Senior guard Susie Powers started the game for the Buffaloes with a 3-pointer to take the lead out of the gate. The Buffaloes never relinquished the lead and extended it to 13 points to make the score 27-14 with 5:17 in the first half after a free throw by six-foot junior Hannah Skildum.
The Rams were able to pull within seven points, 27-20, with 2:15 left after a 6-0 run by the Rams aided by junior Kelly Rae Finley's four points starting at the 4:50 mark. The game looked to go into the halftime break with the Buffs up 20-27 but Colorado was able to score five points in the final minute with Jackie McFarland scoring off an inbounds play at the buzzer to put the Buffs out front, 32-20.
Despite shooting an impressive 70 percent (7-10) from 3-point range in the second half, Colorado State was unable to cut into the Buffs lead. Eventually, the Rams were unable to stop the Buffs size in the paint as Colorado scored 18 points in the paint in the second half and ended the game on a 14-0 run.
"I thought that we did a good job defending the post for the first 15 to 18 minutes of the game," said Warden. "We knew that we weren't going to match their size."
Three Buffaloes ended the game with double-doubles; Brittany Spears (16 points, 11 rebounds), Aija Putnina (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Jackie McFarland (17 points, 10 rebounds).
Young was the Rams' top scorer in the contest, finishing with 10 points, including a 2-for-2 mark from 3-point range. Freshman Bonnie Barbee was also a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, accounting for all six of her points. Hunter added two more 3-pointers for the Rams (on six attempts) and Emily Neal (1-for-3) and Kelly Rae Finley (1-for-2) each connected on 3-point attempts for the Rams.
Young also tied for the Rams' rebounding lead, pulling down five boards to match the output of CSU's top-rebounder on the season, Juanise Cornell. Cornell added six points in the contest.
The Rams will be back in action on Tuesday against the University of the Pacific Tigers. Game time is set for 7 p.m. from Moby Arena. Fans who bring a new, unwrapped toy to the game will receive a voucher good for free admission for two.
