Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
1-2
Idaho
0-3
Holt, Rams top Vandals in home debut
11/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2008
Final Stats |
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By Danny Mattie
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – On paper the Idaho Vandals (0-3) and the Colorado State Rams (1-2) appeared to be two evenly matched teams, both coming off of four-win seasons and looking for their first wins under new head coaches. For just more than 30 minutes on Saturday afternoon at Moby Arena, the game played out that way. But with 9:15 on the clock and the game tied for the sixth time, at 50, Rams’ senior Carine Reimink took over.
The 6-1 center from Queensland, Australia, scored seven of the Rams next nine points to give the CSU a 59-50 advantage with 6:44 remaining. The run gave the CSU enough breathing room to hold off an ensuing 10-2 Vandals’ run, and keyed the 69-60 victory, the first win of the season for the Rams and the first at Colorado State for Head Coach Kristen Holt.
“I was really proud of Carine in the second half,” said Head Coach Kristen Holt. “Her effort and spark, took the air out of (Idaho).”
Overall, Reimink tallied 14 of the Rams’ 31 second-half points, and finished with a career-best 18. She also added seven rebounds, and her offensive board and putback at the 1:37 mark started the Rams 8-0 run to end the game.
Sophomore guard Zoi Simmons, who missed the Rams’ first two games with a sprained knee, showed no ill effects and came through with six consecutive free throws in the final 46 seconds, to cap the run that Reimink had started. Simmons also notched a career-best with nine points, to go along with three assists in 22 minutes off the Rams bench.
Idaho and Colorado State played a see-saw game for the opening eight minutes before the Vandals’ Yinka Olorunnife, who recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, rattled off six straight to give her team a 21-15 lead at the 10:57 mark. The Rams’ deficit reached eight points, 30-22 with 6:51 remaining, but CSU closed the half on a 16-7 run to take a one-point halftime lead.
A slow start to the second half put CSU in a brief hole, but the play of Reimink, along with senior Britney Minor and junior Devran Tanacan, helped the Rams get back on track.
Minor finished with nine points and nine rebounds - five points and seven rebounds coming in the second half. Tanacan, who at 6-4 used her height advantage against the Vandals to grab five rebounds, recorded the first double-digit scoring game of her career with 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting.
The Rams outshot the Vandals, 46.3 percent to 39.1 percent, and outrebounded them, 42-33. However, the Vandals played hard throughout and turned 18 turnovers into 18 points, and added 13 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds.
“The really hustled, and they got every loose ball and offensive rebound,” added Holt of Idaho’s effort. “That disappointed me. I don’t care so much about missed shots as I do about hustle plays.”
Olorunnife led all scorers with 19, and teammates Derisa Taleni (14) and Rachele Kloke (11) also reached double-figures for Idaho.
Next up, the Rams host the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational. The four-game tournament will be held Friday and Saturday at Moby Arena. Colorado State opens with a matchup against Valparaiso, and will face either Florida State or Murray State on Saturday. The action begins at 5 p.m. both days, with the Rams playing in the 7 p.m. matchups.
