Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
2-5
Northern Colorado
3-3
Front court leads Rams to 62-47 win over UNC
12/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2008
By Danny Mattie
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Freshman forward Chatilla van Grinsven tallied a career-high 18 points, senior forward Amaka Uzomah tied a personal best with 18 rebounds, and junior forward Juanise Cornell posted a double-double to lead Colorado State (2-4) past in-state rival Northern Colorado (3-3), 62-47, in front of 1,134 fans at Moby Arena on Saturday afternoon.
“I just felt awesome, everything was good,” said van Grinsven. “We felt like we could win this game and we just did it.”
The two teams battled to a halftime tie, but a strong second half by the Rams front court of van Grinsven, Uzomah and Cornell, proved too much for the Bears, and the momentum swung decidedly in the Rams’ favor over the final 16 minutes of the contest.
"Northern Colorado is a good team,” commented Head Coach Kristen Holt. “You can look at our offense, at what Chatilla and Juanise did, and that certainly helped. I thought our defense did a great job of keeping them in check, especially with their threes. Of course with Amaka getting those rebounds, 12 defensively, that was huge."
With CSU trailing 34-28 at the 16:52 mark of the second half, van Grinsven scored 11 points as part of a larger 22-8 CSU run that gave the Rams a 50-42 advantage with fewer than 9 minutes remaining in the game.
Uzomah dominated the glass in the second half, pulling down 14 of her 18 rebounds, while Cornell added six points and six rebounds after halftime, en route to her first double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) of the season.
The Rams allowed just one UNC field goal over the final 9:53, and closed out the game with on a 9-0 over the final 4 minutes to seal the victory.
“That’s what happens when everyone plays defense,” added Cornell. “We stuck to the scouting report and we did what we were told to do, and that’s what really won the game for us.”
Colorado State opened the game by taking a quick 4-0 lead, thanks to a Kim Mestdagh three-pointer and a Britney Minor free throw. However, the Bears, who entered the game fifth in the nation in both three-pointers per game (9.0) and three-point percentage (43.7 percent), knocked down a pair from long range to take a 6-4 lead at the 16:56 mark of the first half.
Mestdagh contributed 10 points and a three steals, and Minor added five points and four rebounds.
The Rams’ deficit grew to six points, 18-12, with 9:24 left in the first half, but Colorado State regained the lead with an 11-0 run sparked by a Devran Tanacan layup at the 7:01 mark. A steal by Amaka Uzomah started the Rams’ break that led to the go-ahead basket by Mestdagh at 5:16 and a three-point play by Minor gave the Rams a 26-20 lead at the 2:21 mark. UNC responded with six straight points to send the game into intermission tied at 26.
CSU enjoyed huge advantages in points in the paint (38-16), bench points (34-2), and second-chance points (16-7), while holding the Bears – the 23rd-ranked scoring offense in the NCAA – to a season-low 47 points on 30.5 percent (18-for-59) from the field. The Rams also notched 19 assists and ht 27-of-64 (42.2 percent) from the field, while outrebounding the Bears 51-34.
“It’s really good for our kids to reap the benefits of some of the stuff they’ve been putting in,” added Holt. “They have really been trying and working hard, and that’s why this win is huge. This program needs that, to experience as much success as possible. For us to win this game will give the team a tremendous boost of confidence.”
Colorado State hopes to build on its momentum, heading out on the road for the first time in five games, Wednesday, when they take on the Montana Lady Griz in Missoula, Mont. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
