Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
2-26, 0-15
Utah
26-3, 15-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 36 | 27 | 63 |
| Colorado State | 26 | 32 | 58 |
Hunter shines in Moby finale
3/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 5, 2008
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- On a night honoring Colorado State's two seniors, Sara Hunter and Kelly Rae Finley, Hunter stepped up and scored 21 points off of seven three-pointers to take No. 15/14-ranked Utah - the MWC regular-season champions - to the brink in her final game at Moby Arena.
With Colorado State (2-26, 0-15 MWC) trailing, 58-50 at the 6:12 mark of the second half, sophomore Juanise Cornell scored five of her 12 points to spark an 8-0 run that included a 3-pointer by Hunter, tying the contest at 58 with 2:49 remaining on the clock.
The Rams' defense stiffened, holding the Utes scoreless until the game's final 39 seconds - a span of 5 minutes, 33 seconds, before Utah (26-3, 15-0 MWC) junior Morgan Warburton scored the final five points of the game to hold off the Rams for the 63-58 victory. Warburton led all scorers with 25 points in the contest.
Hunter's 21-point effort, her 11th-career 20-point game, led the Rams, who shot 37.3 percent from the field for the contest, including 44 percent in the second half. She was one of three Rams to score in double figures in the game, along with Cornell - who recorded her fifth career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds - and freshman forward Elle Queen (10 points, seven rebounds). Junior forward Amaka Uzomah, the MWC's second-leading rebounder in conference play (9.1 per game) chipped in with seven points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench.
Despite the strong effort, the Utah tandem of Warburton and Leilani Mitchell, who tallied 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists, proved to be too much for the Rams.
Colorado State opened the game on a 6-0 run over the first 2:40 of the contest, before the Utes responded with nine straight points to capture their first lead of the game. After a Hunter 3-pointer at the 13:42 mark of the first half tied the game, 9-9, the Utes built their largest lead heading into the locker room, a 36-26 advantage.
The Colorado State defense held the Utes, the conference's leader in field-goal percentage (47.8 percent), to just 30 percent from the floor in the second half, enabling the Rams to chase a near-upset bid in front of the 1,258 fans at Moby Arena who honored the careers of Hunter and Finley prior to tipoff.
Finley, who was still feeling the effects of a concussion sustained last Saturday against San Diego State, was unable to take the floor in her final game at Moby Arena.
The Rams close out the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Albuquerque, N.M., to take on the Lobos at "The Pit," University Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT.
