Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
7-12, 2-4MWC
Wyoming
9-9, 1-4MWC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming Cowgirls | 38 | 26 | 64 |
| Colorado State | 25 | 36 | 61 |
Rams rally falls short vs. rival Wyoming
1/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2009
Final Stats |
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By Danny Mattie
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Britney Minor and Juanise Cornell combined for 41 of the Rams’ 61 points, as Colorado State (7-12, 2-4 MWC) nearly pulled off one the biggest comebacks in program history, before falling 64-61 to rival Wyoming (9-9, 1-4 MWC) on Saturday afternoon at Moby Arena.
A season-high 1,570 fans watched as Colorado State erased a 21-point deficit, behind the stellar play of Minor, who led all scorers with 21 points, and Cornell, who posted her second consecutive double-double with a career-high 20 points and 11 rebounds.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” said Head Coach Kristen Holt. “We really got on them and told them ‘don’t give up’ and they responded. It was a gritty, gritty performance.”
Minor scored six straight to begin the game for the Rams, and CSU led 6-2 less than three minutes into the contest. However, Wyoming held CSU to just one field goal over the next 10 minutes and opened a three-point barrage – hitting five from long range during that stretch– to push the lead to 14, 27-13, at the 7:37 mark of the first half.
After a layup by Cornell, Wyoming added two more three-pointers as part of an 11-2 run to giving Wyoming a 21-point lead with 3 minutes before halftime. Cornell responded by scoring eight straight to pull the Rams to within 13, 38-25, at intermission.
Cornell stole the inbounds pass to open the second half, and converted the layup, sparking a 6-2 Rams run that included a pair of jumpers from Minor and cut the Wyoming lead to nine points, 40-31, with 16:52 remaining in the game.
“It was really great to see Juanise come up big for a second straight game,” added Holt. Britney played really hard. I’m really proud of the way the team battled to the end.”
Still, the Rams trailed by as many as 14 points, 58-44, but held Wyoming without a field goal over the final 4:29 to storm back into the game. A pair of Kandy Beemer free throws at the 4:22 sparked a 15-2 Rams’ run that left the Cowgirls clinging to a one-point advantage, 60-59, with 20.6 seconds remaining in the game.
The Rams extended the contest, sending Wyoming to the free-throw line 10 times in the final 41.5 seconds, but the Cowgirls converted on just five of those attempts, allowing CSU’s Zoi Simmons a chance to tie the game with 2 seconds remaining. Simmons’ spinning layup attempt went up-and-over the rim and Wyoming cleared the rebound with a 63-61 lead and 1.2 seconds remaining.
“She (Zoi) is the quickest with the ball and I thought that she got a good look,” said Holt. “That’s a shot that we just need to make.”
The Cowgirls’ Hillary Carlson, who also posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, sunk the first of two free throws following the Simmons miss. Amaka Uzomah boarded the second free throw, but the Rams were unable to get off a shot as time expired on the comeback try.
Uzomah led all players with 16 rebounds, while Cornell became just the 19th player in school history to reach 500 rebounds, closing the game with 506 in 78 career games.
Overall, Colorado Sate outrebounded the Cowgirls 54-42, and used a 27-9 advantage in second-chance points to overcome a 37.7 percent to 29.6 percent disparity in shooting for the game.
Colorado State continues Mountain West Conference play Wednesday, hosting the New Mexico Lobos at 7 p.m. in Moby Arena. Tickets are available by calling 1-800/491-RAMS or at CSURams.com.
