Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
7-14 (2-6MWC)
San Diego State
14-5 (5-2MWC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State | 27 | 34 | 61 |
| San Diego State | 34 | 28 | 62 |
Rams edged by SDSU, 62-61
1/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2009
By Danny Mattie
Athletic Media Relations
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Colorado State women's basketball team took San Diego State to the brink on Saturday afternoon at Cox Arena, and led the Aztecs - who entered the game riding an 11-game home winning streak - 61-60 with less than 30 seconds in the contest.
But the 11th and final lead change went in favor of the home team, as Jennifer Layton-Bailes gathered an offensive rebound and converted a layup with 2.6 seconds remaining to lift San Diego State past Colorado State, 62-61.
"It's really a disappointing loss," said Head Coach Kristen Holt. "It's probably stinging more than any other loss this year because I felt like we had it down the stretch, but that is the best game we've played all season. I'm really pleased with the team's effort today."
After leading for much of the first half, the Rams fell behind by as many as 10 points, 39-29, with 14:32 left in the game. Colorado State (7-14, 2-6 MWC) outscored the Aztecs 24-7 over the next 7 minutes, and after Bonnie Barbee's third three-pointer of the second half, the Rams held a 53-46 advantage with 7:28 to play.
San Diego State, who is receiving votes in the Associated Press top 25 poll, slowly chipped away at the Rams' lead over the final 7 minutes, and regained the advantage, 58-56, on a three-point play by reigning Mountain West Player of the Week Paris Johnson.
Barbee's fourth three-pointer of the half gave the Rams a 59-58 lead and she assisted Meghan Heimstra's layup with 46.1 seconds on the clock to give CSU a three-point edge, 61-58.
SDSU's Quenese Davis answered with a jumper of her own to cut the lead to 61-60 with 41 seconds remaining. Barbee drove the lane on the ensuing Rams possession, but was tied up for a jump ball by Johnson, and the Aztecs regained possession with 22 seconds on the clock. Davis missed a short-range jumper with 4 seconds left, and Layton-Bailes cleaned up the rebound and scored the winning bucket.
Colorado State opened the game with a 5-0 lead and held the Aztecs scoreless over the first 2 minutes of the game. A 9-2 Rams run between the 15:35 and 12:23 marks pushed the CSU advantage to seven points, 19-12.
The Aztecs answered with eight straight, including back-to-back three-pointers from Coco Davis and Layton-Bailes, to take their first lead, 20-19, midway through the first half. The lead changed four more times over the next 5 minutes, but SDSU closed the half on a 12-4 run and held a 34-27 lead heading into the locker room.
Colorado State outrebounded the Aztecs 48-29, and pulled down a season-high 22 offensive rebounds, outscoring the Aztecs 16-4 on second-chance opportunities. CSU also connected on 13-of-15 attempts from the free-throw line, allowing the Rams to overcome a 48.1 percent-to-31.8 percent disparity in shooting percentage.
"You look at the stat sheet and think we should have won that game based on the numbers," said Holt.
The Rams also recorded 12 steals and converted 21 SDSU turnovers into 18 points, while limiting the Aztecs to just four points off turnovers.
Barbee and Zoi Simmons led the Rams with 12 points each, while Juanise Cornell added 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. SDSU's Johnson recorded a double-double with game highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Despite coming up just short, the Rams will look to build off of the momentum of a good showing against on the top teams in the league.
"If we can compete with San Diego State, who I think can be right there at the very end in the Mountain West, that shows that we can play with anybody," added Holt.
The Rams are off Wednesday, but begin the second half of their conference slate next Saturday, travelling to Fort Worth, Texas, to face TCU. Tipoff between the Rams and the Lady Frogs is set for 5 p.m. CT/4 p.m. MT from Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
