Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
9-8
UNLV
8-11
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNLV | 30 | 33 | 63 |
| Colorado State | 41 | 27 | 68 |
Women's basketball recap: Rams defeat Rebels, 68-63
1/18/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2011
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
By Amanda Nutting
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Colorado State fought a tight battle against UNLV in a live televised performance, and came away with a 68-63 win Tuesday night at Moby Arena.
The win was significant considering the Rams played with only eight available players and only one true post player. Head Coach Kristen Holt also improved to 5-0 against UNLV and her Rams have not dropped below .500 this season and with the win, improved their overall record to 9-8, and 2-2 in the Mountain West.
The win also gave Colorado State its second consecutive victory in front of a home crowd, a crowd that came alive when junior Kim Mestdagh sank her fourth of six treys of the night, marking her 1,000th career point. Mestdagh ended the night with 25 points, a career high against a conference opponent. Mestdagh eclipsed 20 points for the fifth time this season, her first such game since Dec. 30.
"I'm so proud of Kim," said Holt. "She has worked from the day that she came here. She has always been a marked woman every night. To do what she does is outstanding."
Mestdagh is currently the only active MWC junior with 1,000 points. Mestdagh's feat ranks her as the 16th all-time player from CSU to reach 1,000 points. The last Colorado State player to reach the 1,000-point mark was standout Sara Hunter, who hit her 1,000th point as a senior in 2008.
UNLV (8-11, 1-4 MWC) came out operating at a fast pace, looking to extend its one-game winning streak. But the Rams gained the lead, 5-3, at the 17:53 mark in the first half and maintained the lead for the duration. The Rebels trailed by as many as 14 points, but fought back to close the gap to one point with 48 seconds left in regulation.
Hayley Thompson, who earlier this season hit two free throws to tie the game at Winthrop, was called in to replace an injured Chantel Kennedy after a hard foul on a layup took Kennedy out of the game. Thompson, who averages 60.9 percent at the free-throw line, sank both free throws, extending the lead to 66-63 with 19 seconds remaining. Sam Martin clinched the win for the Rams when she hit two of her own free throws with only 5 seconds remaining.
"We did a lot of things that shot us in the foot," said Holt. "But huge free throws by Hayley and Sam iced it in the end."
The Rams will take this momentum with them on the road as they travel to Provo, Utah, to take on BYU. Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. MT.
