Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
3-9
Indiana
4-8
Women's basketball recap: Rams lose tight game to Indiana
12/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2011
By Danielle Marshall
Athletic Media Relations
CANCUN, Mexico – Colorado State stormed out of the gates Wednesday against Indiana, jumping out to a 14-point lead, but the Rams couldn’t carry that momentum into second half and fell, 47-39, in the second round of the Triple Crown Caribbean Classic at the Moon Palace Resort.
Colorado State (3-9) finished the tournament 0-2, playing its second Big Ten opponent in as many days after a setback Tuesday to Michigan State. The Hoosiers (4-8) evened the all-time series with the Rams, after CSU claimed the teams’ only previous meeting, a 1997 matchup in Bloomington, Ind.
“I thought all the great things we did in the first half, we didn’t do in the second,” said Head Coach Kristen Holt. “I wouldn’t say we were always taking quality shots. Some of our shots today were like turnovers. We just didn’t have the same pep in the second half.”
The Rams shot just 20.0 percent in the second, scoring only 14 points. That performance came after one of CSU’s best starts of the season.
After an early 3-3 tie five minutes into the contest, Indiana began to get careless with its passes. The Rams capitalized with nine points off the Hoosiers’ turnovers in the next 10 minutes, creating as much as a 14-point lead. Indiana fought back, though, with a 17-3 run, tying the game with 1:43 remaining in the first stanza. Colorado State finished the half with a .281 shooting percentage, while IU’s Quaneisha McCurty, who normally averages just 4.0 points per game, led the Hoosiers’ charge, making all six shots from the field and scoring 15 first-half points in only nine minutes on the court.
CSU’s Meghan Heimstra was very aggressive on the boards, with three blocks and 10 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds, tying her career high. She was also a perfect 5-5 from the line, contributing 15 points on the afternoon.
Sam Martin and Kelly Hartig’s minutes were limited due to knee injuries. Martin played 18 minutes, most of which came in the first half, and Hartig played just four minutes in the first before sitting out the remainder of the contest.
Colorado State will head home to take a break for the holidays. The Rams return to Moby Arena Dec. 31 for a New Year’s Eve matchup vs. Bowling Green. Tip time is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT.
