Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
12-14, 5-8MWC
BYU
20-7, 12-1MWC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young Univ. | 33 | 31 | 64 |
| Colorado State | 25 | 30 | 55 |
Women's basketball recap: Rams fall to first-place Cougars
2/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2011
Final Stats |
Photo Gallery 
By Nic Hallisey
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo.--The Colorado State women's basketball team hit seven of its first 13 shots, and stormed out to a 12-5 lead thanks to an 8-0 run early in the first half.
However, 11 of the next 12 points went to BYU, allowing the Cougars to roll to a 64-55 win over the Rams Wednesday night at Moby Arena.
The two teams swapped leads for a few minutes midway through the first half before BYU (20-7, 12-1 MWC) went on a 14-4 run to close the half with a 33-25 lead. Resuming in the second half, CSU (12-14, 5-8 MWC) got within six twice, the second time at 15 minutes, 32 seconds, but eight consecutive points for the Cougars moved CSU's deficit to double digits. It remained in double digits until the closing seconds, when two Sam Martin free throws made the final score 64-55.
"We just had a 6-minute stretch where we weren't on the same page," Head Coach Kristen Holt said. "We were leaving them wide open for three-point shots."
Martin, a freshman, recorded her second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Chantel Kennedy scored six points in the first 6 minutes of action, resulting in a career-high performance of 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting. She also pulled down six rebounds and recorded two assists.
"I was really happy with her going to the basket in transition," Holt said of Kennedy. "She was making some baskets she hasn't made in awhile."
Leading all scorers, though, was Kim Mestdagh. The junior hit 8-of-12 shots, including 4-of-6 from long range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw stripe, to finish the night with 24 points. It marked her ninth 20-point game of the season.
BYU was led by Mindy Bonham's 21 points. The senior scored 17 in the opening stanza, and hit three of her team's 11 treys on the night.
BYU, which holds first place in the conference standings, outshot the Rams from all areas of the floor, but the Rams outrebounded the Cougars (32-29), had fewer turnovers (15 compared to BYU's 16) and were effective from the free-throw line, hitting 10-of-12.
"I'm really proud that we did as well as we did against their press," Holt said. "Overall, this is an upbeat positive for us. The thing is, can we duplicate this effort?"
The Rams will look to snap their five-game losing streak with a win over Air Force on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT at Moby Arena.
"We haven't given up," Martin said. "We know we can beat these teams."
