Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
0-1
Hawai'i
1-0
Women's Basketball Recap: Rams drop home opener in OT
11/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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By Austin Bengford
Athletic Communications
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - In a tough, defensive atmosphere, the Colorado State Rams (0-1) suffered a heartbreaking loss in overtime to the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (1-0), 63-58, at Moby Arena.
"Hawai'i is a tough team," senior guard A.J. Newton said. "They're really tough and physical, and I think they were the aggressor tonight. They came out and out-muscled us; I think we'll learn from it."
Newton led the Rams with 16 points, including 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, while sophomore guard Ellen Nystrom also reached double figures with 10 points. As a team however, the Rams struggled to capitalize offensively, shooting just 27.9 percent from the field. Just as Colorado State struggled to hit shots from the perimeter, so did Hawai'i, as the Rainbow Wahine were limited to just 38.1 percent shooting from the field.
From the opening tip, Hawai'i jumped on Colorado State with an 8-0 run to take an 8-2 lead early in the first half. Utilizing a strong defensive effort, UH extended its lead to as much as 10 points, at 19-9,with 12:08 left in the opening period.
The Rams, however, showcased their persistence and chipped away at the Rainbow Wahine lead. Trailing by 10, CSU picked up its defensive intensity, led by redshirt-junior Victoria Wells, who pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds, to pull within one point going into the halftime break, 29-28.
Coming out of the intermission, the Rams used a mini 6-0 run to take the lead at 34-32, its first lead since 18:47 in the first half when the Rams led 2-0. CSU extended its lead all the way to seven points, at 40-33 with 12:26 left in the game, but Hawai'i responded with an answer of its own.
Hawaii began to get into an offensive rhythm late in the game, hitting numerous outside shots, and had a four-point lead with 4:00 left in the game. Once again, Wells provided a spark for the Rams. Trailing by two points, Wells trapped a Hawai'i guard at midcourt, forcing a turnover which CSU converted into a game-tying basket with 2:05 left in the game.
On its next possession, CSU took the lead courtesy of two Gritt Ryder free throws with 1:08 left in the game, but Hawai'i responded with a pair of free throws of its own just 16 seconds later to tie the game at 50-50. Both teams had a final chance to break the tie, but were unable to create a game-winning score as the two sides went into overtime.
In the overtime period, Hawai'i gained control of the lead with 3:54 left and never relinquished it. Down the stretch, the Rainbow Wahine hit the necessary free throws to hold on to a 63-58 win.
"This was a great evaluation for us, and we know what we need to fix," Wells said. "We're going to come ready to practice on Sunday and go out there on Tuesday and fix all the mistakes we made."
The Rams will look to return to their winning ways on Tuesday night when they host Colorado School of Mines at Moby Arena. The game will tipoff at 7 p.m. MT and will be streamed for free on the Mountain West Network.
