Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
1-0
Western State (Colo.)
0-0 (exhibition)
Women's Basketball recap: Rams' defense steals the show
11/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats |
Photo Gallery 
Athletics Communications
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State Rams walked away with an emphatic victory, 84-42, over Western State in its season-opening game in front of 1,173 fans at Moby Arena on Friday night.
Just as it was in the exhibition match, CSU’s defense was once again the storyline. The Rams’ defense suffocated the Mountaineers, forcing Western State into a total of 33 turnovers, including eight in the opening frame. Leading the charge on defense initially was junior guard Ellen Nystrom, a Mountain West two-time all-defensive team selection. Nystrom needed just the first quarter to set a career-high with five steals. She finished the game with seven steals and also added seven assists in just 15 minutes of action.
The Rams built up a 27-14 lead after the first quarter, and heading into the second quarter, turned up the defensive pressure even more. Utilizing a full court man-to-man press, CSU forced another 13 turnovers as it outscored Western State 20-2 to build a 47-16 lead at the break. The Rams converted the 21 first-half turnovers into 24 points and also held a 30-4 advantage in points in the paint.
On the day, the Rams finished with 22 steals as a team, good for the ninth most in program history. Offensively, Colorado State showcased its depth and unselfishness. The Rams were led by junior forward Elin Gustavsson with 15 points, while freshman guard Callie Kaiser poured in 13 points to lead the bench unit. Junior forward Keyora Wharry also reached double digits with 10 points, while 12 Rams scored in the game. Led by Nystrom’s seven, Colorado State racked up 26 assists on 34 made field goals.
IN THEIR WORDS…
“We just try to play as aggressively as we can. We pride ourselves on our defense, so getting those turnovers was huge.” – CSU guard Callie Kaiser
“Whenever you’re in, you’ve got to play as hard as you can. We always have five, six, seven players on the bench who can step in and pretty much do the same thing, so that’s definitely a key for us.” – CSU guard Stine Austgulen
““We accomplished what we needed to accomplish tonight; we got a victory. I thought our kids played a really solid first half and we got to play a lot of kids again tonight. There were a lot of good things, and things that we have to improve on as well.” – CSU Head Coach Ryun Williams
“She (Kaiser) just has a great motor. She’s always around the basketball, she seems to be around every play, she makes good plays and I thought her decision making tonight was really good. She’s going to be a really good Ram, and you can see that.” – CSU Head Coach Ryun Williams
STAT OF THE GAME…
• The Rams never trailed for the whole contest and led for 39:17 of action. The game had zero ties after senior forward Emilie Hesseldal scored the opening basket.
NOTES…
• Junior guard Ellen Nystrom played just 15 minutes in the contest, but her impact was evident. In just the short time, Nystrom racked up a career-high seven steals while also dishing out seven assists.
• The Rams racked up 22 steals as a team, good for the ninth most in program history.
• Colorado State outscored Western State 20-2 in the second quarter, forcing 13 turnovers in the frame.
• After battling injuries, redshirt sophomore guard Stine Austgulen saw her first regular season game action since Dec. 14, 2013. Austgulen knocked down her first two three-pointers and finished with eight points and three assists.
• CSU out-rebounded Western State, 47-31. The Rams took advantage of the rebound disparity by outscoring the Mountaineers 18-4 on second-chance points.
• Colorado State’s bench showcased its depth with 47 points.
NEXT UP…
Colorado State returns to action on Nov. 17 when it takes on Incarnate Word at Moby Arena. The game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on the Mountain West Network. Tickets are available online at CSURams.com/tickets; by calling 800-491-RAMS, or in person at the McGraw Center ticket office.
