Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
18-1, 8-0MW
Wyoming
10-10, 3-7MW
Women's Basketball Recap: Defense thrives in Border War
1/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats |
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State women’s basketball team kept with its winning ways with a 63-42 Border War win over Wyoming in Moby Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Rams, playing in their orange jerseys to honor the school’s agricultural history, improved to 18-1 on the year and 8-0 in conference play with their 15th straight win and fifth straight victory over Wyoming.
The Rams scored just 14 seconds into the game when junior guard Ellen Nystrom found senior guard Keyora Wharry on a nice high-low pass for the layup. It was a sign for what was to come as the Rams relentlessly attacked the Cowgirls inside. CSU exploited mismatches for Nystrom, Wharry and senior forward Alana Arias en route to a 40-12 advantage in the paint.
Wharry and Nystrom each scored 17 points to lead the way for CSU while Arias also reached double figures with 13 points. Much of CSU’s success also came from the collective defensive efforts of the team and the individual efforts of Wharry and sophomore guard Hannah Tvrdy in slowing down Wyoming’s point guard, Marquelle Dent, who is third in the league in scoring and first in the conference in assists.
The Rams limited the Cowgirls to just 28.6 percent shooting from the field in the opening quarter to jump out to a 15-9 lead after the first 10 minutes. In the second quarter, things only got better for the Rams with Arias scoring eight of her 13 points in the second quarter. While Arias was pacing the offense, CSU’s defense clamped down even more, holding Wyoming to just 2-of-11 shooting from the field. With the strong defensive efforts, CSU had a 35-16 lead heading into the break.
In the third quarter, Wyoming found a bit more offensive rhythm, scoring 16 points on 46.2 percent shooting to trim the lead to just 12 points. The Rams, however, would not be denied in the fourth quarter. CSU bounced back in the final frame with 19 points to take the 63-42 win.
It was the eighth time this season that the Rams have led from start to finish. With the win, the Rams improved to 10-0 at home this year and have now won 25 straight regular season home games. This year, CSU is outscoring its opponents by 22 points per game at home.
IN THEIR WORDS…
Head Coach Ryun Williams
“From the get go, I thought we were really good defensively. Our bench was big tonight; Alana (Arias) was big, and inside play was the key. We had a number of points inside the paint, so I was proud of that execution.”
“I think the biggest thing was the energy. They (the bench unit) brought a different level of intensity. Callie (Kaiser) kept the ball alive in the second quarter when we get an o-board put-back. Callie was critical and Alana was really big. (Hannah) Tvrdy had a really good game, a really good floor game, and a really good job on (Maruqelle) Dent. That’s what has been the strength of our team; we have different kids we can play off the bench. Tonight, it was a Callie Kaiser and an Alana Arias game. The sacrifice our kids make is what makes the team a really good team.”
Junior guard Ellen Nystrom
“Sometimes we even get better when we get people off the bench. It’s not like we go down; we just keep going because they bring us so much energy. Everybody just keeps getting better.”
STAT OF THE GAME…
• The Rams have led from start to finish in eight games this year. Today, the Rams led for 39:46, which is a season high.
NOTES…
• CSU’s win streak is now up to 15 games, the second longest in school history. The Rams are just four games back of tying the school record set in 1998-99.
• CSU is now 10-0 at home and has won 25 consecutive regular season home games dating back to last year. At home, the Rams have an average margin of victory of 22 points.
• Wyoming was held to single digits in both the first and second quarters, running the tally to 21 quarters on the year for a CSU opponent. That is the most in the Mountain West.
• Wyoming is the 11th opponent this season that CSU has held to under 50 points. The 42 points scored by Wyoming is tied for its second fewest this year.
• The Rams have won five straight Border War contests. CSU leads the overall series 46-44.
NEXT UP…
Colorado State stays at Moby for another Mountain West showdown vs. San Diego State on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed on CSURams.com/videos and broadcast on the radio at 1410 KIIX.
