Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
21-1, 11-0MW
Boise State
16-7, 9-3MW
Recap: Rams dominate Mountain West showdown
2/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BOISE, Idaho – It was billed as a game between the two hottest teams in the Mountain West; Colorado State riding a 17-game win streak, and Boise State entering with an eight-game win streak and sitting in third place in the conference. On Wednesday night, the Rams asserted their dominance early and throughout the 40-minute game, improving to 21-1 on the year, 11-0 in conference play, and running the win streak to 18 games with an 83-51 win over the Broncos.
The win put the Rams square atop the record books with the ninth straight road win of the season, surpassing the mark of eight set in the 1998-99 season, and puts the school record of 19 consecutive wins, also set in the 98-99 season, right in sight.
The Rams played their most complete 40 minutes of the season with a complete team effort on both ends of the court. On defense, the Rams were active forcing 15 turnovers and holding Boise State to just 30.5 percent from the field. On offense, CSU exploded shooting 51.6 percent from the field and made a season-high 12 3-pointers.
Boise State got off to a quick start with a 3-pointer on the opening possession, ending a streak of 122:15 consecutive minutes without trailing for CSU, but the Rams wasted no time responding. CSU rattled off a 14-0 run to regain control of the game.
CSU did not look back from there, outscoring the Broncos 27-13 in the second quarter to take a commanding 43-20 lead into the intermission. The Rams outscored the Broncos in all four quarters, extending the lead to as much as 37 points midway through the fourth quarter.
Leading the charge for the Rams was redshirt sophomore guard Hannah Tvrdy, who racked up a career-high 14 points off the bench, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Junior guard Ellen Nystrom led the team in scoring with 16 points and seven rebounds, while senior forward Emilie Hesseldal had another complete effort with seven points, eight rebounds and a team-best five assists.
As a team, Colorado State outscored Boise State 32-16 in the paint, and had a 31-13 advantage in bench production. While forcing the Broncos into 15 turnovers and just eight assists, the Rams did near the exact opposite with 16 assists and just eight turnovers.
IN THEIR WORDS...
Head Coach Ryun Williams
"We challenged the kids to attack from the get-go and attack the first quarter. That was as impressive a performance as we've had in our four years here. Our kids were really locked in on both ends of the floor, and we got really great contributions from everybody."
"I think this was the most complete 40 minutes we've seen thus far. We were reallly solid in every area. It seems like we've had some nice performances this year, but maybe we've walked away from the game thinking that we've had that stretch like at Nevada where we scored six points in the fourth quarter, but these kids kept pounding and pounding. Just an outstanding effort by our team; I'm just so proud of all 15 of them tonight."
Sophomore guard Hannah Tvrdy
"Jamie (Patrick) had a really good game against them last time, so I knew I was going to be a bit more open tonight. I just knew that when I had my chance, I had to let them fly; luckily they fell for me tonight. Every game I just get more confidence in my shot."
STAT OF THE GAME...
- For the second game in a row, CSU's starting center, Emilie Hesseldal, led the team in assists.
- Boise State's leading scorer, Brooke Pahukoa, was held to just five points on 1-of-7 shooting. Over the two games vs. CSU, Pahukoa averaged just 4.5 points per game while shooting 1-of-10 from the field.
- All 11 players that played for CSU registered at least a point or an assist in the game.
- CSU's win streak is up to 18 games, just one shy of tying the school record set in 1998-99.
- The Rams set a new school record with their ninth consecutive road win of the season, surpassing the mark set in the 98-99 campaign.
Colorado State returns home with its 18-game win streak in tact to take on the UNLV Lady Rebels on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT. The game will be a 'Pink Out' and fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game in honor of breast cancer awareness. The game will be streamed on CSURams.com/videos and fans can follow along on Twitter at @CSUWomensBball and @CSURamsGameday.
