Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
23-1, 13-0MW
Utah State
11-13, 6-7MW
Recap: Rams make history with 20th straight win
2/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – History doesn’t come easy, but the Colorado State Rams sure fooled a lot of fans with their 91-64 win over Utah State to win their school-record 20th consecutive game, surpassing the mark of 19 games set by CSU’s winningest team of all-time in 1998-99.
The Rams (23-1, 13-0 MW) have not lost since before Thanksgiving. 85 days and five federal holidays have passed since the Rams last experienced the bitter taste of defeat. Colorado State has showcased its offensive and defensive versatility throughout the streak, and on this night that was no exception.
Senior guard Jamie Patrick came out on fire and stayed that way going against Utah State’s 2-3 zone defense. Patrick scored 16 points in the opening quarter as the Rams raced out to a 32-15 lead, their highest single-quarter scoring output of the season. The senior guard finished just shy of her career-high with 26 points and seven made 3-pointers, falling one shy of tying the school record which she had previously tied last year.
Many of Patrick’s 3-point baskets were set up by the spectacular vision of junior guard Ellen Nystrom, who posted her second double-double of the season with 17 points and a season-high 10 assists. Nystrom nearly reached her double-double in the first half as she and Patrick helped guide CSU to its sixth consecutive double-digit halftime lead, 52-31.
In the second half, it was more of the same from Colorado State. The Rams knocked in a season-high 13 3-pointers and finished the day with 20 assists on 31 made baskets, showcasing their unselfishness and extreme depth. CSU’s bench, led by senior forward Alana Arias, poured in 32 points. Arias finished 5-of-6 from the floor for 15 points, while freshman guard Callie Kaiser knocked down two 3-pointers and scored nine points.
Defensively, the Rams made it difficult for the Aggies to find any rhythm of their own to counterpunch CSU’s offensive explosion. Utah State shot just 39.7 percent from the field and made four of their 16 3-point attempts. The Aggies also turned the ball over 16 times in the game as all five of CSU’s starters racked up at least two steals in the game.
IN THEIR WORDS…
CSU Head Coach Ryun Williams
“I’m proud that this team has that record; that’s exceptional. And I know we shared that with a really good team. We’re 1-0, right. We beat Utah State so we’re 1-0, and now tomorrow we’ll be 0-0; that’s their mindset. The maturity in that locker room and how they’re handling this is fun to watch, it really is. A thirty-plus game season, it’s hard to bring it consecutive nights. To string that many wins together is difficult to do. Again, we just need to go get that next one, but I’m proud this group has that. I think they’re extremely excited about it, but it doesn’t mean anything other than we’ve won 20 in a row.”
“I just think the execution offensively has really improved. I think our kids are really comfortable in their roles, and I think as the season has gone on, you see a really high level of trust out there. They set each other up nicely, they share the ball, and I think that’s just grown throughout the season. Our bench has gotten better; early on our bench wasn’t giving us what they’re giving us now. Alana (Arias), (Callie) Kaiser, (Hannah) Tvrdy… The bench has made us, I think, a tough team to handle.”
Junior guard Ellen Nystrom
“It’s cool, but it’s not something that we focus on. We just want to take it one game at a time and win the games that we have. It’s not like we won because we wanted the school record; it’s because we wanted to win. It feels good of course.”
“I’ve always been on a winning team, so I have that winning mentality and I want to win every game. I hate losing, so when Coach (Williams) brought everyone in here, he wanted to bring people with that winning mentality so we can turn the program around.”
Senior guard Jamie Patrick
“I guess when you break a record and everyone compares you to somebody as amazing as Becky Hammon and her team, and how awesome they were, I guess we are starting on a new era. I hope that people are noticing and that we can get people in our gym in support of us. If not this year, then next year. We’re definitely building something here and we want to keep doing that.”
STAT OF THE GAME…
• Colorado State put itself atop the record books with its 20th straight win, surpassing the previous record of 19 games set in the 1998-99 season.
NOTES…
• Jamie Patrick poured in a season-high 26 points and connected on a season-best seven 3-pointers. She came one 3-pointer shy of tying her career-high and the school record.
• Ellen Nystrom racked up a season-high 10 assists to give her her second double-double of the season.
• The Rams knocked down 13 3-pointers in the game, the most they have made this season. Over the past three games, CSU has made 37-of-71 from 3-point range (52.1 percent).
• CSU finished with 20 assists on 31 made baskets. This marked the second consecutive game that CSU racked up at least 20 assists as a team.
• Over the last six games, CSU is beating its opponents by an average of 25.7 points per game. During that span, the Rams have trailed for just 2:28 of the possible 240 minutes.
• The Rams have now won 13 straight home games this year, tied for the fourth-longest streak in school history. Additionally, CSU has now won 28 consecutive regular season home games and 25 straight conference home games.
• CSU shot a season-best 55.4 percent from the field. The 91 points and 52 first-half points are also both season highs.
NEXT UP…
Colorado State travels north for its Border War matchup at Wyoming on Saturday. The game will tipoff at 2 p.m. MT and will be streamed on CSURams.com/videos and will be broadcast on the radio at 1410 KIIX. Fans can also follow along for updates on Twitter at @CSUWomensBball and @CSURamsGameday.
