Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
24-1, 14-0MW
Wyoming
12-13, 5-10MW
Recap: Rams escape Laramie with Border War win
2/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats |
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LARAMIE, Wyo. – It’s not always easy, but teams with championship aspirations find ways to win games down the stretch when things aren’t always going their way. That’s exactly what the Colorado State Rams did with a 62-57 Border War win in the hostile Arena Auditorium on Saturday afternoon.
The win extended CSU’s school records of 21 straight wins and 10 consecutive road wins. The 21 game win streak is the second longest active streak in the nation, while the 10-game road win streak is the fourth longest streak nationally.
The Rams struggled early on from the field, making it hard for them to get into their rhythm. CSU had plenty of open looks in the opening quarter, but couldn’t convert as Wyoming closed the first quarter strongly to take a 13-11 lead. It marked the first time that CSU had trailed after the first quarter since their home contest vs. Boise State to open up conference play on Jan. 2.
CSU responded in the second quarter though with its best defensive period of the day. The Rams held the Cowgirls to just 2-of-14 shooting from the field and seven points total. It was the 26th time this year that a CSU opponent scored single digits in a quarter. As Wyoming struggled from the field, Colorado State did just enough offensively to take a 25-20 lead into halftime.
Facing the deficit, Wyoming would not go away. The Cowgirls matched their first half total in the third quarter alone with 20 points, including an 8-0 run to end the quarter and take a 40-37 lead over CSU.
This is where Colorado State showed its championship quality though. Led by junior forward Elin Gustavsson, the Rams roared back with an 8-0 run of their own to regain a 5-point lead in the contest. Wyoming kept within striking distance as it traded baskets with Colorado State, but it was senior guard Keyora Wharry that was too much for the Cowgirls down the stretch. The Fresno, Calif. native made all four of her field goal attempts, scoring eight of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, as CSU held on for the close win in front of 3,296 fans.
Gustavsson led all scorers with 21 points in the contest. Defensively, the Rams were once again effective in containing Wyoming’s senior point guard Marquelle Dent. Dent scored 13 points, but did so on 6-of-20 shooting from the field.
IN THEIR WORDS…
CSU Head Coach Ryun Williams
“I was saying to myself in that fourth quarter that although I didn’t like it, this was good for us; it was good for us to be tested and for Wyoming to take the lead and to play through the adversity. We haven’t really had to do that since the San Jose State game, but our kids showed some great resolve. They made some winning plays, some winning stops; it wasn’t the prettiest of games by the Rams, but Wyoming made us play that way. They had a great plan against us and they competed hard. We had to dig deep in that fourth quarter and make plays, and I’m proud of the group for doing that.”
“We trusted each other and the kids never really panicked. Although it wasn’t really pretty, it was never a panic situation. We’re happy in that locker room. It’s hard to win college basketball games, especially in this arena. This arena is difficult, and against arguably the best coach in the Mountain West. We feel really good about this win.”
STAT OF THE GAME…
• Facing its first fourth-quarter deficit in the last seven games, the Rams outscored the Cowgirls 25-17 down the stretch, led by eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from senior guard Keyorra Wharry.
NOTES…
• Colorado State extended its overall win streak to 21 games and its road win streak to 10 games. Both are school records. CSU’s overall win streak is the second longest active streak in the nation, while the road streak is the fourth longest nationally.
• Junior guard Elin Gustavsson led the Rams with 21 points. It is her second game this year of scoring at least 20 points.
• CSU improved to 14-0 in the Mountain West, tying the school mark for best start in conference play. The 1998-99 team finished 14-0 in the WAC.
• CSU’s starters combined for 57 of the team’s 62 points.
• After holding Wyoming to just seven points in the second quarter, CSU has now held its opponent to single digits in 26 quarters this year. 10 of those have been in the second quarter.
NEXT UP...
Colorado State will look to keep their win streaks alive and remain undefeated in Mountain West play when it travels to Albuquerque to take on the New Mexico Lobos. The game will tip at 7 p.m. MT on Wednesday night and will be streamed on CSURams.com/videos. Fans can also listen to the radio call on 1410 KIIX and follow along on Twitter at @CSUWomensBball and @CSURamsGameday.
