Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
30-1
New Mexico
17-14
Recap: Smothering defense guides Rams to MW Championship game
3/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats |
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Facing a tough and physical matchup in the fifth-seeded New Mexico Lobos, top-seeded and No. 22 ranked Colorado State rose to the occasion with one of its best defensive efforts in a 60-42 win to advance to the school's third-ever Mountain West Championship game on Friday.
All game long, Colorado State hounded New Mexico's attackers, limiting the Lobos to just 24.1 percent shooting (14-of-58) and nearly 20 points below their season average in scoring. A day after scoring 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, New Mexico senior forward Khadijah Shumpert was held to 13 points on 2-of-10 shooting.
The Rams utilized a dominant second quarter, as they have all season, to gain control of the game. The two team's headed into the second quarter with CSU holding just a 13-12 lead, but the Rams exploded for a 12-0 run in the quarter and held the Lobos scoreless for 5:22 to take a 31-18 lead into halftime.
CSU's defensive effort showed no signs of slowing down in the second half as New Mexico only converted on seven of its 30 shots in the final 20 minutes. Led by another spectacular effort by junior forward Elin Gustavsson and the clutch shot-making ability of senior guard Keyora Wharry, the Rams extended the lead to as much as 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Gustavsson finished with a game-high 18 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting, while Wharry added 15 points and a career-high four steals. Patrick joined the duo in double figures with 12 points and five rebounds.
As a team, CSU dominated the paint with a 30-14 advantage over UNM and a 16-9 advantage in points off of turnovers. For New Mexico, sophomore guard, and all-conference honoree, Cherise Beynon was forced into six turnovers and made just three of her 13 shot attempts, including 0-of-5 from beyond the arc. No Lobo shot better than 50 percent in the contest as the team was held to its lowest scoring total of the season.
IN THEIR WORDS...
Head Coach Ryun Williams
"I thought defensively, again, we were outstanding. We had some nice individual performances. I think you saw our kids settle into the tournament a little better tonight. I really liked how we came focused, I thought really well prepared. The execution was much better tonight. Really good team win against a New Mexico team that we respect the heck out of."
"I just think our kids know that the closer you get to your end goal the tougher things are going to get. And I think they've done a great job of -- everybody's ready for our team. And I think they've learned through this last three weeks that we have to be tougher, that we have to execute better, because we're getting everybody's best shot. You just see a very determined basketball team. And defensively, that's where we hang our hat. And defensively the last two nights the kids have been exceptional."
Junior forward Elin Gustavsson
"We're super excited. And I feel like it has been our mentality since the season started, even though, for example, when we won in the regular season, we were super happy but we were not done yet. This is what we've been waiting on the whole season. We're prepared and we're super excited."
"I feel like I always talk about our chemistry. But I feel that is really in our defense. It's not only one player that plays on the ball. It's the whole team. Everyone is playing on the post players. I feel like the chemistry in defense is helping us offensively and everything."
STAT OF THE GAME...
• Colorado State advanced to its third-ever Mountain West Championship game as it extended its Mountain West records with its 30th win on the season and 27th-consecutive win overall. The Rams have now won 15-consecutive games away from Moby Arena.
NOTES...
• With the win, Colorado State moves to 5-3 all-time as a No. 1 seed in MW Tournament.
• In the 2nd quarter, Colorado State used a 12-0 run to build a 29-16 lead, holding New Mexico without a point for 5 minutes and 22 seconds.
• Through two games, the Rams are holding opponents to just 41.5 points per game and 25.2 percent shooting from the field (27-of-107). San Diego State was held 17.7 points below its season average in scoring, while New Mexico was held 19.7 points below its average.
• The Mountain West Tournament record for fewest points allowed is 137 points, 45.7 points per game, by Utah in 2005.
• In eight quarters at the Mountain West Tournament, no team has scored more than 14 points against the Rams.
• This is the 16th time this season that CSU has held its opponent to below 50 points, and second time against New Mexico.
• The 18 first-half points given up against New Mexico ties CSU's school record for fewest points allowed in a half with its first-half effort against San Diego State in the quarterfinals.
• CSU's 18-point victory is the second-largest margin of victory for the Rams in the Mountain West Tournament.
NEXT UP...
Colorado State awaits the winner of No. 2 Fresno State and No. 6 UNLV in the Mountain West Championship. The game will tipoff at 1 p.m. MT and will be streamed on the Mountain West Network and broadcasted on 1410 KIIX on the radio. Fans can follow along on Twitter for updates throughout the championship game at @CSUWomensBball and @CSURamsGameday.
