Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
29-1
San Diego State
12-19
Recap: Rams advance to semis as defense shines vs. SDSU
3/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats |
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. – March is meant to test teams with championship aspirations, and the quarterfinal matchup against No. 8 San Diego State did just that for No. 1 Colorado State. The Aztecs played at a methodic pace all-game as both offenses struggled, but the Rams (29-1) did enough late in the game to pull away with a 53-41 win and advance to the semifinals to play the winner of No. 4 San Jose State vs. No. 5 New Mexico.
From the opening tip, it was clear that SDSU’s strategy was to milk the clock on every possession and to try and shorten the game as much as possible. Struggling on offense for much of the day, the Rams relied on their nationally-ranked defense to carry them in the game.
After SDSU jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead, the Rams went on an 11-0 run and held the Aztecs scoreless for 7:11 in the opening quarter, taking a 13-8 lead. The slow-paced and low-scoring affair continued throughout the entire game, as SDSU kept it close and trailed by just five points, 33-28 heading into the fourth quarter.
That’s when No. 22 Colorado State showed its championship quality though. The Rams finally got into a groove on offense, connecting on 7-of-12 shots and scoring 20 points, while holding the Aztecs to just 2-of-10 from the field and 13 points to pull away with a 53-41 win. The win is CSU’s 29th of the season, and 26th in a row, setting a new Mountain West record for wins in a season.¬
Offensively, the Rams were carried by junior forward Elin Gustavsson, who was almost unstoppable throughout the 40 minutes. The Swedish native led the Rams with 21 points, one off her season high, and pulled down seven boards in 39 minutes of action. No other CSU player scored in double figures on the day.
Defensively, the Rams held the Aztecs to just 26.5 percent shooting on the day. The win marked the 15th time this season that CSU has held its opponent to less than 50 points. CSU came into the game No. 10 nationally, allowing 51.9 points per game, and No. 5 nationally allowing opponents to make just 33.4 percent of their shots.
IN THEIR WORDS…
Head Coach Ryun Williams
“Well, the first game is always difficult, I think, as a 1 seed. I think you saw a group maybe a little tight early. But outstanding defensively, really an outstanding job. They've got three guards out there that are really good, really good when the ball is in our hands, playing off the ball screen. I thought our kids were exceptional keeping the basketball in front, really the whole game.”
“We've won a lot of different ways this year. We've won scoring points. We've won scoring not many points. We've won playing pretty, playing ugly. But the key is that these kids continue to put themselves in a position to win. And as a coach that's all you can ask of your team.”
Junior forward Elin Gustavsson
“Well, I never feel pressure, because our team, like everyone is good. And we play really well as a team. But I just feel like, I think I was focused in a good way when it comes to me, like I'm a person that thinks a lot. And this time I didn't think that much, because I feel like I wanted it so much. I felt like I just played with my heart. I didn't even feel like it was just me, like we're a team, and it felt like we're still playing as a team. We still play well as a team.”
Junior guard Ellen Nystrom
“I think it's always hard playing the first game, because we wanted to win it so bad. We really want to play the final right now. But we've just got to take it slow and get into the game and we got into the game as the game progressed and that was good.”
STAT OF THE GAME…
• CSU’s defense suffocated San Diego State’s offense, holding the Aztecs to just 41 points on just 26.5 percent shooting. The 41 points were 17.7 points below SDSU’s season average of 58.7 points per game.
NOTES…
• Rams are now 24-1 when leading at halftime this season and 29-1 when leading with five minutes left
• Elin Gustavvson’s 21 points are one off her season-high of 22 against Colorado, Dec. 2
• This is the 15th time that CSU has held an opponent to less than 50 points in a game this season and the sixth time of 49 points or fewer against a Mountain West team
• The 18 first half points by San Diego State are the fewest ever given up in a half by the Rams in the MW Tournament. The previous low was 19 against BYU in the 2001 championship game
• The 23 second half points are the fourth lowest for the final half at the event.
• The 12 point margin of victory is the third largest win margin for the Rams in the history of the MW Tournament
• The 94 points were the second fewest points combined in a CSU game in the MW Tournament (low was 93 in 2007 versus Air Force)
• The 41 points are the fourth lowest given up by Colorado State this season (36 versus Morgan State Nov. 27 is the low)
• Tuesday’s win marks CSU’s first double-digit win in the MW Tourney since 2008 (68-49 win over UNLV).
NEXT UP…
Colorado State advances to the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament, where it awaits the winner of No. 4 San Jose State and No. 5 New Mexico. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 7:30 p.m. MT and will be streamed on the Mountain West Network. Fans can listen to CSU play-by-play announcer on the radio at 1410 KIIX, and can get updates on Twitter throughout at @CSUWomensBball and @CSURamsGameday.
