Rams fall to Oklahoma, 78-46, in Tuesday night home contest

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State women's basketball team fell to the Oklahoma Sooners, 78-46, in a Tuesday night matchup from Moby Arena.

The Rams (2-2) kept pace with Oklahoma for much of the first half, pulling the deficit to as narrow as 19-17 on a Sofie Tryggedsson three with 7:51 to go in the second quarter. However, that three-pointer was the last made by CSU for nearly 12 minutes, as the Rams missed 15 consecutive field goals until a Veronika Mirkovic layup at the 6:03 mark in the third quarter.

Despite that, the Rams only faced a 31-19 deficit at the half, but the continuation of the Oklahoma (3-1) run and CSU's drought put the Rams down, 40-21, at the time of that Mirkovic basket in the third quarter. The Sooners' lead grew to as large as 24 a couple of minutes later, but the Rams' offense bounced back and whittled the lead over time, eventually to 56-36 with 7:46 to play. Despite the signs of a return to form, CSU slumped into another offensive drought from that point, going the next six minutes without a field goal before a pair of late buckets in the final two minutes.

Leading the Rams offense was freshman guard Grace Colaivalu, who scored all 12 of her points during that second-half CSU resurgence. Junior guard Sofie Tryggedsson scored eight points with a team-high six rebounds, while Veronika Mirkovic shot 4-of-8 en route to eight points and added a team-high three assists.

IN THEIR WORDS
Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams
Opening statement:
"In the first half I thought we really, really competed and had some nice opportunities. We got to the foul line nine times and only made two. We also missed 3 bunnies (layups/inside shots). It should've been a little bit different score at halftime to be honest with you, but in the second half, I didn't like how we competed or concentrated on the floor whatsoever."

On the team struggling shooting the ball, especially from the free throw line:
"It's a free throw. Whether you are playing Oklahoma or whoever, it's a free throw. I think we let that game pressure get to us a little bit. Our head was going faster tonight than any other game all season. When you let opportunities slip and there is not a huge margin for error, it can be deflating."

On how scheduling good teams like Oklahoma helps Colorado State:
"Our game is challenged in every way when we play a team like Oklahoma, especially with that type of quickness. If that doesn't make you want to get in the gym and work on our free throws, ball handling, passing or shooting, then why are we playing? A team can get exposed when they play teams like Oklahoma. It elevates a team, and we will more forward from this game."

Freshman guard Grace Colaivalu
On challenges scoring against Oklahoma:
"That is what you expect when you play a great team like Oklahoma. They sped us up - they got the best of us. When we slow down and make the right pass, that's when it flows for us. They just sped us up and we made the wrong passes at the wrong times. That quickness had a lot to do with that."

On Colaivalu's mindset coming off the bench:
"My mindset is always to get in the game and bring something that is missing. It does not matter if you start or come off the bench, you have to bring something. Watching a game from the bench allows you to identify what the team needs and sometimes the momentum has to come from the bench."

Junior guard Hannah Tvrdy
On Oklahoma's runs:
"Obviously they're talented enough that when you make those little mistakes they're going to hurt you on that. On that run, defensively, we just weren't locked in 100 percent. When you're like that, they're going to take advantage of that, and that's what happened."

On the difference between the first and second half:
"Like Coach Williams said, we have to learn from this. Our mindset, especially in the second half, just was not where it needed to be. We need to be more tuned in defensively. Once we figure out our defense, it will help out our offense."

NOTES
- Freshman guard Grace Colaivalu's 12 points marked a new season high.
- 12 different Rams saw the floor on Tuesday night vs. Oklahoma.
- Veronika Mirkovic led the Rams in assists for the second time this season. She also tied with Hannah Tvrdy as the Rams' assists leader against Gonzaga (three each).

UP NEXT
The Colorado State women's basketball team caps off its five-game homestand with a Saturday contest against North Carolina Central. The Rams and Eagles are set to tip off at 4 p.m. from Moby Arena.

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