Timely shooting in fourth quarter helps Rams fend off BYU, 56-54

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Timely shooting over the final minutes of the fourth quarter helped the Colorado State women's basketball team hold off a late comeback bid by BYU in a 56-54 victory over the Cougars on Saturday afternoon from Moby Arena.

Colorado State (5-2) led for the majority of the game, taking a 29-19 lead at halftime with a 13-0 run to close the second quarter. The Rams took their largest lead of the game with a 37-22 advantage, and held that for much of the third quarter. However, BYU's (3-4) Maria Albeiro scored seven points in the final 2:02 in the third quarter to cut the lead to 41-36 heading to the final quarter.

The Cougars continued to whittle the CSU lead down throughout the final 10 minutes, and drew within as close as 48-47 with 3:22 to play. However, Stine Austgulen buried her first of two clutch threes just 17 second later and added another with 2:38 to go to put the Rams back up by seven at 54-47. BYU responded with two more jumpers after that, but Veronika Mirkovic added two more points to give the Rams a five-point lead (56-51) on a jumper of her own with just over a minute to go.

Each of those CSU shots proved important, as BYU leading scorer Cassie Devashrayee converted on a layup on a free throw to draw the Cougars within two points with 38 seconds to go. BYU ended up with the game's final possession, but officials ruled that Devashrayee traveled and the clock expired on the Rams' ensuing inbound pass.

Austgulen finished with nine points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting, while Mirkovic tallied five points for the game. Hannah Tvrdy and Annie Brady were the Rams' top points contributors, each scoring 10 points. Tvrdy added eight rebounds, while Brady corralled six boards. Freshman guard Grace Colaivalu rounded out CSU's top performers with nine points on 4-for-8 shooting and five assists.

IN THEIR WORDS
Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams
"It's good to play games against really good opponents early on in the year to grow our basketball team. We played good basketball tonight. I'm proud of the victory and the way we defended. Bench – outstanding Stine and Annie hit big shots and saved the day when the team was having a hard time making shots. This is a win we can use to move our team forward – to beat a team like that, it's a feather in our cap. The game overall was very useful for learning purposes, especially when you win the game. Close games are good for them, every possession is valuable in close late game situations. Our kids have performed well. Even with the scoring drought, they were still getting good shots/ Great win for the team."

Junior forward Annie Brady
On CSU's approach on defense:
"I think we had a good game plan coming just with the way we wanted to defend. Every game, I think we're getting better as a team at executing that game plan. Defense wins games. That's where it starts. [Our energy] is a collective thing. It starts way before the clock starts."

Senior guard Stine Austgulen
On clutch shots when the team needed it the most
"It's not necessarily that we needed a basket, I just got the ball and I was open two positions in a row. I'm a shooter and that's kind of my job. It's nice to see them go in to boost not necessarily my confidence but the team's."

STAT OF THE GAME
Colorado State has now won four consecutive games over West Coast Conference foes, each quality opponents. CSU defeated Gonzaga this season and Saint Mary's in the WNIT last season after the streak started with a win over BYU in 2015-16.

NOTES
- CSU is now 5-2 against West Coast Conference foes under sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams.
- The Rams have won three consecutive games and two at home.
- The Rams' record at home improves to 72-15 during Williams' now-six-year tenure.

UP NEXT
The Colorado State women's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. MT matchup with in-state rival Colorado at Moby Arena. Wednesday's contest is designated as the Rams' annual Orange Out game, and fans are encouraged to attend wearing orange.

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