Rams Take Game One in The Border War, 69-61

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Not the best game offensively. Defensively, either.

Thursday wasn't a bad night for Colorado State, but Wyoming didn't make it easy at Moby Arena, either. In such games, it's good to have a difference maker.

For the Rams, Lore Devos fit the bill.

"We played through that position quite a bit tonight, just to try to get something started offensively," CSU head coach Ryun Williams said. "She's a tough matchup, and so Lore really seniored up tonight and had a really big game for us. She gave us some big scoring baskets down the stretch, great assist to Karly Murphy late.

"In a game like that where you're kinda stuck in the mud offensively, nothing is easy out there. There's not much flow going, you're going to have to make some individual plays, and Lore was that kid for us tonight."

The senior led the way with 21 points, also pulling down 11 rebounds, notching her sixth double-double of the season. In a game where the hosts (13-2, 9-2 Mountain West) had just one strong offensive frame, she was the constant, hitting 8-of-13 from the field, including both of her 3-point attempts.

She did have some help, as McKenna Hofschild added 15 points, and Karly Murphy came off the bench to score 12 and grab nine rebounds. Tori Williams finished with eight, but Wyoming limited her chances, as the guard only took five shots, though she made the two clean looks she was given behind the arc.

But that's what the Cowgirls do to teams. Even at 6-7 in the conference (8-8 overall), they defend well and force teams to find their way offensively. Colorado State appeared to have solved the riddle in the second, blazing out to a 13-point lead at the break with a 27-point frame. The rest of the night, it was a struggle.

Devos knew as much, so she had an inkling to find her way.

"Maybe a little bit. I knew we were kinda struggling a little bit," she said. "I don't think we got that running game like we always do, and for sure next game, we'll have to make it more like a team, be better as a team again and be dangerous from different spots.

"I felt pretty confident today, and they were going in. I thought I had to take those shots."

The keys to Coach Williams were the assists – the Rams had just five – and the fast-break points – only six. That's just not the way the Rams have been playing.

After being limited to just two first-quarter points, Devos and Hofschild each had eight in the second as Devos played all 10 minutes. They needed her output, and her teammates started looking for her, too.

"Lore is just an all-around player. She can hit the 3, take it off the dribble and post it up," Murphy said. "Just getting that mismatch with her in that ball screen and getting the ball in her hands, she can score one-on-one, and she was making a lot of shots tonight. We have a lot of weapons on this team, you have to find the hot hand every night. Tonight it was Lore."

On a couple of different occasions, the Rams seemed poised to blow the game open, creating a pair of 16-point leads. That never developed, but they found poise somewhere else.

The free-throw line. They made all seven attempts in the fourth, six of them coming in the final 30 seconds of the contest, all from three different players.

Devos was one of them.

"That's very, very important. There are times in a game where you're going to have to make some winning plays those last three or four minutes, and a lot of times it's from the foul line," Coach Williams said. "We probably missed our fair share last year; this year our kids stepped up with great courage, great conviction and finished the game at the foul line. Those are winning moments."

Made by a first-place team. A squad which has now won six in a row for the first time in a few seasons.

It doesn't always have to be perfect, but somehow, someway – or even someone – has to find a way to make a difference.

The Rams and Cowgirls return Saturday for Colorado State's annual UCHealth game with a 1 p.m. MT tip.

For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball

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