Hofschild Sets School Assist Record in Victory

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Oct 18

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at Gonzaga

At the end of the night, McKenna Hofschild had a prime seat as Colorado State put away South Dakota Mines with a 15-1 run over the final three minutes. It was a well deserved rest for the point guard who had done plenty of damage earlier in the game.

And her career, all of which came to a point of unison with 4:00 remaining in the third quarter Tuesday night in a 92-56 victory at Moby Arena. Having passed Becky Hammon on the career assists list last year, she surpassed the only name remaining on the list, Ellen Nystrom, on an evening where she had a double-double of 20 points and 14 assists.

With her third-quarter dish to Sanna Strom for a 3-pointer, Hofschild tied the mark of 584, then broke it the next trip down the floor, connecting with Cali Clark on a fast-break layup. By the end of the night, she pushed the total to 590.

But who's counting?

"My mom texted me a couple of days ago, and said, 'not to get you all excited, but you're about nine away,' so when I got to nine, I was like, I think I got it," Hofschild said. "It means a lot just for the fact I know the impact those two players – and the other players on that list have had for CSU – the leaders and the playmakers they've been for this program. Just to be at the top of that list is pretty big for me."

It turned a regular Tuesday night game on a campus celebrating a holiday break into a night to remember. CSU coach Ryun Williams witnessed every one of those assists, and he watched every single one Nystrom dished out.

He's thankful to have seen two very dynamic players go about their business in contrast to each other.

"Two really special players. And different players," Williams said. "I have a ton of respect for Ellen and she's one of the all-time Ram greats, so for McKenna to break that record, what a performance.

"McKenna, she scores it right along with getting everyone involved. She's such a unique talent. You have a lot of kids who have the assist records are usually pass-first point guards. Ellen was more of that. McKenna is, I'll distribute it, but I'm going to score on you. I'm going to try to cut your heart out. I think that's' where McKenna's special and where they're different."

South Dakota Mines, a Division II team looking for its first win, didn't go away easily. It was the Hardrockers who came out hot to start, keyed by Piper Bauer and her 13 first-quarter points, a number she pushed to 26 at the end.

The Rams were not keyed in early, but they became so later. They weren't hot from the perimeter at the start but became so late (going from 2-of-12 at half to 12-of-24 at the end). By the end of the night, the lopsided victory was what the Rams expected, it just took some time to get there.

The holidays can possibly lead to such a start.

"I mean, I want to say no – I hope not," Kendyll Kinzer said after a 10-point outing. "I hope that's not the case. I hope we come and we're ready to play any game, any day, no matter who walks in here. I just think that's one thing we've really got to focus on is coming out ready to go and showing people we mean business."

Marta Leimane picked up extended minutes for the first time this season, 31 in all, and she used each and every one of them to display her versatility. She ran the point at times, and defensively, she played a few different roles, matching up well late with Bauer and also floating. The result was a career-best 18 points, coming from her ability to drive the lane, pull up for a jumper or hit a pair of 3s. She was impactful defensively with four of the team's 13 steals.

"I was feeling pretty good about it. I was excited to help the team," Leimane said. "It was pretty fun. Maybe we didn't start as good as wanted, but at the end we showed what we could do."

In camp, Leimane has given Williams plenty to think about. He's toyed with the idea of starting her, but he loves the spark she brings off the bench. In the end, he said she doesn't care, she just wants to help.

"Also, I think she proved tonight she's a Swiss Army Knife. To be able to move her around a little bit is critical," Williams said. "Sometimes it's always great to have one of your better players come off the bench, too."

Everybody has their own way to provide a spark, and Hofschild's style is to do so in every way possible. She's been chasing that mark ever since she posted the two best single-season assist totals in back-to-back seasons to draw her so close.

In a way, finishing the night on the bench as a spectator instead of as the instigator was a relaxing change for a player who averaged 37.3 minutes per game on her way to being named the Mountain West Player of the Year.

"It's kind of nice being able to sit and watch everyone else do their thing and be successful," she said. "It was cool to get that record and have that behind me and not worry about that and enjoy the game."

She holds the Rams' assists triple crown – single game, single season and career records. That also feels good. She wouldn't mind resetting the first two, either. And with every assist, her legend will grow.

Giving her another accomplishment to target like a teammate streaking down the lane.

"I think that's something I've kind of had my eye on for a while. I knew I had the single season, but I always wanted to get that total record. To have that now, it's time to just go out there and play basketball and be the best teammate and point guard I can be with my team.

"That's the goal. I'm trying to set it so nobody can get to that thing."

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