Defensive Effort Advances Rams in Bracket

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LAS VEGAS – In Sin City, they track the odds.

Going to the coaching cliché handbook, just how soon would Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams hit the trigger on the difficulty of beating a team three times in a season? The bar was set at 45 seconds.

He hit the under, not even making 10 seconds into his opening comments – "to beat a team three times in a row …" -- but he wasn't wrong, either. Understandable, really, considering his squad had just played Boise State six days prior, a victory which made the Rams the No. 3 seed for the Mountain West Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center and the Broncos the No. 6.

CSU's first game in the tournament wasn't the best offensive night for the team as a whole, but they picked their spots and backed it up with stingy defense throughout the game in a 59-52 victory which advances the team to the semifinals and a matchup with rival Wyoming on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. (MT).

In the previous two matchups, Colorado State won by double digits and going away. Monday, the Broncos weren't going anywhere, showing signs of pulling off an upset. Tournament time doesn't require secrets, just effort, especially on the defensive end.

"There's all kinds of ways to win a basketball game. I know everybody looks at the scoreboard and are you scoring points and is the ball going into the basket and are you shooting percentages, that sort of thing," Williams said. "Some nights it's not like that. Some nights you just need to get enough stops. Cailyn Crocker and Destiny Thurman, maybe not the most rhythmic offensive game – it was hard to find positive plays on that end of the floor. For them to keep grinding on the defensive end, that's their old soul."

The Rams had one player in double figures – guess who? – but the whole squad played gritty on defense. They forced the Broncos into 18 turnovers, which generated 16 points in transition. But it also kept the Broncos from generating any momentum, shooting just 29.8 percent from the field.

The first 20 minutes didn't get either team closer to the desired goal, neither of them shooting well (CSU at 33.3 percent; BSU at 32.0). Each side had some highlights. For the Rams, who started the game 0-of-7 from 3, Kendyll Kinzer hit a trio of treys in the second, and by intermission, McKenna Hofschild had nine points and five assists. For the Broncos, Natalie Pasco had the range, hitting all three of her 3s and finishing the break with 13 points.

Kinzer's spark was much needed at the time, and Meghan Boyd had a six-point spurt which helped too. There wasn't a lot from a wide-range of players, but enough. And when somebody hit a streak – like Kinzer did – it regrouped the Rams.

"Huge. Those were big-time shots," Hofschild said of Kinzer's second quarter. "I think that just gave not only her confidence but the whole team confidence to hit their shots. That second quarter when she started getting hot, we all noticed, and it was a big-time quarter for sure."

Boise State went into the fourth quarter with a narrow 43-42 edge, but instead of getting a closing run, the Rams put up a roadblock as the Broncos made just 5-of-12 from the field. Both Thurman and Crocker, who struggled offensively, made key plays on the defensive end.

They came early. Hofschild hit a jumper early in the fourth to give the Rams the lead, then a Kinzer steal led to the Rams getting out in transition, where Hofschild found Thurman on the wing for a 3.

"I would say it's very good timing. My goal is to play my best basketball in March, so I think I started tonight down that path," Kinzer said. "I hope it just keeps getting better tomorrow, and hopefully, the day after that."

Boise State turned it over six times in the fourth, four coming off steals. Crocker sniped two of them, the second leading her down the court with 27 seconds remaining, but instead of going to the hoop, she dribbled a few extra seconds off the clock, feeling she was coming in too hot.

The Rams only shot 36.1 percent in the game, but Hofschild led the way with 19 points, 10 coming in the second half. She completed the night with 10 assists, producing her fourth double-double of the season.

"I was just trying to find my gaps and find opportunities as well to get my teammates involved," Hofschild said. "Boise had a good scout on the defensive end, so just trying to pick and choose when you attack and when to facilitate."

Kinzer finished with nine points, as did Sydney Mech. But more importantly, Pasco only scored two more points the entire game.

The Rams did what they needed; it just looked a bit different than before. Which is the area where Williams feels his team has grown the most. Instead of letting a poor shooting night seep into their defense, they crank the dial on that end Spinal Tap style.

"I think every game we go into, defense is such a priority for us and we look to get stops because I think that's when we can turn and play our best offense, when we get out and run, push in transition, that's when we get the best," Hofschild said. "I think defense is always our top priority, and I think tonight kind of proved that."

Nothing cliché about that. That's just a blueprint to march in March.

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