Rams Overcome Turnovers, Open MW Play With Win

Calendar

Show:/

Oct 18

TBA

Women's Basketball

vs South Dakota (Exh.)

Oct 29

6:30 pm

Women's Basketball

vs Colorado Christian (Exh.)

Nov 4

6:00 pm

Women's Basketball

vs Weber State

Nov 9

1:00 pm

Women's Basketball

vs Long Beach State

Nov 13

TBA

Women's Basketball

at Gonzaga

LOGAN, Utah – Graduate seniors Emma Ronsiek and Hannah Simental combined for 39 points as Colorado State women's basketball overcame a season high in turnovers to defeat Utah State, 83-74, in the opening game of Mountain West play on Sunday.

It was by no means a perfect performance for the Rams (10-4, 1-0 MW) as the Aggies (1-12, 0-1 MW) utilized a full-court press that forced 15 turnovers from the team that averaged a nation-leading 8.8 entering the contest. Colorado State benefited from a strong shooting performance as they knocked down 47.5% of its shots from the field and 52.0% from 3-point range, which included a 5-for-9 clip from deep by Simental.

Leading by just three points at halftime, Colorado State used 12-0 run as part of a massive 29-point third quarter to help create some separation, which proved to be enough as both teams shot below 30% from the field in the fourth and each finished with 11 points in the period.

Emma Ronsiek finished the game with 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the floor with a game-high eight rebounds and five assists. Simental's five triples paved the way for a 19-point performance, while Hannah Ronsiek (11 points, 7 rebounds) and Brooke Carlson (10 points, 4 assists) rounded out the double-digit scorers for CSU. All nine players that entered the game for Colorado State scored, while the Rams' bench outscored the Aggies' 35-11.

How It Happened
After Utah State opened the game with a 3-pointer, Colorado State settled in to build a 12-7 lead with under five minutes in the period. The lead would grow to eight with under a minute left, but back-to-back buckets from the Aggies kept them within striking distance.

Colorado State put together a 10-2 scoring run in the middle part of the second quarter, building the lead up to double-digits. Utah State's Cheyenne Stubbs scored 10 points at the period to keep things tight, while Carlie Latta scored the final seven points of the half to quickly pull the Ram lead back down to three.

USU opened the second half on the front foot as back-to-back threes from Gracie Johnson put the home team on top two minutes into the third quarter. In need of a response, CSU took control with five minutes remaining in the period as they rattled off 12-straight points, a stretch during which five-different Rams scored. As the quarter came to a close, Carlson took the ball the length of the floor before dishing it to Simental in the corner, and the birthday girl connected on one of her season-high five 3-pointers to beat the buzzer and establish a nine-point advantage for Colorado State entering the fourth quarter.

Both teams struggled offensively in the final period as each side shot below 30% from the field and combined for seven turnovers. Utah State got the lead down to seven halfway through the quarter, but the Rams responded with five-straight capped by an and-1 layup from Emma Ronsiek to put the game away for good.

What's Next
The Rams are back in Moby for two conference games to begin the new year, beginning with a Wednesday (Jan. 1) matinée against San Diego State at 1 p.m. The week concludes when Colorado State plays host to San Jose State on Saturday (Jan. 4), which also tips off at 1 p.m. Tickets to all Colorado State women's basketball games can be purchased at CSURams.com/WBBTickets.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results