Colorado State University Athletics
Sunday, December 8
Fort Collins, Colo.
1 PM
Colorado State
7-3,0-0Mountain West
74
vs
72
Gonzaga
4-6,0-0WCC
1
2
3
4
OT 1
F
Gonzaga
19
24
9
14
6
72
Colorado St.
11
12
24
19
8
74
Rams Need Overtime to Cap Big Rally
12/8/2024 4:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Women erase 20-point margin to beat Gonzaga
There were a lot of issues Ryun Williams was fighting on Sunday afternoon.
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His team was struggling offensively. The focus wasn't as sharp on the other end of the floor. When all of that came to a head at the end of the first half and the Colorado State women's basketball coach was issued a technical, Gonzaga proceeded to hit five consecutive free throws to build a 20-point advantage at the break.
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He told his team the standard stuff at half – possession by possession approach – but the one thing he wasn't going to fight any longer was himself. To come back, his team was going to need points, and when Brooke Carlson is on the floor, they just seem to come easier.
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The freshman who sparked a 7-0 run in the first half started the second and served as a defibrillator, producing 13 second-half points, including the game-winning drive with 2.0 seconds remaining to stun Gonzaga with a 74-72 victory in front of 5,500 at Moby Arena.
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Just what is it about the freshman?
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"Pace. Decision making. Again, pressure at the rim," Williams started. "And she's a pretty darn-good shooter as well. She sees it like a true point guard. We live with some of the defensive things, and I'm not going to let her off the hook totally tonight."
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He also can't deny she helped the Rams wriggle off a rather large one, right when Gonzaga felt is was reeling in a road victory to end a three-game slide.
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She did it with a career-best 18 points, pacing the team with five assists – also a career-high for the product of Batavia, Ill. She delivered a couple of steals and twice beat Claire O'Connor from the left wing on a drive to the rim for a clutch basket.
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The first time came with 33 seconds remaining on the clock in regulation, her bucket giving the Rams a 66-65 lead, coming right after her assist to Hannah gave the team life.
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The overtime drive felt like Deja-vu for her, but it wasn't the first option.
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"The play was actually to duck it into Emma (Ronsiek), but they kept jumping toward all the actions that way," she said. "I just saw a little slip and I took it."
Â
There were a lot of things which had to happen to make the win possible, little plays such as tie-up on rebounds against a team which was dominating the boards. The early hole was two-fold: Colorado State couldn't hit (shooting just 29 percent), while allowing the Bulldogs to hit at a 57.1 clip. Maud Huijbens had a double-double at the break with 10 in rebounds and points, while Yvonne Ejim had 12, thanks to hitting three free-throws with .2 remaining in the first half.
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Only one starter scored in the first half for the Rams – Emma Ronsiek. She had 12 of her team-best 21 at the break in what at the time seemed like a wasted effort.
Â
The defense had to improve. Not what they were playing, but the intensity of the actions.
Â
"I think everybody else saw what they do offensively, and they love to get to that little mid-range pullup," Hannah Ronsiek said. "Me being able to dedicate more to the post, we took a lot of their offense was in the second half they had in the first half."
Â
In her defensive role, Hannah was able to crash more into the paint, helping create chaos and put herself in position to lead the team with seven rebounds as the Rams limited to Gonzaga to nine points in the stanza.
Â
Step two was generating offense, and Hannah did her part there, too, hitting a trio of 3's in the third, finding space she hadn't seen in the first 20 minutes. Again, credit Carlson.
Â
"She's just such a facilitator. We're great players, but we don't necessarily have somebody to just kick it out and dish," said Hannah, who finished the game with 13 points. "Brooke is just able to facilitate and all of us score better.
Â
"With Kenna (Hofschild) last year, it was so easy because everyone's attention was on her and the dribble-drive stuff, and that's how I really scored last year was on kick-out 3s. I think we got a little bit of what it was like last year from Brooke, just from her dribble penetration and kick-out 3s."
Â
The Rams hoped to be within 10 by the start of the fourth, but they did better than that, trailing 52-47 after three. It wasn't long before they'd tied the game, but Gonzaga answered with a 7-0 run. Ejim and Huijbens were strong all game, scoring 22 and 15, respectively. The other thorn was Allie Turner, who finished with 18. She was the one who gave Carlson fits, the part of her game where she knows Williams will press.
Â
Good. It wasn't necessarily getting beat; it was working through the screens set on her.
Â
"That's for sure. And I deserve it, because she was kind of lighting me up, and I knew that," Carlson said. "I know that's going to be coming, but that's what I want. I want to get better, and I know that's something I need to get better at. You have to fight through it and figure out the way. I'll work on that."
Â
Which Williams knows. Which he can live with, especially with the way she provided a spark, and the voracity for which she drove for the game winner.
Â
"We always tell Brooke to be aggressive. That's just a grizzly-punch look. We were either going to punch it to the elbow with Emma, but they forced baseline," Williams said. "We had the right personnel on the floor where they were really attached to shooters, so it does present a nice opportunity to attack the rim.
Â
"That's how that young lady is wired, and she was brilliant in that second half. Really the entire game. I just loved her mentality and the motor. She gives you that player who can put pressure on the rim. I think you saw the coming out party of Brooke Carlson."
Â
Â
His team was struggling offensively. The focus wasn't as sharp on the other end of the floor. When all of that came to a head at the end of the first half and the Colorado State women's basketball coach was issued a technical, Gonzaga proceeded to hit five consecutive free throws to build a 20-point advantage at the break.
Â
He told his team the standard stuff at half – possession by possession approach – but the one thing he wasn't going to fight any longer was himself. To come back, his team was going to need points, and when Brooke Carlson is on the floor, they just seem to come easier.
Â
The freshman who sparked a 7-0 run in the first half started the second and served as a defibrillator, producing 13 second-half points, including the game-winning drive with 2.0 seconds remaining to stun Gonzaga with a 74-72 victory in front of 5,500 at Moby Arena.
Â
Just what is it about the freshman?
Â
"Pace. Decision making. Again, pressure at the rim," Williams started. "And she's a pretty darn-good shooter as well. She sees it like a true point guard. We live with some of the defensive things, and I'm not going to let her off the hook totally tonight."
Â
He also can't deny she helped the Rams wriggle off a rather large one, right when Gonzaga felt is was reeling in a road victory to end a three-game slide.
Â
She did it with a career-best 18 points, pacing the team with five assists – also a career-high for the product of Batavia, Ill. She delivered a couple of steals and twice beat Claire O'Connor from the left wing on a drive to the rim for a clutch basket.
Â
The first time came with 33 seconds remaining on the clock in regulation, her bucket giving the Rams a 66-65 lead, coming right after her assist to Hannah gave the team life.
Â
The overtime drive felt like Deja-vu for her, but it wasn't the first option.
Â
"The play was actually to duck it into Emma (Ronsiek), but they kept jumping toward all the actions that way," she said. "I just saw a little slip and I took it."
Â
There were a lot of things which had to happen to make the win possible, little plays such as tie-up on rebounds against a team which was dominating the boards. The early hole was two-fold: Colorado State couldn't hit (shooting just 29 percent), while allowing the Bulldogs to hit at a 57.1 clip. Maud Huijbens had a double-double at the break with 10 in rebounds and points, while Yvonne Ejim had 12, thanks to hitting three free-throws with .2 remaining in the first half.
Â
Only one starter scored in the first half for the Rams – Emma Ronsiek. She had 12 of her team-best 21 at the break in what at the time seemed like a wasted effort.
Â
The defense had to improve. Not what they were playing, but the intensity of the actions.
Â
"I think everybody else saw what they do offensively, and they love to get to that little mid-range pullup," Hannah Ronsiek said. "Me being able to dedicate more to the post, we took a lot of their offense was in the second half they had in the first half."
Â
In her defensive role, Hannah was able to crash more into the paint, helping create chaos and put herself in position to lead the team with seven rebounds as the Rams limited to Gonzaga to nine points in the stanza.
Â
Step two was generating offense, and Hannah did her part there, too, hitting a trio of 3's in the third, finding space she hadn't seen in the first 20 minutes. Again, credit Carlson.
Â
"She's just such a facilitator. We're great players, but we don't necessarily have somebody to just kick it out and dish," said Hannah, who finished the game with 13 points. "Brooke is just able to facilitate and all of us score better.
Â
"With Kenna (Hofschild) last year, it was so easy because everyone's attention was on her and the dribble-drive stuff, and that's how I really scored last year was on kick-out 3s. I think we got a little bit of what it was like last year from Brooke, just from her dribble penetration and kick-out 3s."
Â
The Rams hoped to be within 10 by the start of the fourth, but they did better than that, trailing 52-47 after three. It wasn't long before they'd tied the game, but Gonzaga answered with a 7-0 run. Ejim and Huijbens were strong all game, scoring 22 and 15, respectively. The other thorn was Allie Turner, who finished with 18. She was the one who gave Carlson fits, the part of her game where she knows Williams will press.
Â
Good. It wasn't necessarily getting beat; it was working through the screens set on her.
Â
"That's for sure. And I deserve it, because she was kind of lighting me up, and I knew that," Carlson said. "I know that's going to be coming, but that's what I want. I want to get better, and I know that's something I need to get better at. You have to fight through it and figure out the way. I'll work on that."
Â
Which Williams knows. Which he can live with, especially with the way she provided a spark, and the voracity for which she drove for the game winner.
Â
"We always tell Brooke to be aggressive. That's just a grizzly-punch look. We were either going to punch it to the elbow with Emma, but they forced baseline," Williams said. "We had the right personnel on the floor where they were really attached to shooters, so it does present a nice opportunity to attack the rim.
Â
"That's how that young lady is wired, and she was brilliant in that second half. Really the entire game. I just loved her mentality and the motor. She gives you that player who can put pressure on the rim. I think you saw the coming out party of Brooke Carlson."
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Team Stats
Gonz
CSU
FG%
.410
.391
3FG%
.294
.345
FT%
.773
.700
RB
49
30
TO
16
3
STL
3
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
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