Colorado State University Athletics
Wednesday, February 7
Fort Collins, CO
6:30 PM
Colorado State
15-7,6-5Mountain West
69
vs
56
Fresno State
11-13,4-7Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Fresno St.
9
14
14
19
56
Colorado St.
17
14
23
15
69
Hofschild Hits Another Milestone as Rams Win
2/7/2024 9:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Guard becomes just third CSU basketball player with 2,000 career points
She tries not to think about it, but that's impossible.
When a milestone is on the horizon, it naturally becomes part of the pregame thoughts. You can try to push it aside all you want, but McKenna Hofschild notes it isn't easy. She should know, having some practice with the theory.
When Wednesday's game with Fresno State tipped off at Moby Arena, No. 4 needed just four points to reach a milestone only two Rams had reached before her – 2,000 career points. It came just past the halfway point of the first quarter – a frame where the Rams established a foothold – joining Becky Hammon (2,740) and Isaiah Stevens (2,152) in a rather select club.
"I think I try to keep it the same. I feel if I think about it too much I don't play to the best of my abilities, so I try to go in and let the game come to me, be a good teammate, be a good leader and just know when the time is right it will find me and I'll get it done," Hofschild said. "I try not to think too much and just let it happen."
Hofschild also became just the third female in Mountain West history to reach 2,000, joining Utah's Kim Smith (2,281, 2002-06) and BYU's Erin Thorn (2.061, 1999-03), the preeminent scorers at the berth of the conference.
The game won't go down as her best shooting performance, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting, but she was still the catalyst for the team, recording her 17th career double-double – her ninth of the season – by contributing 11 assists.
All that, and what her coach will remember most of the 69-56 victory – because he spaced in the moment the other part -- is the opposite end of the floor.
"I totally forgot about that. McKenna, I liked how she guarded tonight," CSU's Ryun William said. "That's what's going to stand out for me. She just always seems to figure things out in these games. When you need a big play, a big assist, she seems to always find it. The 3 she had out of our split action was really big late; that kind of ended the game.
"I'm so proud of her. She's obviously a special one."
The total (2,012 officially) is the sign of a stalwart career, yet along the way she's become more than a distributor and a scorer. She's become a leader and developed a voice, one some of her teammates hear better than that of their coach.
Namely Sydney Mech.
In her Colorado State career, Mech has always been the defensive stopper, drawing the toughest assignment each and every game. She is long and lean, so she blocks shots with aplomb and clogs passing lanes.
Now, after three years of prodding from Williams, she's become a key scorer for the team. Why? She pointed to Hofschild.
"She's always been on me," Mech said. "I don't know … It's your last year. We've played everyone. I've been out here, I've done it and it's time to step up for my teammates. They've been saying that. Yeah, defensively I've always been helpful in that way, but how else can I help my team? It's just being confidence in being able to hit my shots."
Mech led the team with 19 points, turning the tide in the third stanza with 12. After the Rams (15-7, 6-5 Mountain West) struggled to operate against the zone in the second while she was sitting with two fouls, her reappearance in the third reminded the Rams how to attack. Her scoring, added by Sanna Strom in much the same fashion, led to a 23-point third, creating the real separation the hosts desired.
Mech was 8-of-12 from the field while draining all of her 3-point attempts, pulled down three rebounds and notched four of the team's seven blocks. When she was on the bench in a stagnant second, she was paying attention to where she could make an impact.
"I think that's what every player kind of does, just reading when their out, how can I help when I get on the floor," Mech said. "Coach was saying the middle is wide open. OK, go out, flash the middle hard and be there for my teammates."
Marta Leimane, growing in her recent role as a starter, was an early threat with 11 first-half points.
After the game, Hofschild found her mom for a hug, doing so as the school's all-time assist leader, now with 723, a figure which ranks best in Mountain West history. What she didn't remember was Stevens, her counterpart No. 4 on the men's team, had also reached the 2,000-point mark. That made it feel a bit more special.
"It's so funny. I keep telling my teammates this – I feel he sets something and then I'm a few weeks happen," she said. "Mountain West assists happens, and then I got it right after. He got 2,000, and then I got it after. It's really cool to see the success he's had and his decorated career, just to be able to relate in that way with each other … It's hard to explain how special that is."
The duo has established this is the golden age of point guard play at the school, both weaving their magic from the first time they stepped on the floor. Begs the question, who is the better of the two?
To which Williams smiled, then went perfectly diplomatic.
"That's a no-brainer. It's No. 4, OK," he said. "How lucky are we though folks to be able to watch Isaiah Stevens and McKenna Hofschild, in all honesty, and two really incredible individuals, two incredible competitors. You might not see anything like this again in the history of Colorado State basketball. I hope people keep showing up to watch both of those teams and players."
A time, really, which will be hard for fans to push to the back of their mind.
When a milestone is on the horizon, it naturally becomes part of the pregame thoughts. You can try to push it aside all you want, but McKenna Hofschild notes it isn't easy. She should know, having some practice with the theory.
When Wednesday's game with Fresno State tipped off at Moby Arena, No. 4 needed just four points to reach a milestone only two Rams had reached before her – 2,000 career points. It came just past the halfway point of the first quarter – a frame where the Rams established a foothold – joining Becky Hammon (2,740) and Isaiah Stevens (2,152) in a rather select club.
Mc𝟐𝐊enna#Stalwart x @mckenna_hofs pic.twitter.com/gFDgiwwDjT
— Colorado State Women's Basketball (@CSUWBasketball) February 8, 2024
"I think I try to keep it the same. I feel if I think about it too much I don't play to the best of my abilities, so I try to go in and let the game come to me, be a good teammate, be a good leader and just know when the time is right it will find me and I'll get it done," Hofschild said. "I try not to think too much and just let it happen."
Hofschild also became just the third female in Mountain West history to reach 2,000, joining Utah's Kim Smith (2,281, 2002-06) and BYU's Erin Thorn (2.061, 1999-03), the preeminent scorers at the berth of the conference.
The game won't go down as her best shooting performance, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting, but she was still the catalyst for the team, recording her 17th career double-double – her ninth of the season – by contributing 11 assists.
All that, and what her coach will remember most of the 69-56 victory – because he spaced in the moment the other part -- is the opposite end of the floor.
"I totally forgot about that. McKenna, I liked how she guarded tonight," CSU's Ryun William said. "That's what's going to stand out for me. She just always seems to figure things out in these games. When you need a big play, a big assist, she seems to always find it. The 3 she had out of our split action was really big late; that kind of ended the game.
"I'm so proud of her. She's obviously a special one."
The total (2,012 officially) is the sign of a stalwart career, yet along the way she's become more than a distributor and a scorer. She's become a leader and developed a voice, one some of her teammates hear better than that of their coach.
Namely Sydney Mech.
In her Colorado State career, Mech has always been the defensive stopper, drawing the toughest assignment each and every game. She is long and lean, so she blocks shots with aplomb and clogs passing lanes.
Now, after three years of prodding from Williams, she's become a key scorer for the team. Why? She pointed to Hofschild.
"She's always been on me," Mech said. "I don't know … It's your last year. We've played everyone. I've been out here, I've done it and it's time to step up for my teammates. They've been saying that. Yeah, defensively I've always been helpful in that way, but how else can I help my team? It's just being confidence in being able to hit my shots."
Mech led the team with 19 points, turning the tide in the third stanza with 12. After the Rams (15-7, 6-5 Mountain West) struggled to operate against the zone in the second while she was sitting with two fouls, her reappearance in the third reminded the Rams how to attack. Her scoring, added by Sanna Strom in much the same fashion, led to a 23-point third, creating the real separation the hosts desired.
Mech was 8-of-12 from the field while draining all of her 3-point attempts, pulled down three rebounds and notched four of the team's seven blocks. When she was on the bench in a stagnant second, she was paying attention to where she could make an impact.
"I think that's what every player kind of does, just reading when their out, how can I help when I get on the floor," Mech said. "Coach was saying the middle is wide open. OK, go out, flash the middle hard and be there for my teammates."
Marta Leimane, growing in her recent role as a starter, was an early threat with 11 first-half points.
After the game, Hofschild found her mom for a hug, doing so as the school's all-time assist leader, now with 723, a figure which ranks best in Mountain West history. What she didn't remember was Stevens, her counterpart No. 4 on the men's team, had also reached the 2,000-point mark. That made it feel a bit more special.
"It's so funny. I keep telling my teammates this – I feel he sets something and then I'm a few weeks happen," she said. "Mountain West assists happens, and then I got it right after. He got 2,000, and then I got it after. It's really cool to see the success he's had and his decorated career, just to be able to relate in that way with each other … It's hard to explain how special that is."
The duo has established this is the golden age of point guard play at the school, both weaving their magic from the first time they stepped on the floor. Begs the question, who is the better of the two?
To which Williams smiled, then went perfectly diplomatic.
"That's a no-brainer. It's No. 4, OK," he said. "How lucky are we though folks to be able to watch Isaiah Stevens and McKenna Hofschild, in all honesty, and two really incredible individuals, two incredible competitors. You might not see anything like this again in the history of Colorado State basketball. I hope people keep showing up to watch both of those teams and players."
A time, really, which will be hard for fans to push to the back of their mind.
Team Stats
Fresno
CSU
FG%
.323
.510
3FG%
.190
.450
FT%
.667
.571
RB
35
37
TO
8
10
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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