Colorado State University Athletics
Tuesday, March 5
Fort Collins, CO
6:30 PM
Colorado State
19-10,10-8Mountain West
64
vs
50
Boise State
19-12,10-8Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Boise St.
12
12
13
13
50
Colorado St.
16
16
18
14
64
Rams Enjoy Two-for-One Night
3/5/2024 9:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Seven seniors exit Moby with win; team avoids first day of tourney
Seniors always want to exit stage left with a victory. For the seven honored Tuesday night at Moby Arena, the final contest of the Mountain West regular season carried an added weight of importance.
Win, and Colorado State's women's basketball team would avoid the first round of the upcoming conference tournament. A tournament is much easier to attack when it's three games in three days, not four in four.
When McKenna Hofschild was handed the microphone at midcourt to say her goodbyes to a community which has embraced her for four seasons, the tears she tried to avoid were a mix of sadness and joy, presented after a 64-50 win over Boise State which assures the Rams of the fifth seed and a first-round bye.
"It was fun. I'm glad we got a win," Hofschild said. "That makes it a lot better. Just very special. I can't put it into words quite yet. To have four years here, that means a lot."
Marta Leimane was once again a force on offense, the sophomore leading the way with 21 points on a 10-of-14 shooting night. Hofschild struggled a bit from the floor but hit all the big plays in the big moments on her way to a 19-point effort.
However, it was the defensive effort which was the Rams' saving grace.
"We really guarded. I thought we got off to a great start defensively and finished a lot of possessions on the glass," CSU coach Ryun Williams said. "Boise's usually gotten us on the glass pretty good, but we guarded really consistently for four quarters. Yes, their ball-screen game can be pretty potent. We did a great job on their shooters. They can really shoot it if you let them get free, and the interior, we made it difficult."
Boise State shot just 33.9 percent in the game, just 25 percent from behind the arc. The Broncos had trouble finding good looks, and when they did, they had trouble making them. There wasn't a Bronco who touched the floor who finished in double figures.
On top of that, the Rams held their own on the glass, losing that battle just 40-35, and blocked seven shots, three by grad student Sydney Mech, who pushed her season total to 44, fifth most in a single season.
Leimane's offensive efforts have been key, but she's also changed the Rams' defense for the better. From her point of view, the primary focus of the game was always there for them.
"This was really important, and emotional. Like, we had to win; it was really important for us," Leimane said. "It was a great night. I don't even know what to say."
The Rams took an eight-point advantage into the break, then progressively pulled away throughout the second half. They led by as much as 20 at the high-water mark and never allowed the Broncos to sniff a bit of hope. Senior Cailyn Crocker scored eight of her 10 points in the second half, six in the third stanza. She hit a three, connected on a three-point play and even assisted on a trey from Hannah Ronsiek in the corner.
She was all smiles, and the outburst allowed Williams to do some special things at the end. He called for his team to foul late for the purpose of getting five of the seven seniors on the floor together. Then he called for another foul late, allowing the other two to replace Hofschild and Mech, the move met with wild applause and an embrace from the two departing seniors.
"Those are really neat moments. They're neat moments for coaches, but they're incredible moments for players," Williams said. "You want to do that for every player, but McKenna has had such an outstanding career. She's played a lot of minutes on that floor. She's probably mad at me because I took her out."
With the game over and the first-round bye assured, there was one last salute to one of the best Rams ever. The program and conference's all-time assist leader (763) and No. 2 in career scoring with 2,132.
Willams spoke first at the end, highlighting the amazing career of Hofschild. Not just the numbers, but the heart and the competitive fire. Then she was given the chance to say her thanks, her one goal being not to cry.
She almost made it, too.
"You know, I was thinking I was going to get through it without crying," she said. "It's just … I don't know, I'm just so grateful. I think when you have such a great place and such great people beside you, it's hard not to get emotional at a time like that. I wrapped it up a little bit faster than I thought, but hopefully I got the point across just how thankful I am and how great the supports been here, too."
She did. So did the Rams, adding to the reasons to celebrate.
Win, and Colorado State's women's basketball team would avoid the first round of the upcoming conference tournament. A tournament is much easier to attack when it's three games in three days, not four in four.
When McKenna Hofschild was handed the microphone at midcourt to say her goodbyes to a community which has embraced her for four seasons, the tears she tried to avoid were a mix of sadness and joy, presented after a 64-50 win over Boise State which assures the Rams of the fifth seed and a first-round bye.
𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝟰.#Stalwart x #CSURams pic.twitter.com/FmV8raqd5n
— Colorado State Women's Basketball (@CSUWBasketball) March 6, 2024
"It was fun. I'm glad we got a win," Hofschild said. "That makes it a lot better. Just very special. I can't put it into words quite yet. To have four years here, that means a lot."
Marta Leimane was once again a force on offense, the sophomore leading the way with 21 points on a 10-of-14 shooting night. Hofschild struggled a bit from the floor but hit all the big plays in the big moments on her way to a 19-point effort.
However, it was the defensive effort which was the Rams' saving grace.
"We really guarded. I thought we got off to a great start defensively and finished a lot of possessions on the glass," CSU coach Ryun Williams said. "Boise's usually gotten us on the glass pretty good, but we guarded really consistently for four quarters. Yes, their ball-screen game can be pretty potent. We did a great job on their shooters. They can really shoot it if you let them get free, and the interior, we made it difficult."
Boise State shot just 33.9 percent in the game, just 25 percent from behind the arc. The Broncos had trouble finding good looks, and when they did, they had trouble making them. There wasn't a Bronco who touched the floor who finished in double figures.
On top of that, the Rams held their own on the glass, losing that battle just 40-35, and blocked seven shots, three by grad student Sydney Mech, who pushed her season total to 44, fifth most in a single season.
Leimane's offensive efforts have been key, but she's also changed the Rams' defense for the better. From her point of view, the primary focus of the game was always there for them.
"This was really important, and emotional. Like, we had to win; it was really important for us," Leimane said. "It was a great night. I don't even know what to say."
The Rams took an eight-point advantage into the break, then progressively pulled away throughout the second half. They led by as much as 20 at the high-water mark and never allowed the Broncos to sniff a bit of hope. Senior Cailyn Crocker scored eight of her 10 points in the second half, six in the third stanza. She hit a three, connected on a three-point play and even assisted on a trey from Hannah Ronsiek in the corner.
She was all smiles, and the outburst allowed Williams to do some special things at the end. He called for his team to foul late for the purpose of getting five of the seven seniors on the floor together. Then he called for another foul late, allowing the other two to replace Hofschild and Mech, the move met with wild applause and an embrace from the two departing seniors.
"Those are really neat moments. They're neat moments for coaches, but they're incredible moments for players," Williams said. "You want to do that for every player, but McKenna has had such an outstanding career. She's played a lot of minutes on that floor. She's probably mad at me because I took her out."
With the game over and the first-round bye assured, there was one last salute to one of the best Rams ever. The program and conference's all-time assist leader (763) and No. 2 in career scoring with 2,132.
Willams spoke first at the end, highlighting the amazing career of Hofschild. Not just the numbers, but the heart and the competitive fire. Then she was given the chance to say her thanks, her one goal being not to cry.
She almost made it, too.
"You know, I was thinking I was going to get through it without crying," she said. "It's just … I don't know, I'm just so grateful. I think when you have such a great place and such great people beside you, it's hard not to get emotional at a time like that. I wrapped it up a little bit faster than I thought, but hopefully I got the point across just how thankful I am and how great the supports been here, too."
She did. So did the Rams, adding to the reasons to celebrate.
Team Stats
Boise
CSU
FG%
.339
.431
3FG%
.250
.350
FT%
.667
.778
RB
40
35
TO
15
10
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
10
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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