Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, February 22
Fort Collins, Colo.
1:00 PM
Colorado State
20-8,11-4Mountain West
65
vs
69
UNLV
22-5,14-1Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
UNLV
15
21
18
15
69
Colorado St.
11
12
18
24
65
Rams Show Fight in Loss to UNLV
2/22/2025 4:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Battle of Mountain West's top two teams goes way of Lady Rebels.
FORT COLLINS – Colorado State women's basketball never backed down against UNLV, but came up a few shots short of pulling off the comeback and fell, 69-65, in the battle of the top two teams in the Mountain West on Saturday.
Â
CSU (20-8, 11-4 MW) was shut down offensively by the Lady Rebels (22-5, 14-1 MW) in the second quarter, allowing the visitors to jump out to a double-digit lead at halftime. Trailing by as much as 17 points in the second half, CSU battled back to make it a two-point game with less than 30-seconds to play. After a UNLV free throw, the Rams found an open look for the potential game-tying three, but it missed just off the right side of the rim and fell into the hands of the Lady Rebels.
Â
UNLV shot 43.4% (22-53) from the field to CSU's 39.3% (22-56), but were lethal from behind the arc as the Lady Rebels made eight of their 14 3-pointers (57.1%), often at clutch moments in the game.
"It's a make-miss game, and we just missed too much early in those first two quarters," head coach Ryun Williams said. "To win a big game you have to perform, and in the shot making area were just not good enough early. Really liked the fight. Really liked the fight our kids showed to give ourselves a chance late, but just not quite enough."
Â
Hannah Simental led the Rams in scoring with 19 points, including four makes from 3-point range, and was joined in double-figures by Emma Ronsiek (16 points) and Marta Leimane (15 points). Leimane, who averages just 6.4 points on the year, has elevated her play down the stretch and scored 11.7 points across the last three games.
Â
How It Happened
Colorado State's early shooting was emblematic of Fort Collins' recent temperatures as the Rams opened the game shooting just 1-of-8 from the field and 0-of-4 from deep, giving way for UNLV to build a 10-2 lead at the first media timeout. Emma Ronsiek broke the spell with a 3-pointer in response, and Simental drained one from behind the arc a minute later to trim the lead.
Â
With a minute remaining, Leimane crossed over her opponent and took it to the rack, drawing the contact and converting the layup. After making good on the following free-throw attempt, CSU trailed by just four points entering the second quarter.
Â
Colorado State entered the second with a competitive edge and battled back to tie the game at 16 just a few minutes into the period. However, the Lady Rebel defense found another gear and shut down the Rams for nearly five minutes of game time, facilitating a 13-0 run to race back in front. Kloe Froebe willed her way to a pair of big baskets down low in the late stages, but a UNLV 3-pointer restored the 13-point advantage after the first 20 minutes.
Â
Colorado State started on the right foot in the second half, going down low to Emma Ronsiek and then finding Simental for three. However, the Lady Rebels showed no signs of backing down as they grouped together to go on another double-digit scoring run, this time a 10-point spurt across which CSU did not score for nearly four minutes. The lead grew as large as 17, but five-straight points from Simental limited the damage and reduced it down to 13 entering the final 10 minutes.
Â
The Rams made several attempts at opening a scoring run early in the fourth quarter, but on three occasions UNLV connected on a three-pointer to stop the Rams from breaking out. With under five to play, Emma Ronsiek drove down the left side of the lane and finished through traffic, drawing the foul for the and-one which made it a five-point affair.
Â
CSU strung together several defensive stops but failed to produce points on its own side of the floor. UNLV converted a layup to make it a seven-point game to go with 1:26 left, but Simental drew the and-one on the other end and drained the free throw to make it a two-possession game once again. After a forcing a miss from the Lady Rebels, the Rams got the ball to Emma Ronsiek down low who drew the foul and made her pair of shots from the line, pushing CSU within two with just under 30 seconds remaining.
Â
The Rams were forced into fouling on defense, sending Aaliyah Alexander to the charity stripe. Alexander missed the front end of her two shots but made good on the second, and CSU called a timeout to advance the ball to half court in search of the game-tying basket. On the ensuing inbound play, the Lady Rebels' cut out the Rams' primary options with solid defensive switching. Leimane used the dribble to create some space and put up a triple, but missed just off the right side of the iron. UNLV made a final free throw on the other end to make it a four-point lead with seven seconds left, putting a stop to Colorado State's upset bit.
Â
Up Next
Colorado State hits the road for a matchup with Nevada on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. MT.
Â
Â
CSU (20-8, 11-4 MW) was shut down offensively by the Lady Rebels (22-5, 14-1 MW) in the second quarter, allowing the visitors to jump out to a double-digit lead at halftime. Trailing by as much as 17 points in the second half, CSU battled back to make it a two-point game with less than 30-seconds to play. After a UNLV free throw, the Rams found an open look for the potential game-tying three, but it missed just off the right side of the rim and fell into the hands of the Lady Rebels.
Â
UNLV shot 43.4% (22-53) from the field to CSU's 39.3% (22-56), but were lethal from behind the arc as the Lady Rebels made eight of their 14 3-pointers (57.1%), often at clutch moments in the game.
"It's a make-miss game, and we just missed too much early in those first two quarters," head coach Ryun Williams said. "To win a big game you have to perform, and in the shot making area were just not good enough early. Really liked the fight. Really liked the fight our kids showed to give ourselves a chance late, but just not quite enough."
Â
Hannah Simental led the Rams in scoring with 19 points, including four makes from 3-point range, and was joined in double-figures by Emma Ronsiek (16 points) and Marta Leimane (15 points). Leimane, who averages just 6.4 points on the year, has elevated her play down the stretch and scored 11.7 points across the last three games.
Â
How It Happened
Colorado State's early shooting was emblematic of Fort Collins' recent temperatures as the Rams opened the game shooting just 1-of-8 from the field and 0-of-4 from deep, giving way for UNLV to build a 10-2 lead at the first media timeout. Emma Ronsiek broke the spell with a 3-pointer in response, and Simental drained one from behind the arc a minute later to trim the lead.
Â
With a minute remaining, Leimane crossed over her opponent and took it to the rack, drawing the contact and converting the layup. After making good on the following free-throw attempt, CSU trailed by just four points entering the second quarter.
Â
Colorado State entered the second with a competitive edge and battled back to tie the game at 16 just a few minutes into the period. However, the Lady Rebel defense found another gear and shut down the Rams for nearly five minutes of game time, facilitating a 13-0 run to race back in front. Kloe Froebe willed her way to a pair of big baskets down low in the late stages, but a UNLV 3-pointer restored the 13-point advantage after the first 20 minutes.
Â
Colorado State started on the right foot in the second half, going down low to Emma Ronsiek and then finding Simental for three. However, the Lady Rebels showed no signs of backing down as they grouped together to go on another double-digit scoring run, this time a 10-point spurt across which CSU did not score for nearly four minutes. The lead grew as large as 17, but five-straight points from Simental limited the damage and reduced it down to 13 entering the final 10 minutes.
Â
The Rams made several attempts at opening a scoring run early in the fourth quarter, but on three occasions UNLV connected on a three-pointer to stop the Rams from breaking out. With under five to play, Emma Ronsiek drove down the left side of the lane and finished through traffic, drawing the foul for the and-one which made it a five-point affair.
Â
CSU strung together several defensive stops but failed to produce points on its own side of the floor. UNLV converted a layup to make it a seven-point game to go with 1:26 left, but Simental drew the and-one on the other end and drained the free throw to make it a two-possession game once again. After a forcing a miss from the Lady Rebels, the Rams got the ball to Emma Ronsiek down low who drew the foul and made her pair of shots from the line, pushing CSU within two with just under 30 seconds remaining.
Â
The Rams were forced into fouling on defense, sending Aaliyah Alexander to the charity stripe. Alexander missed the front end of her two shots but made good on the second, and CSU called a timeout to advance the ball to half court in search of the game-tying basket. On the ensuing inbound play, the Lady Rebels' cut out the Rams' primary options with solid defensive switching. Leimane used the dribble to create some space and put up a triple, but missed just off the right side of the iron. UNLV made a final free throw on the other end to make it a four-point lead with seven seconds left, putting a stop to Colorado State's upset bit.
Â
Up Next
Colorado State hits the road for a matchup with Nevada on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. MT.
Â
Team Stats
UNLV
CSU
FG%
.434
.393
3FG%
.571
.348
FT%
.714
.867
RB
40
26
TO
9
6
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballCSU Basketball (WBB) - Behind the Whiteboard with Coach Burkett
Thursday, September 11
CSU Basketball (WBB) - Behind the Whiteboard with Coach Sy
Thursday, August 28
CSU Basketball (WBB) - Gear Day 2025
Tuesday, August 26
CSU Basketball (WBB) - 94 Feet with Brooke Carlson
Wednesday, August 13