Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, January 31
Las Vegas, Nev.
1:00 PM
Colorado State
17-6,8-4Mountain West
51
at
64
UNLV
15-7,10-2Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado St.
9
11
18
13
51
UNLV
15
13
12
24
64
Rams Outpaced in Fourth Quarter
1/31/2026 4:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bargesser's career high not enough to take down Lady Rebels
LAS VEGAS — Colorado State battled back to make it a tie ball game in the fourth quarter, but UNLV outpaced the Rams in the final eight minutes to hand CSU a 64-51 loss in Las Vegas on Saturday.
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Colorado State (17-6, 8-4 MW) was slow out of the gates, mustering nine first-quarter points that allowed the Lady Rebels (15-7, 10-2 MW) to take an early lead. The Rams came out of the break and utilized improved ball movement to pull within a possession, but UNLV responded with a 9-0 scoring run that helped it take a 28-20 advantage into halftime.
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With CSU needing a spark, Lexus Bargesser stepped up to the plate and pushed the pace offensively, helping the Rams close the third quarter on an 8-0 scoring which trimmed the deficit to two points. A pair of Madelyn Bragg free throws out of the break tied the score at 40, but the Lady Rebels turned on a 17-2 scoring run on the back of a 9-for-10 shooting performance that put the game away.
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Bargesser led all scorers and established a career high with 26 points, finishing the game 10-of-19 from the floor with four 3-pointers. The senior guard was the only double-figure scorer for the Rams, who finished with their worst shooting performance of the year at 29.5% from the floor.
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How It Happened
The game tipped off with Bargesser nailing a jumper for the Rams, helped by Brooke Carlson at 8:49, giving an early edge. The Lady Rebels answered back with a three from Destiny Leo at 7:40, assisted by Aaliyah Alexander, taking it to 3-2. Marta Leimane evened it up at 4-4 with a jumper at 3:44, but Destiny Brown and Meadow Roland quickly put UNLV ahead with a layup and a jumper. As time ticked down, Leimane drained a three at 0:15, tightening the score to 12-9. However, Sydni Summers closed the quarter for the Lady Rebels with a buzzer-beater three, ending it at 15-9.
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The second quarter was a seesaw battle, with Kloe Froebe making her mark for the Rams, including a layup at 9:01 and later a crucial 3-pointer with 1:32 to go. Still, the Lady Rebels held firm, with Shelbee Brown hitting two pivotal layups and Roland adding a jumper to widen their lead. The Rams struggled with their shooting, going 5-for-16, while UNLV was sharper, hitting 6-of-11. The half wrapped up with the Lady Rebels on top, 28-20, as they capitalized on turnovers and kept up strong defensive boards.
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In the third quarter, the Rams clawed back, outscoring the Lady Rebels 18-12. Bargesser was key, sinking a layup at 5:45 and a three-pointer with 42 seconds left, cutting UNLV's lead to 40-36. Hannah Ronsiek added momentum with two free throws at 6:16. Though the Lady Rebels' Roland made strong plays, the Rams' defense, including a crucial steal by Carlson at the 52-second mark, kept the pace. Bragg's two free throws with 15 seconds left pulled the Rams within two as the quarter ended.
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But the Lady Rebels surged in the fourth, sealing a 64-51 win over the Rams. Alexander's layup at 2:35 pushed the Lady Rebels' advantage to 59-45. Roland was clutch, sinking two free throws at 1:34 to solidify their lead. Summers hit a three at the 27-second mark, stretching it to 64-48. Despite a late three by Bargesser with 16 seconds left, the Rams couldn't close the gap.
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Up Next
Colorado State returns home for a rivalry matchup against Wyoming on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. MT. It is the annual Pack Moby game, with tickets available for as low as $1. All tickets to CSU home games can be purchased at CSURams.com/WBBTickets.
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Colorado State (17-6, 8-4 MW) was slow out of the gates, mustering nine first-quarter points that allowed the Lady Rebels (15-7, 10-2 MW) to take an early lead. The Rams came out of the break and utilized improved ball movement to pull within a possession, but UNLV responded with a 9-0 scoring run that helped it take a 28-20 advantage into halftime.
Â
With CSU needing a spark, Lexus Bargesser stepped up to the plate and pushed the pace offensively, helping the Rams close the third quarter on an 8-0 scoring which trimmed the deficit to two points. A pair of Madelyn Bragg free throws out of the break tied the score at 40, but the Lady Rebels turned on a 17-2 scoring run on the back of a 9-for-10 shooting performance that put the game away.
Â
Bargesser led all scorers and established a career high with 26 points, finishing the game 10-of-19 from the floor with four 3-pointers. The senior guard was the only double-figure scorer for the Rams, who finished with their worst shooting performance of the year at 29.5% from the floor.
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How It Happened
The game tipped off with Bargesser nailing a jumper for the Rams, helped by Brooke Carlson at 8:49, giving an early edge. The Lady Rebels answered back with a three from Destiny Leo at 7:40, assisted by Aaliyah Alexander, taking it to 3-2. Marta Leimane evened it up at 4-4 with a jumper at 3:44, but Destiny Brown and Meadow Roland quickly put UNLV ahead with a layup and a jumper. As time ticked down, Leimane drained a three at 0:15, tightening the score to 12-9. However, Sydni Summers closed the quarter for the Lady Rebels with a buzzer-beater three, ending it at 15-9.
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The second quarter was a seesaw battle, with Kloe Froebe making her mark for the Rams, including a layup at 9:01 and later a crucial 3-pointer with 1:32 to go. Still, the Lady Rebels held firm, with Shelbee Brown hitting two pivotal layups and Roland adding a jumper to widen their lead. The Rams struggled with their shooting, going 5-for-16, while UNLV was sharper, hitting 6-of-11. The half wrapped up with the Lady Rebels on top, 28-20, as they capitalized on turnovers and kept up strong defensive boards.
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In the third quarter, the Rams clawed back, outscoring the Lady Rebels 18-12. Bargesser was key, sinking a layup at 5:45 and a three-pointer with 42 seconds left, cutting UNLV's lead to 40-36. Hannah Ronsiek added momentum with two free throws at 6:16. Though the Lady Rebels' Roland made strong plays, the Rams' defense, including a crucial steal by Carlson at the 52-second mark, kept the pace. Bragg's two free throws with 15 seconds left pulled the Rams within two as the quarter ended.
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But the Lady Rebels surged in the fourth, sealing a 64-51 win over the Rams. Alexander's layup at 2:35 pushed the Lady Rebels' advantage to 59-45. Roland was clutch, sinking two free throws at 1:34 to solidify their lead. Summers hit a three at the 27-second mark, stretching it to 64-48. Despite a late three by Bargesser with 16 seconds left, the Rams couldn't close the gap.
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Up Next
Colorado State returns home for a rivalry matchup against Wyoming on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. MT. It is the annual Pack Moby game, with tickets available for as low as $1. All tickets to CSU home games can be purchased at CSURams.com/WBBTickets.
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Team Stats
CSU
UNLV
FG%
.295
.521
3FG%
.318
.412
FT%
1.000
.583
RB
28
40
TO
8
14
STL
9
3
Game Leaders
Pts
26
FGM
10
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballColorado State Basketball (W): Froebe (L) and Carlson (R) Post-Game (Grand Canyon, 25-26)
Wednesday, January 28
Colorado State Basketball (W): Rico Burkett Post-Game (SDSU, 25-26)
Wednesday, January 28
Colorado State Basketball (W): Ronsiek (L) and Froebe (R) Post-Game (Grand Canyon, 25-26)
Wednesday, January 21
Colorado State Basketball (W): Ryun Williams Post-Game (Grand Canyon, 25-26)
Wednesday, January 21