Colorado State University Athletics
Wednesday, January 7
Fort Collins, Colo.
6:30 PM
Colorado State
13-3,4-1Mountain West
59
vs
66
New Mexico
12-4,4-1Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
New Mexico
13
19
10
24
66
Colorado St.
22
2
17
18
59
Photo by: CSU Athletics Communications
Hot Shooting Lifts Lobos Past Rams at Moby
1/7/2026 9:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball
New Mexico capitalizes from beyond the arc in 66–59 win over CSU
Colorado State's preparation wasn't hitting in the way it needed to — especially in defending the 3‑point line.
On Wednesday, in the Rams' fifth conference matchup, New Mexico threw everything it had onto the floor and walked out of Moby Arena with a 66–59 win. CSU opened the night with energy and execution, racing out to a 22–13 lead by the end of the first quarter. But the momentum they built barely lasted into the second.
The Lobos kept firing, and the Rams couldn't match the pace. CSU managed just two points in the period, coming from Brooke Carlson in the final 48 seconds of the half. Carlson and Kloe Froebe both finished in double figures, but their production couldn't compensate for the early defensive lapses that continued to snowball.
Off the bench, New Mexico found its spark in true freshman Laila Abdurraqib, a sharpshooter who delivered a career‑defining performance. She went 7‑of‑9 from behind the arc and ended the night with 25 points, nearly doubling her season high.
"44 had different ideas," Coach Ryun Williams said. "That kid just lit us up like a flipping Christmas tree. And that's been our big issue, giving up the three‑ball, where they just stare us down and shoot it right in our face. Going back to Fresno, we didn't make that adjustment tonight. So we've got to be more prideful on the ball and get that done. 44 beat us in that way."
The defensive breakdown was most glaring in the second quarter and soon fed into the offensive performance.
Seventeen straight possessions without a field goal will erode any team's confidence, and CSU felt the weight of it as the half dragged on. The mentality shift they needed never came in time.
"Yeah, it definitely does," Carlson said. "Especially the mental aspect. Not seeing it go in the net can affect the defensive end. But that's where we need to grow as a team, just get mentally stronger in that aspect, and we'll be perfectly fine. We're going to bounce back and we're just going to pick each other up no matter what."
CSU did adjust coming out of halftime and managed to reclaim the lead multiple times. But 12 turnovers proved too costly, and the Lobos capitalized — scoring 18 points off those giveaways and swinging momentum back in their favor every time the Rams threatened to take control.
To Williams, the issue went deeper than execution.
"We just got to regain some spirit," he said. "I mean, where was the leadership tonight? That was very, very discouraging. It's like you've got a lot of kids just kind of looking around. Well, how about we huddle up and figure out how we're going to get this done, especially when there were some winning opportunities out there. So we've got to regroup tomorrow. We're going to practice tomorrow, get ready for Boise, see if we can't go get a big conference road win."
The message was clear: the physical miscues mattered, but the emotional and mental lapses mattered more.
"I feel like it kind of goes the other way," Froebe said. "I think our defense wasn't great, and I think defense beats offense. I think that led to a poor offensive quarter."
For the Rams, the loss wasn't defined by a lack of talent, but by the gaps in focus, leadership and defensive intensity — cracks that widened as the night wore on. Against a conference opponent willing to shoot without hesitation, those lapses proved decisive. CSU showed flashes of the team it believes it can be, clawing back after halftime and briefly seizing momentum, but consistency never followed.
As conference play grinds on, those margins will only get thinner. Wins won't come from spurts alone, but from sustained energy when adversity hits. With another road test looming, the Rams face a choice: let this loss linger or use it as the moment that sharpens their identity.
Carlson put it best though.
"I think we just got to learn from this loss," she said. "I mean, like we say, it's not a loss, it's a learning opportunity. And so, we can watch film, we can study it and get to the court tomorrow and practice what we need to work on."
On Wednesday, in the Rams' fifth conference matchup, New Mexico threw everything it had onto the floor and walked out of Moby Arena with a 66–59 win. CSU opened the night with energy and execution, racing out to a 22–13 lead by the end of the first quarter. But the momentum they built barely lasted into the second.
The Lobos kept firing, and the Rams couldn't match the pace. CSU managed just two points in the period, coming from Brooke Carlson in the final 48 seconds of the half. Carlson and Kloe Froebe both finished in double figures, but their production couldn't compensate for the early defensive lapses that continued to snowball.
Off the bench, New Mexico found its spark in true freshman Laila Abdurraqib, a sharpshooter who delivered a career‑defining performance. She went 7‑of‑9 from behind the arc and ended the night with 25 points, nearly doubling her season high.
"44 had different ideas," Coach Ryun Williams said. "That kid just lit us up like a flipping Christmas tree. And that's been our big issue, giving up the three‑ball, where they just stare us down and shoot it right in our face. Going back to Fresno, we didn't make that adjustment tonight. So we've got to be more prideful on the ball and get that done. 44 beat us in that way."
The defensive breakdown was most glaring in the second quarter and soon fed into the offensive performance.
Seventeen straight possessions without a field goal will erode any team's confidence, and CSU felt the weight of it as the half dragged on. The mentality shift they needed never came in time.
"Yeah, it definitely does," Carlson said. "Especially the mental aspect. Not seeing it go in the net can affect the defensive end. But that's where we need to grow as a team, just get mentally stronger in that aspect, and we'll be perfectly fine. We're going to bounce back and we're just going to pick each other up no matter what."
CSU did adjust coming out of halftime and managed to reclaim the lead multiple times. But 12 turnovers proved too costly, and the Lobos capitalized — scoring 18 points off those giveaways and swinging momentum back in their favor every time the Rams threatened to take control.
To Williams, the issue went deeper than execution.
"We just got to regain some spirit," he said. "I mean, where was the leadership tonight? That was very, very discouraging. It's like you've got a lot of kids just kind of looking around. Well, how about we huddle up and figure out how we're going to get this done, especially when there were some winning opportunities out there. So we've got to regroup tomorrow. We're going to practice tomorrow, get ready for Boise, see if we can't go get a big conference road win."
The message was clear: the physical miscues mattered, but the emotional and mental lapses mattered more.
"I feel like it kind of goes the other way," Froebe said. "I think our defense wasn't great, and I think defense beats offense. I think that led to a poor offensive quarter."
For the Rams, the loss wasn't defined by a lack of talent, but by the gaps in focus, leadership and defensive intensity — cracks that widened as the night wore on. Against a conference opponent willing to shoot without hesitation, those lapses proved decisive. CSU showed flashes of the team it believes it can be, clawing back after halftime and briefly seizing momentum, but consistency never followed.
As conference play grinds on, those margins will only get thinner. Wins won't come from spurts alone, but from sustained energy when adversity hits. With another road test looming, the Rams face a choice: let this loss linger or use it as the moment that sharpens their identity.
Carlson put it best though.
"I think we just got to learn from this loss," she said. "I mean, like we say, it's not a loss, it's a learning opportunity. And so, we can watch film, we can study it and get to the court tomorrow and practice what we need to work on."
Team Stats
UNM
CSU
FG%
.377
.407
3FG%
.423
.238
FT%
.643
.750
RB
42
34
TO
12
12
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballColorado State Basketball (W): Carlson (L) and Froebe (R) Post-Game (Fresno State 25-26)
Wednesday, January 07
Colorado State Basketball (W): Ryun Williams Post-Game (New Mexico, 25-26)
Wednesday, January 07
Colorado State Basketball (W): Bargesser (L) and Fife (R) Post-Game (Fresno State 25-26)
Saturday, January 03
Colorado State Basketball (W): Ryun Williams Post-Game (Fresno State, 25-26)
Saturday, January 03