LAS VEGAS — Colorado State women’s basketball willed its way to yet another tight finish, pushing through to its first Mountain West Championship win since 2016 and defeating Air Force 56-42 Tuesday.
Except this time it wasn’t on the heels of a perfect season.
Even with leading scorer Lexus Bargesser out with injury from the semifinals match, the Rams did what they became known for, locking down on the defensive end and finding a way to win.
CSU plays team oriented, gets job done at charity stripe
The Rams didn’t necessarily need someone to step into the spotlight.
But Madelyn Bragg came through and shot an uber efficient 7-of-8, helping swing momentum toward CSU in the fourth quarter.
Brooke Carlson wound up with 12 attempts at the line, providing stability down the stretch yet again despite shooting just 4-of-15 from the field.
But in true MW fashion, the Rams found a way, which ended up as 19-of-26 free throws.
Otherwise, no Ram had the “it” factor on the floor, even though it looked like Hannah Ronsiek or Kloe Froebe might’ve been the answer at times.
Ronsiek started the game with five points in the first quarter, a 3-pointer and a diving layup, but couldn’t keep the streak going, unable to find the net again in the bout.
Defense, fatigue stalls Falcon scoring
Both teams played small rotations, maximizing playing time for starters past comfortability.
Through both teams, 7 players played more than 36 minutes.
While offense slowed and sputtered at times, communication on defense remained solid for the Falcons. AFA couldn’t find the basket despite some open looks in the second and third quarters, eventually looking to Milahnie Perry for some shot creation.
The Rams contained Perry admirably, though, limiting the star without fully overcommitting.
The all-time Falcon scoring leader still contributed, as she always does, but she wasn’t handed anything on a silver platter.
Leimane, Bragg and Ronsiek have performed well on the defensive side through the tournament, and the regular season, and they showed up once again in the championship match.
Scoring inefficiency broke up any spurts of rhythm AFA gained, as the Falcons finished shooting 26% overall from the field and 16% from three. Similarly, CSU only shot 13% from deep, confining both teams inside the arc.
But shots just weren’t falling for AFA, even though the Colorado rivalry brought a relative plethora of Falcons fans to Thomas and Mack, bringing familiar sounds to the worn AFA.
Championship trophy remained within reach until end
The score remained close through all four quarters with the Rams widening the gap in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Falcons 22-10 off 14 free throws.
It seemed willpower alone pushed the players through, and CSU’s thin margin expanded as AFA was forced to foul, taking two players out of the lineup and any hope of a comeback with them.
In close fashion to the Rams’ semifinal win, it had to adjust when the original gameplan didn’t work.
Up next
CSU now moves on to the NCAA Tournament with an automatic bid to the Big Dance.
The women’s basketball selection Sunday will take place at 6 p.m. MST March 15, providing clarity on the rest of the postseason outlook for the Rams.
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.
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