LAS VEGAS — One second can feel like an eternity.
Colorado State women’s basketball returned to the Thomas and Mack Center with one last chance to prove itself within the Mountain West conference before joining the Pac-12 this following season.
And with just a few seconds left before the buzzer signaled the game ending, it seemed as if overtime was inevitable. But with Madelyn Bragg making a layup in the last second of the game, the Rams clinched the 61-59 win against Grand Canyon Sunday.
During the 2025 MW Tournament, CSU had its time cut short after one game against Fresno State. But even with a new team and a new year, it seemed like the Rams just couldn’t meet the demands needed to take the win. But despite the nerves and the pressure, they proved that no matter what time is on the clock, they can still come out on top.
“Every game matters so much,” Hannah Ronsiek said. “Especially with the seniors, this can be our last 40 minutes together, so yeah, that just means all the more to us.”
The Rams find their last-minute stretch to victory
Since the beginning of the second quarter, the Lopes were finding ways to control and dominate the game, whether it was sending their best shooters, Chloe Mann and Julianna LaMendola, to the net or stealing the ball along the way.
It wasn’t until there were a little under five minutes left in the game that one of CSU’s best players, Lexus Bargesser, tied the score up with a free throw.
From there, it was an offensive slugfest with the Rams making a layup and stunting the Lopes for a few minutes, forcing a scoring drought. But GCU responded quickly and would keep the score within one possession.
LaMendola managed to bridge the gap and tie up the game, but CSU had one last chance. And that chance came in the form of Bragg.
Ram fans were holding their breath, and in the blink of an eye, all the players were jumping on Bragg in celebration. The play was then called under review, but when the replay showed on the Jumbotron, all the Ram players knew victory was theirs.
Young Ram talent shines bright
Among the main starters, there are only two non-seniors: Kloe Froebe and Brooke Carlson.
They went into the game tied for points with 403 each, averaging 13.0 per game, and they emerged from Sunday’s game still tied as each tacked on 15 points.
The two came into CSU together as first-years, being known for their tenacity and skill set, despite being on the younger side. As they’ve grown into sophomore nothing’s changed.
“Me and Hannah were sophomores once, too, and it’s really fun to see that there’s someone taking that spot and doing a really, really good job,” Marta Leimane said.
Carlson found the majority of her success from the second half, in which she scored 13 points, and she ended the matchup with five rebounds and three assists. Meanwhile, Froebe ended with the highest number of 3-pointers with two and had an overall completion percentage of 50%.
“It’s always great to play with people you know,” Carlson said. “(We) kind of built that chemistry throughout our time together. We just all play for each other, and that’s what makes us so together and such a good team when you have that bond with each other.”
The Rams give up momentum in first half, GCU takes advantage
GCU’s second leading scorer, Mann, tied up the score at the beginning of the second quarter, starting what would stick for the rest of the half. By the end of the second quarter, the Lopes were headed into halftime with an eight-point lead.
Meanwhile, not a single player on CSU’s side was able to notch above five points — besides Froebe, who led the Rams with six points.
GCU would soon come out stronger and push the gap to 12 points, causing CSU to crumble before it came back. The Rams maintained a less-than-ideal completion percentage before the second half of the game, shooting 0% from deep in the second quarter with a 25% percentage overall.
The Lopes find success through pressure, replicating previous showing
Just one night before GCU took on the Rams, it faced Utah State. Despite going into the second half behind, the Lopes produced 44 points compared to the Aggies’ 26. Six players were able to hit double digits in points — CSU kept it to two players Sunday.
LaMendola led the Lopes against USU with 15 points and 13 rebounds, finding similar success against the Rams as she finished with 13 points.
“We definitely weren’t coming into this game overlooking them at all,” Ronsiek said. “Even though we beat them by double digits both times in the regular season, we definitely respected them coming into this game. They came out super aggressive, so credit to them. We scouted them and got it done at the end of the day.”
What’s next
Prior to the tournament, the Rams finished 15-5 — 75% — in conference play, which was their best conference win percentage since the 2016-17 season, and this win propels their six-game win streak to seven.
CSU will now move on to the quarterfinals and face UNLV 7:30 p.m. PT Monday.
Read the full article here.
Reach Sophie Webb at sports@collegian.com or on social media @sophgwebb.
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