Leading up to Wednesday’s game against San Jose State University, the Rams prepared to play against a strong offensive opponent and enforce their own desire to remain energized and fight for victory.
“We got stagnant offensively,” said Head Coach Ryun Williams “And (we) kind of quit moving and didn’t cut as well… but still had really good shots.”
Ad
The Rams brought in the heat by scoring five 3-pointers consecutively to open the first quarter. Myanne Hamm made three out of the five baskets, and Mollie Mounsey made her shot just as the time clock expired.
Liah Davis made an appearance and scored a layup for the team. Though they were fast paced in their offense, CSU was not able to defend their five-point lead for long. The Spartans continued to compete with the Rams’ 3-pointers, which put pressure on CSU.
The Spartans and the Rams were switching places, with SJSU obtaining the five-point lead. The Rams were forced to drive to the basket from the Spartans defense. Lore Devos and Grace Colaivalu scored their first baskets of the game, but CSU still trailed by twelve points.
“I think our mistakes just snowballed and we didn’t think next-play,” Hamm said. “We kind of just let the bad things keep happening and then we dug ourselves a hole.”
The lack of determination to remain in the lead was a struggle throughout the game for CSU.
Hamm drained another 3-pointer to help the team catch up, and Davis followed suit with one of her own. The Rams ensuing baskets in the first quarter prevented the Spartans from widening the gap further.
Keeping the team afloat, Hamm remained the highest scorer with 18 points as she successfully made her three free throws. The Spartans instantly responded with another 3-pointer to maintain their advantage.
Taking a more aggressive approach, the Rams effectively snatched rebounds and repeatedly made layups to boost the team.
Devos stepped up her game by scoring six points and swooping in twice to save the Rams from turning over the ball. She held the second highest score for the team at 17 points.
Ad
“I tried not to get frustrated in the game and get back into defense” Devos said. The team lagged behind starting in the second quarter, so CSU was stuck in a difficult position of playing catch up with SJSU.
Colaivalu rounded out the third quarter with a buzzer beater, but the Rams still lagged behind by seven points.
Picking up steam, Lena Svanholm and Mounsey each scored a 3-pointer, making the gap only one basket away from a tie game with six minutes left in the game, 54-56.
In as little as three minutes, the Rams were back to being down by ten points. Devos and Hamm put some points on the board to compete with the Spartan’s relentless 3-pointers.
Every single point counted, which Svanholm and Devos took into account with the free throws they scored.
Devos took a hard foul from the Spartans giving her two free throws. Shortly after effortlessly making those shots, she quickly made yet another layup to shift the energy in favor of the Rams.
The Rams intimidated the Spartans with their tag-team defense, and the Rams stole the ball from the Spartans. Mounsey did not waste the opportunity to score a solid basket for the team.
Within eight seconds in the last minute of the quarter, two timeouts were called to prevent either squad from keeping the momentum or gaining the upper hand.
“Just run it or shoot it if you’re open, then get stops on defense,” Ryun Williams said to Devos and the other girls in the huddle before returning to the last seconds of the period.
The Rams were left with an eight-point deficit against the Spartans, but their determination was almost tangible, just like the first quarter of the competitive match.
The team will look to bounce back in their next appearance Feb. 23 against Wyoming in Laramie.
Jess Boxrud can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @Jessica_boxrud.
