The Rams fell short once again in their last game of the regular season before the Mountain West Tournament.
Tatum Neubert scored the first basket followed by Myanne Hamm stealing the ball from the Rebels. Colorado State initially started off strong and set early expectations for the team.
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Lauren Brocke scored an early 3-pointer for the team that caused the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to call a timeout two minutes into the first quarter. CSU made a statement early on, and the Rebels first three points were only made from free throws due to the pressure they were pushing early on.
The Rebels continued to make shots without any success until the last three minutes of the first period. Though the Rams were momentarily surpassed by the Rebels, Hamm made two crisp 3-pointers to bring them ahead by one point, 11-10.
Mollie Mounsey stole the ball from the Rebels and ran down the court to score an easy layup, but the Rebels did not hesitate to regain the lead with five points.
Thanks to CSU’s clean and smart plays, the Rams had zero turnovers in comparison to UNLV’s six. Mounsey and two other Rebel players were diving on the floor to charge after a ball after a sloppy pass from UNLV’s offense.
Grace Colaivalu contributed four free throw shots to the score board to gradually pull the Rams out from a slight drawback.
The Rams targeted their defense underneath the basket, forcing the Rebels to take distance shots, continuing to close the gap UNLV had formed in the second quarter, 23-21.
It was up to the Rams whether or not they would have enough determination to put pressure on the Rebels in the next two periods.
Coming out of half time, UNLV refused to let CSU take the momentum of the game in their favor, immediately scoring consistent points bringing them to a ten point lead.
Hamm injured her left ankle and was escorted off the court within the first three minutes of the third quarter. Her contributions of eight of their 22 points—at the time—were crucial.
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Mounsey lifted the energy for the Rams by scoring a flawless 3-pointer to prevent the gap from reaching any further into the double digits.
Devos hit her first basket of the game alongside two free throw shots she contributed, and several of the baskets made were off of her assists. As the highest scorer on CSU’s team, her minimal offensive input was noticeably affecting the team’s overall performance.
CSU broke the 30 point mark with Neubert hitting a solid 3-pointer in the last minute of the period.
Taylor Mole made a buzzer shot underneath the basket that did not count, but the Rams were behind by only single digits going into the final frame.
Lena Svanholm made a layup basket with an assist from Devos that kept CSU afloat as they struggled offensively.
Though the Rams were consistent in their offensive and defensive approach, the team’s energy faltered throughout the last quarter. This set back affected the performance of the team as a whole, and the number of points CSU trailed by increased.
Devos fought for a jump ball that was given to the Rams. Shortly after, Colaivalu was fouled and completed two additional free throws for the team.
Colaivalu drove down the court and made a long pass out to Mounsey who scored a 3-pointer on the arc. Neubert swooshed her second 3-pointer of the game to follow up her teammate’s.
With two minutes left in the game, the Rebels began to strategically run out the clock by excessively passing the ball around. The buzzer went off, ending the Rams’ regular season with a 60-45 loss.
The Rams will participate in the Mountain West Tournament starting on Mar. 10th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jess Boxrud can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @Jessica_Boxrud.
