CSU women’s basketball narrowly avoids road upset from San Jose State
Collegian | Serena Bettis
Colorado State University guard Destiny Thurman (2) drives to the basket around University of Wyoming guard Quinn Weidemann (14) at Moby Arena Feb. 4, 2023. The Rams won 66-63.
Leah Cackowski
February 9, 2023
Colorado State women’s basketball kicked off the first of three California road games by taking on San Jose State University Thursday night. Despite an unexpected challenge by the Spartans, the Rams escaped with a narrow 59-57 victory.
“CSU’s brief lead in the final seconds was their only lead throughout the game, but despite the upset scare, they were able to close it out and get the job done.”
The Spartans, who have won just three games this season and sit at a dismal 3-20 overall record, set the pace early and held a lead for the majority of the game.
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SJSU outscored CSU 19-12 in the first quarter, making seven of 14 attempted field goals.
Despite outscoring the Spartans 16-13 in the second quarter, the Rams continued to struggle with shooting. Nine of CSU’s 16 points came on free throws as they made just three of 11 attempted shots in the quarter.
Entering the second half with a 32-28 lead, the Spartans outscored the Rams 15-11 in the third quarter to extend their lead. However, CSU fought back and began the fourth quarter on a 10-2 scoring run to tie it up at 49 for the first time since the game began.
The teams traded scores for the rest of the final quarter and with the game tied at 57 with four seconds remaining, SJSU guard Jada Holland fouled CSU guard Cailyn Crocker. Crocker made both free throws to secure the comeback victory for the Rams, narrowly avoiding what would’ve been a major upset by the Spartans.
Guard McKenna Hofschild led the Rams in scoring with 14 points, while Crocker and guard Hannah Ronsiek both contributed 12 points. Hofschild also led the team in assists with seven, while forward Kendyll Kinzer led the team with eight rebounds.
CSU’s brief lead in the final seconds was their only lead throughout the game, but despite the upset scare, they were able to close it out and get the job done. The Rams will now look forward to the rest of their California road trip, with their next stop being Feb. 11 against a struggling California State University, Fresno team.
Reach Kaden Porter at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @kqporter5.
