Colorado State women’s basketball traveled back to California to play their third consecutive road game in the state Feb. 16. Unlike their previous two games, CSU was handed a 53-49 loss by San Diego State University after scoring just 13 points in the first half.

Previously tied in Mountain West Conference standings with a 10-4 conference record, San Diego State now moves ahead of CSU in the standings by a single game with the win. The third school that was tied with No. 2 spot at 10-4, the University of Wyoming, also lost Feb. 16 to give SDSU sole possession of second place in the conference.

CSU struggled exceptionally on offense throughout the first half. The Rams scored just 8 points in the first quarter, with guard McKenna Hofschild making three 2-point field goals and forward Cali Clark making a layup.

The second quarter was even worse offensively for the Rams. Scoring just 5 points on two baskets — a 3-pointer from guard Hannah Ronsiek and a layup from Hofschild — CSU scored just 13 points in the first two quarters combined, giving SDSU a 23-13 lead at half.

If you wanted a defensive game. Well, you got it.
There were a combined 14 points scored in the second quarter. We were scoreless for the first five minutes and for the last four minutes. SDSU also hasn't scored a bucket from the floor for over five minutes.#Stalwart x #CSURams

— Colorado State Women's Basketball (@CSUWBasketball) February 17, 2023

After adjusting at halftime, CSU looked like a different team offensively in the second half. The Rams scored 17 points in the third quarter — more than their first half total — but were still outscored in the quarter by SDSU, 20-17.

The Rams outscored SDSU 19-10 in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for the team. CSU was unable to recover from their poor offensive first half despite a strong second half, and SDSU won the game 53-49.

Hofschild led CSU in scoring with 19 points, the only Ram to reach double digits. She also led the team with a game-high five assists, while Clark led the team in rebounds with seven. As a team, CSU made just 19 of 54 attempted field goals, including five of 27 attempted 3-pointers.

CSU will look to clean things up offensively before returning home to Moby Arena to host the U.S. Air Force Academy at 1 p.m. Feb. 18.

Reach Kaden Porter at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @kqporter5.