The severe-weather alarms blared in Moby Arena as Colorado State poured down buckets against Alabama A&M.
The Rams beat the Bulldogs 83-39 and continued their success from their previous game against Le Moyne College. Despite little fan attendance, they still brought an energy to Moby Arena as the Rams won the tipoff.
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Throughout the game, it was clear that CSU guard McKenna Hofschild was a known threat to the Bulldogs as she began to take hard hits left and right. Despite the hard hits, Hofschild made an even harder hit on the scoreboard as she contributed 26 points in the first half, more than the Bulldogs’ combined score for the half.
The Rams were clearly on top of the game, drawing defenders and creating shooting opportunities for the likes of Meghan Boyd and Kendyll Kinzer.
It wasn’t just the offense that was on point. CSU’s defense was also strong, blocking several drives from the Alabama A&M offense and restricting the Bulldogs to only 10 points in the first quarter.
The Rams were impressive the entire game. Their ability to fight through fatigue and make few mistakes allowed them to soar into the second half with a score of 43-20. The Rams limited the Bulldogs to a shocking average of just under 10 points per quarter.
Coach Ryun Williams also clearly was focusing on the defensive side of things.
“In halftime, (Williams) mentioned he wanted us to penetrate to our kick outs because we were getting quick shots at first,” guard Hannah Ronsiek said. “So we were really focusing on penetrating, and we were able to knock down a lot more shots.”
Hofschild’s ability to intimidate defenses with her quickness and ability to move the ball consistently drew attention away from strong shooters and created impressive goal scoring opportunities.
At the half, the Rams were outplaying the Bulldogs in nearly every statistic. The Rams were 15/29 from the field, 8/15 in 3-point shots and 5/7 in free throws. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, were 9/29 from the field, 0/6 in 3-point shots and 2/4 in free throws.
“Something we game-planned was how quick they were,” guard Jackie Carman said. “So that means we had to pack it in the paint a little bit, which means we had a little bit more communication when it came to team defense.”
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Carman got her first points as a Ram after transferring from Wofford. Carman proved to be a beneficial player for the Rams, posting a plus/minus of +9 in the first half.
“I was definitely in a slump a little bit,” Carman said. “The best way to get out of that is to just shoot your way out of it, and all my teammates have been so confident in me.”
The depth of Colorado State’s roster is incredibly impressive. Every single player that comes off the bench has been able to contribute to the success of the team. From drawing defenders to forcing turnovers, the Rams were able to consistently create goal scoring opportunities.
After calling another timeout, the Bulldogs tried to take the opportunity to recuperate and soften the loss. At the time of the timeout, the Rams were up an impressive 61-26, with the Bulldogs not scoring in the last 3 minutes of the quarter.
Rather than going easy and lessening up, the Rams continued to play hard and focus on a victory even if it meant blowing out the opposing team. There weren’t a lot of improvements that could have been made.
“Someone stole my Powerade at halftime, so I’m a little upset with that,” Williams said. “This was as complete of a performance as we’ve had to date.”
The Bulldogs created some scoring opportunities but weren’t able to get the ball in the net when it mattered most. The final score for the game resulted in a Rams victory of 83-39 after a last-ditch effort from the Bulldogs.
The Rams (2-0) will look to continue their undefeated season against New Hampshire (1-0) 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15 in Moby Arena.
Reach Emma Askren at easkren@collegian.com or on Twitter @emma_askren.
