Final games are always emotional, and that of the senior class of the Colorado State women’s basketball team was no exception.
“I’m just so grateful,” McKenna Hofschild said. “When you have such a great place and such great people beside you, it’s hard not to get emotional in a time like that.”
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In the final game of the regular season, CSU women’s basketball team definitely wanted to go into the Mountain West championships on a high, and a win over the Boise State would do just the trick, especially because the win over Boise State puts CSU only playing three games in the Mountain West tournament rather than four if they’re to advance to the finals. An off day means more rest, more energy and little bit more time to enjoy Las Vegas.
“I mean, we can prepare more,” guard Marta Leimane said. “Be more ready and enjoy Las Vegas more.”
Prior to the tipoff, Boise State was ranked fourth overall in the Mountain West, just one place above CSU, which was in fifth. Winning was exactly what the Rams got, defeating the Broncos 64-50.
In the first half, the Rams looked like a team that could prove to be heavy contenders for a solid performance at the Mountain West championships, especially with players like Sanna Ström who were more confident outside of the 3-point line making successful line drives.
The Rams’ defense was very clearly making a showcase with steals, blocks and rebounds shining through on the stat sheet. In the first half, the Rams had 16 defensive rebounds to Boise’s 15 and four blocks to Boise’s 0.
“We really guarded,” coach Ryun Williams said. “I thought we got off to a great start defensively and finished a lot of possessions on the glass.”
The offense was also making a case for the Rams, with CSU shooting 43.1% at field goal range and 35% past the 3-point line. Boise State, on the other hand, was shooting 33.9% at field goal range and 25% at the 3-point line.
With an above-average crowd standing on their feet, the Rams were quickly able to get the first points on the board for the third quarter. This momentum from the first half was quickly carried over to the second half as CSU only continued their lead.
“Boise’s usually gotten us on the glass pretty good,” Williams said. “But we guarded really consistently for four quarters.”
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In the third quarter, the Rams shot up in the points, going on a nine-point scoring run and forcing Boise State into a four-minute scoring drought. The Broncos were finally able to turn scoring around with less than three minutes remaining in the quarter but were unable to regain the lead.
Ultimately, it was the Rams who came out on top, with fans staying on their feet to recognize Hofschild as well as the rest of the graduating class: Meghan Boyd, Cailyn Crocker, Sydney Mech, Jackie Carman, Kendyll Kinzer, Cali Clark and Joseana Vaz.
Reach Emma Askren at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @emma_askren.
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