As stands filled for the much anticipated Border War and Senior Night, Colorado State women’s basketball charged the court for their final home game of the season Saturday.
In a rocky game, both the Rams and Wyoming struggled to find their respective rhythms. As the game remained close throughout, UW claimed victory over the Rams 68-55.
Prior to tipoff, CSU seniors Joseana Vaz, Sanna Ström, Emma Ronsiek and Hannah Simental were celebrated in honor of Senior Day; their contributions to this team have led them to greatness, regardless of the scoreboard.
With similar records all season, it was expected that the game would be close. Until the third quarter, the score margin rarely reached three or four points.
Beginning in the first quarter, both teams struggled to get their footing as they both just barely managed to secure double digits by the buzzer.
However, this struggle to find a groove continued for the Rams as the game progressed, opening up a path for dominance for UW’s Malene Pedersen and Allyson Fertig.
“I think, defensively, we just need to be a lot more connected, and I think we have been for most of the year,” Hannah Ronsiek said. “I don’t know why we didn’t really translate it this game.”
The second quarter offered reprieve from the rhythm taunting the Rams as they scored 21 points — nearly half their game total.
Hannah Ronsiek came onto the court blazing in the second quarter with aggression and determination to score, tallying five points and two rebounds.
Yet there remained a faint struggle to gain momentum from both teams as scoring droughts became frequent, showcasing the talent of both teams and reestablishing that this would remain a close game.
“You don’t get many opportunities when you play Wyoming — possessions are usually down a little bit,” coach Ryun Williams said. “This time of year, everybody’s playing good basketball, and you’re gonna have to play really well to beat a good team.”
However, as the Rams entered the third quarter, they began to succumb to the brick wall that was UW.
The Cowgirls’ lead went from two points to four points, then to seven — which CSU was simply unable to recover from.
The lead persisted through to the end of the game, mainly staying at a 10 point lead.
Another difficulty the Rams faced in the second half of the game was the number of free throws and penalty calls against them, decreasing morale and increasing the point margin.
“The first half we did well, and then I think it just kind of got away from us on the second half,” Jadyn Fife said. “It’s hard, and they were calling some softer calls.”
From beginning to end in the final quarter, CSU trailed UW by around 10 points.
This pressure to catch up had the Rams hurrying to score — and score big — which never happened.
In the final minute of the game — to the disappointment of the Rams — the Cowgirls made five free throws, and Emma Ronsiek sunk her final shot in Moby Arena.
The Rams will play their final conference game against San Jose State (3-14 conference, 10-20 overall) 8 p.m. March 9 at Provident Credit Union Event Center.
Reach Sophia Schaller at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @sophschaller.
