LAS VEGAS — The future may be bright for Colorado State women’s basketball, but 2025 ended in heartbreak.
Despite a late rally, CSU fell to Fresno State in the Mountain West quarterfinals, 54-52, struggling through poor shooting and physical defensive pressure. The Rams posted their second-lowest field goal percentage of the season at 29.8% — topped only by the first contest of the year — a stark contrast from their dominant 64-48 victory over the Bulldogs earlier in the season.
For star Emma Ronsiek’s final collegiate basketball game, the team’s execution was undeveloped.
“Yeah, obviously, very, very tough to lose this game,” coach Ryun Williams said. “You don’t want to be an early out, but just probably a little out of whack that first quarter. I mean, that was an 18-point quarter for them, and then after that, we really locked in defensively and didn’t score a break tonight.”
From the outset, FSU’s game plan was clear — set hard off-ball screens to force CSU’s defense into constant motion. The Rams — who have emphasized paint protection in the latter half of the season — were often caught packing the interior, leading to open perimeter shots for the Bulldogs.
“We missed way too many shots,” Williams said. “It was a big miss game. And although we kept guarding, we could not put any game pressure on them. I thought when we really needed to maybe a little bit late — but give Fresno credit — they really came out and played well early, and we couldn’t rebound in that first quarter.”
CSU’s offense, which began the year heavily revolving around Emma Ronsiek, has since diversified. Kloe Froebe, Brooke Carlson and Hannah Simental have taken on more isolation scoring responsibilities, providing a more balanced attack.
However, that balance was disrupted by FSU’s physical defense, which disrupted rhythm and forced CSU into tough looks.
“You know, the switching should have been a lot more in sync than it was,” Williams said. “You know, we just were a little — that’s very uncharacteristic of us. You know, we had two on the ball a lot. We sprayed it to Mia Jacobs. We lose too early on and just break downs. And they made us pay.”
The Rams’ 3-point shooting, which has increased in volume later in the season, struggled early before finding a spark late. Simental, who transferred from Northern Colorado before the season, finished the year with 10.7 points per game on 41% shooting from deep in her final collegiate season.
Despite standout moments — an improved second-quarter defensive effort, a buzzer-beater jumper from Carlson in the fourth, and crucial late-game rebounds — the Rams couldn’t complete the comeback. FSU’s Jacobs, who finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds, proved too much to overcome. Emma Ronsiek — CSU’s leading scorer and the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year — shot poorly from beyond the arc, limiting CSU’s offensive options.
For the star player, the loss was especially emotional, as it marked the end of her collegiate career. The senior forward was visibly emotional after the game, reflecting on her journey at CSU and the special bond she shared with her sister and teammate, Hannah Ronsiek.
“I’ve never said this to her face — she’s just my best friend,” Emma Ronsiek said. “We have an absolute blast together. A lot of the reason was basketball, just being able to share the floor with her again, because COVID cut that short my senior year of high school. … But yeah, it was everything to me. And I think she’ll be a little coy too, but I can tell this was everything to her.”
As the season came to a close, players reflected on what this past year meant for them but also what went wrong and what’s ahead.
While CSU’s hopes of making the NCAA Tournament were dashed, there was still the possibility of a postseason appearance in the Women’s Basketball Invitational.
“Well, I mean, obviously, we’re not going to make the NCAA tournament. I think the WBIT — I mean, I think we’d be on the outside looking in for something like that,” Williams said. “I know we’ve had a good year, you know, we’ve had some big wins, but we’ll just see how that plays out.”
While the game marked an end to the Rams’ tournament run, junior Marta Leimane pointed to some bright spots — particularly in the first-year players.
“We have some really, really good players,” Leimane said. “I mean, the freshmen — we (have) got Brooke, Kloe and some redshirts — the freshmen this year, we have something we can really, really build off of. And I’m really, really excited to see how we work towards the season and how we build off of that.”
While this season ended in disappointment, the foundation is solid for CSU. Froebe and Carlson both earned All-Freshman Team honors, and Williams turned a roster full of new faces into a winning team. With a strong core returning, the Rams are poised to take another step forward next season.
“But our kids battled, and they’ve done that all year,” Williams said. “They’ve always battled and found a way to give themselves a chance. And tonight was no different. I think that speaks to the character of them, but (we) just needed to execute and play a little better offensively.”
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @michaelfhovey.
