Colorado State University Athletics
Wednesday, January 22
Fresno, CA
7 PM MT
Colorado State
9-10 (3-5MW)
53
at
55
Fresno State
15-4 (8-0MW)
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado State
9
17
10
17
53
Fresno State
10
16
13
16
55
Photo by: CSU Athletics Communications
Upset Attempt Falls Short as Bulldogs Hit Buzzer Beater, 55-53
1/22/2020 9:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
FRESNO, Calif. – A Jamie Bonnarens equalizing 3-pointer with four seconds left gave the Rams hope, however Fresno State's Aly Gamez made a running floater as time expired, ending Colorado State's upset attempt with a 55-53 Bulldog win Wednesday evening at the Save Mart Center.
The matchup between Mountain West's top scoring offense in the Bulldogs and the top scoring defense in the Rams did not disappoint as the game didn't waver any larger than six points. In the end, Fresno State maintained their undefeated record within the conference at 8-0 and improved to 15-4 overall. Colorado State dropped to 9-10 overall and 3-5 in the MW.
"We played very sound and very tough defensively," head coach Ryun Williams said. "We limited the Cavinder twins to nine total points and they each average over 15 ppg. As a team Fresno averages something in the high 70's and we kept this game in the 50's. I grade us out exceptional, but we just must finish possessions. They scored 13 points in the third quarter and 11 of them were off offensive boards and the other two off our turnover. We did everything so well in terms of executing the plan. Our team competed well in the fourth quarter and I'm proud of that. To win on the road you need both ends and we had that today except for a few lapses that cost us."
In her third time leading the Rams offensively, Bonnarens finished with 15 points on a season-best five 3s, including the one that tied the game at 53-all. Forwards Makenzie Ellis and Andrea Brady each chipped in 11 points, while Brady also had eight rebounds. Redshirt-sophomore guard Tori Williams pulled in a career-best nine rebounds to go along with her nine points.
The Rams turned the ball over just seven times and limited the Bulldogs' offense that averages 78.2 ppg to their lowest scoring output of the season.
Not only was the score tied at 26-all going into the break, but the stat sheet was nearly identical between the two teams. Both squads hit on 11 total baskets with three 3s and one free throw. Neither team was careless with only four total turnovers, but it was the Rams who benefited as they turned three Bulldog miscues into five points. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs found success off their bench to a tone of 13 points compared to the Rams' two. Williams had a team-high nine points for the Rams, while Kendyll Kinzer led the Bulldogs with the same number.
Two Bonnarens 3s kept the Rams in it in the third quarter in which Fresno State outscored CSU 13-10. The cautious play that was displayed in the first half did not translate into the third frame as the number of turnovers tripled to 12 total. Fresno thrived on the offensive glass with 13 boards that led to most of the play being on their side of the court. The Bulldogs led by as many as six when Bonnarens hit a trey with nine seconds left to go into the final quarter, trailing 39-36.
In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs held a five-point lead with about a minute to go when CSU called a timeout. Coming out of it, the Ram fed Ellis who won an one-on-one opportunity to make it 53-50. The smothering defense got their stop on the other end, giving the offense the ball with 13 seconds left. After some fouls and timeouts, Williams passed it in to Bonnarens who drained the game-tying trey that sent the Rams' bench to their feet. Fresno State called a timeout and on the ensuing position, Gamez found a crease and put up the game winner in traffic to secure the win.
Next, the Rams will return to their home court to play Utah State for their State Pride game on Jan. 25 with a 2 p.m. tip inside Moby Arena.
For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
The matchup between Mountain West's top scoring offense in the Bulldogs and the top scoring defense in the Rams did not disappoint as the game didn't waver any larger than six points. In the end, Fresno State maintained their undefeated record within the conference at 8-0 and improved to 15-4 overall. Colorado State dropped to 9-10 overall and 3-5 in the MW.
"We played very sound and very tough defensively," head coach Ryun Williams said. "We limited the Cavinder twins to nine total points and they each average over 15 ppg. As a team Fresno averages something in the high 70's and we kept this game in the 50's. I grade us out exceptional, but we just must finish possessions. They scored 13 points in the third quarter and 11 of them were off offensive boards and the other two off our turnover. We did everything so well in terms of executing the plan. Our team competed well in the fourth quarter and I'm proud of that. To win on the road you need both ends and we had that today except for a few lapses that cost us."
In her third time leading the Rams offensively, Bonnarens finished with 15 points on a season-best five 3s, including the one that tied the game at 53-all. Forwards Makenzie Ellis and Andrea Brady each chipped in 11 points, while Brady also had eight rebounds. Redshirt-sophomore guard Tori Williams pulled in a career-best nine rebounds to go along with her nine points.
The Rams turned the ball over just seven times and limited the Bulldogs' offense that averages 78.2 ppg to their lowest scoring output of the season.
Not only was the score tied at 26-all going into the break, but the stat sheet was nearly identical between the two teams. Both squads hit on 11 total baskets with three 3s and one free throw. Neither team was careless with only four total turnovers, but it was the Rams who benefited as they turned three Bulldog miscues into five points. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs found success off their bench to a tone of 13 points compared to the Rams' two. Williams had a team-high nine points for the Rams, while Kendyll Kinzer led the Bulldogs with the same number.
Two Bonnarens 3s kept the Rams in it in the third quarter in which Fresno State outscored CSU 13-10. The cautious play that was displayed in the first half did not translate into the third frame as the number of turnovers tripled to 12 total. Fresno thrived on the offensive glass with 13 boards that led to most of the play being on their side of the court. The Bulldogs led by as many as six when Bonnarens hit a trey with nine seconds left to go into the final quarter, trailing 39-36.
In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs held a five-point lead with about a minute to go when CSU called a timeout. Coming out of it, the Ram fed Ellis who won an one-on-one opportunity to make it 53-50. The smothering defense got their stop on the other end, giving the offense the ball with 13 seconds left. After some fouls and timeouts, Williams passed it in to Bonnarens who drained the game-tying trey that sent the Rams' bench to their feet. Fresno State called a timeout and on the ensuing position, Gamez found a crease and put up the game winner in traffic to secure the win.
Next, the Rams will return to their home court to play Utah State for their State Pride game on Jan. 25 with a 2 p.m. tip inside Moby Arena.
For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
Team Stats
CSU
FS
FG%
.373
.343
3FG%
.320
.190
FT%
.500
.833
RB
34
47
TO
7
8
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
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