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An incredible, dogged effort.
Superstar performances from key players.
The Colorado State women’s basketball team put together many of the ingredients of a stunning March Madness upset.
It was so close.
In the end, the No. 12 Rams fell one shot short in a 65-62 loss to No. 5 Michigan State in a Women’s NCAA Tournament first-round game on March 20 in Norman, Oklahoma.
"I couldn't be more proud of my squad. Holy cow, did we battle," CSU coach Ryun Williams said. "They did everything that we asked them to do tonight. Just a few plays here or there, and we're probably having a different conversation."
Here are takeaways from the game.
Michigan State (23-8) had a big start to the fourth quarter and had turned a tie after three quarters into a five-point lead with a minute to go.
A review of a ball out of bounds with 45.1 seconds to go flipped to the Spartans (with a 64-59 lead) and could have ended the game. A free throw seconds later made it 65-59.
But CSU was not going away. Brooke Carlson (more on her below) hit a 3-pointer to cut the Michigan State lead to 65-62.
The Rams chose to play out the next possession on defense instead of fouling. It was risky as the Spartans could get the clock below 10 seconds, but it worked. CSU got a stop.
The Rams drew up a play where senior Hannah Ronsiek raced off a screen to the corner where she was found open for a 3-pointer. She hoisted and there was a late Michigan State contest.
The shot went long. Ronsiek protested for a foul, but none was called and Michigan State escaped with a 3-point win.
"I know all of the Rams here and back home believed in us, but we were definitely an underdog," Ronsiek said. "I think we went out and we showed that we can compete with these teams on any given night. Yeah, I'm just super proud of our basketball team the way we played tonight and throughout the season."
An incredible effort from the Rams (27-8). CSU was an 18.5-point underdog and the Rams were playing without star Lexus Bargesser after she was injured in the Mountain West tournament.
Despite that, CSU controlled much of the game. The Rams held a two-point (29-27) halftime lead and held a lead for 17:13 of the game.
A 12-5 matchup is often lopsided in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. In the other such matchup March 20 Maryland beat Murray State by 32 points.
The four 12-5 games last season were won by an average of 28 points per game (all by the No. 5 seed).
But shorthanded CSU dictated the pace for much of the game.
CSU is a top-10 defense nationally and Michigan State top-10 in scoring. The Spartans wanted this one to be up-and-down.
It wasn’t. The Rams controlled the pace. CSU dropped its defense deep to slow the paint scoring and force Michigan State to hit jumpers.
The Spartans hit their first 3-point attempt of the game then missed 15 in a row as they frequently looked fluster.
Michigan State finally took some control in the fourth quarter as they built a lead with paint scoring and some well-timed defensive blocks.
CSU would never go down quietly, though.
"I think they were just a really scrappy team," Michigan State star Grace VanSlooten said of CSU. "I think they came out and pumped us first and it took us a while to get back on our team. But they just obviously really wanted it."
On the biggest stage, CSU’s young stars showed that they are flat-out sensational.
Not Mountain West stars. No qualification needed. Brooke Carlson and Kloe Froebe can play with anyone.
“We go as Brooke goes,” CSU coach Ryun Williams said in the leadup to this game.
Well, she went very well. Carlson’s pace knocked Michigan State off balance almost immediately at the start of this game.
She was able to get in the paint whenever she wanted. The only way the Spartans ever slowed her was with a couple blocks from behind.
Carlson hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the game to keep CSU alive and it was a symbol of the moxie she played with.
Carlson hit eight of 18 shots and three of five 3-pointers for a career-high 26 points. She also had six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
"We wanted to get that dub. But I just kind of was just playing, (taking) what the defense was giving me," Carlson said. "My teammates were finding me in those positions. So it was just kind of taking what I got in that moment."
Her close friend and sophomore running mate in Froebe also had a strong game. Froebe was the only other Ram in double figures as she scored 12 points.
Froebe also grabbed six rebounds and had three assists.
If those two are Rams for four years, there’s no saying what heights they could take CSU to.
The scrappy effort in this one was a fitting sign off for this team.
To a player and coach it was one of the most competitive groups any of them have been around.
They showed it time and time again. There was the slow start to Mountain West play where the Rams could have let the season slide.
They didn’t, rallying to finish tied for second in the league.
In the first game of the Mountain West tournament the Rams were on the ropes and could have caved for an early exit. They didn’t, rallying to win on a buzzer-beater.
In the Mountain West semis they trailed UNLV when Bargesser went down with an injury. They easily could have let that be the end of the season. They didn’t, rallying for a huge second half and big win.
They carried that into a dominant Mountain West title win to secure an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 2016.
And against a Big Ten team without their best player, CSU could have been awed by the moment and gone quietly. But they didn’t.
CSU’s defensive effort all season was elite. The 27 wins is the second-most in a season under 14th-year coach Ryun Williams.
"These ladies will forever be champions, and they played like it tonight, no doubt about it. I love my basketball team," Williams said.
A special season for the Rams.
Sports reporter Kevin Lytle can be found on social media on X, Instagram and Threads @Kevin_Lytle and on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Michigan State basketball avoids March Madness upset against CSU
Continue reading...
Superstar performances from key players.
The Colorado State women’s basketball team put together many of the ingredients of a stunning March Madness upset.
It was so close.
In the end, the No. 12 Rams fell one shot short in a 65-62 loss to No. 5 Michigan State in a Women’s NCAA Tournament first-round game on March 20 in Norman, Oklahoma.
"I couldn't be more proud of my squad. Holy cow, did we battle," CSU coach Ryun Williams said. "They did everything that we asked them to do tonight. Just a few plays here or there, and we're probably having a different conversation."
Here are takeaways from the game.
Dramatic finish as upset just misses
Michigan State (23-8) had a big start to the fourth quarter and had turned a tie after three quarters into a five-point lead with a minute to go.
A review of a ball out of bounds with 45.1 seconds to go flipped to the Spartans (with a 64-59 lead) and could have ended the game. A free throw seconds later made it 65-59.
But CSU was not going away. Brooke Carlson (more on her below) hit a 3-pointer to cut the Michigan State lead to 65-62.
The Rams chose to play out the next possession on defense instead of fouling. It was risky as the Spartans could get the clock below 10 seconds, but it worked. CSU got a stop.
The Rams drew up a play where senior Hannah Ronsiek raced off a screen to the corner where she was found open for a 3-pointer. She hoisted and there was a late Michigan State contest.
The shot went long. Ronsiek protested for a foul, but none was called and Michigan State escaped with a 3-point win.
"I know all of the Rams here and back home believed in us, but we were definitely an underdog," Ronsiek said. "I think we went out and we showed that we can compete with these teams on any given night. Yeah, I'm just super proud of our basketball team the way we played tonight and throughout the season."
Colorado State threw its best punch
An incredible effort from the Rams (27-8). CSU was an 18.5-point underdog and the Rams were playing without star Lexus Bargesser after she was injured in the Mountain West tournament.
Despite that, CSU controlled much of the game. The Rams held a two-point (29-27) halftime lead and held a lead for 17:13 of the game.
A 12-5 matchup is often lopsided in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. In the other such matchup March 20 Maryland beat Murray State by 32 points.
The four 12-5 games last season were won by an average of 28 points per game (all by the No. 5 seed).
But shorthanded CSU dictated the pace for much of the game.
CSU is a top-10 defense nationally and Michigan State top-10 in scoring. The Spartans wanted this one to be up-and-down.
It wasn’t. The Rams controlled the pace. CSU dropped its defense deep to slow the paint scoring and force Michigan State to hit jumpers.
The Spartans hit their first 3-point attempt of the game then missed 15 in a row as they frequently looked fluster.
Michigan State finally took some control in the fourth quarter as they built a lead with paint scoring and some well-timed defensive blocks.
CSU would never go down quietly, though.
"I think they were just a really scrappy team," Michigan State star Grace VanSlooten said of CSU. "I think they came out and pumped us first and it took us a while to get back on our team. But they just obviously really wanted it."
Brooke Carlson, Kloe Froebe are certified stars
On the biggest stage, CSU’s young stars showed that they are flat-out sensational.
Not Mountain West stars. No qualification needed. Brooke Carlson and Kloe Froebe can play with anyone.
“We go as Brooke goes,” CSU coach Ryun Williams said in the leadup to this game.
Well, she went very well. Carlson’s pace knocked Michigan State off balance almost immediately at the start of this game.
She was able to get in the paint whenever she wanted. The only way the Spartans ever slowed her was with a couple blocks from behind.
Carlson hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the game to keep CSU alive and it was a symbol of the moxie she played with.
Carlson hit eight of 18 shots and three of five 3-pointers for a career-high 26 points. She also had six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
"We wanted to get that dub. But I just kind of was just playing, (taking) what the defense was giving me," Carlson said. "My teammates were finding me in those positions. So it was just kind of taking what I got in that moment."
Her close friend and sophomore running mate in Froebe also had a strong game. Froebe was the only other Ram in double figures as she scored 12 points.
Froebe also grabbed six rebounds and had three assists.
If those two are Rams for four years, there’s no saying what heights they could take CSU to.
Fighting finish to memorable season
The scrappy effort in this one was a fitting sign off for this team.
To a player and coach it was one of the most competitive groups any of them have been around.
They showed it time and time again. There was the slow start to Mountain West play where the Rams could have let the season slide.
They didn’t, rallying to finish tied for second in the league.
In the first game of the Mountain West tournament the Rams were on the ropes and could have caved for an early exit. They didn’t, rallying to win on a buzzer-beater.
In the Mountain West semis they trailed UNLV when Bargesser went down with an injury. They easily could have let that be the end of the season. They didn’t, rallying for a huge second half and big win.
They carried that into a dominant Mountain West title win to secure an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 2016.
And against a Big Ten team without their best player, CSU could have been awed by the moment and gone quietly. But they didn’t.
CSU’s defensive effort all season was elite. The 27 wins is the second-most in a season under 14th-year coach Ryun Williams.
"These ladies will forever be champions, and they played like it tonight, no doubt about it. I love my basketball team," Williams said.
A special season for the Rams.
Sports reporter Kevin Lytle can be found on social media on X, Instagram and Threads @Kevin_Lytle and on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Michigan State basketball avoids March Madness upset against CSU
Continue reading...
