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If the quarterfinal win was a poster for the drama of March Madness, this victory was about championship-level guts.
The Colorado State women’s basketball team is into the Mountain West championship game after a huge second half led to a 66-59 win over UNLV on March 9.
Any win in this game would have been big, but how it happened shows real guts from the Rams.
No. 3-seed CSU trailed in the first half as the Rams struggled on offense coming off a late-night buzzer-beater to beat Grand Canyon the night before.
Then the worst-case scenario happened. Star Lexus Bargesser went down with a non-contact injury and immediately hobbled to the locker room.
No. 2 UNLV led by eight (21-13) shortly after and seemed possible to pull away.
But CSU would not let that happen. The Rams clamped down on defense and two bench players sparked the Rams to victory.
Here are takeaways from the game.
Senior Marta Leimane is the definition of a team player. She’s started frequently in her career but willingly comes off the bench for the Rams.
She does a lot of the hidden connector work for the team on both offense and defense. But this was her night in the spotlight.
Leimane hit two first-quarter 3-pointers to keep the Rams in touch as they found their energy early.
When Bargesser went out, Leimane helped steady the ship. Her 3-pointer at the buzzer sent the Rams into half tied.
It seemed to swing the momentum for the game.
Leimane hit another buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter, this a two-pointer, as CSU went into the fourth up three points (41-38).
Another 3-pointer from Leimane early in the fourth was followed by one from Hannah Ronsiek and it was CSU in control.
Leimane hit four of five 3-point attempts and scored 16 points.
UNLV was rattled and CSU was racing to victory.
McKenna Murphy also hit two 3-pointers off the bench for the Rams as those two bench players led CSU.
The Ryun Williams-led Rams are always elite defensively and this year is no different.
But this was a masterclass.
UNLV went just 3-16 shooting in the third quarter that decided the game. The Rebels were limited to just 13 points in the second quarter, which is when UNLV led and could have pulled away after Bargesser was injured.
But CSU's defense absolutely clamped down and kept the Rams in it early and then won the game.
UNLV star Meadow Roland averages 15 points per game, but scored just nine on 3-15 shooting. Shelbee Brown averages 11 points per game and scored seven on 3-10 shooting.
The Rams grew the lead to 13 (55-42) midway through the third quarter but UNLV was always going to make one last push.
As UNLV started full-court pressing, the Rams had a few issues and UNLV finally got shots to fall and cut into the lead.
Twice in the final minute UNLV cut the CSU lead to just three points, but the Rams never allowed UNLV to have a possession with a chance to tie the game.
CSU hit eight of nine free throw attempts to seal the game.
Brooke Carlson led the Rams with 19 points and was 7-7 from the free throw line.
The March 10 title game will be a battle of two teams that both have a team of destiny vibe.
There's the No. 3 Rams. They are now 26-7 and no underdog, but it took a big fourth-quarter comeback and buzzer-beater to beat No. 6 Grand Canyon in the quarterfinals.
Then CSU lost its best player in the semis while trailing the UNLV team that had won three of the last four Mountain West tournament titles. Still, the Rams prevailed. On the Mountain West Network postgame show Williams said the injury to Bargesser appeared to be "not good."
Waiting for CSU in the championship? How about the No. 9-seed.
Yes, No. 9 Air Force will be the title-game opponent. The Falcons beat No. 8 Wyoming 60-53 in the first round. Then they stunned defending champ (and 2025-26 regular season champ) and No. 1 seed San Diego State 83-76 in the quarterfinals. Then it was a 68-66 win over No. 5 Boise State in the semis.
It's one of the most remarkable runs in Mountain West history.
Which team will make the Big Dance? The winner is NCAA Tournament bound.
The title game is at 6:30 p.m. Pacific/7:30 p.m. Mountain on March 10 and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
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: Colorado State loses Bargesser, but beats UNLV in Mountain West semis
Continue reading...
The Colorado State women’s basketball team is into the Mountain West championship game after a huge second half led to a 66-59 win over UNLV on March 9.
Any win in this game would have been big, but how it happened shows real guts from the Rams.
No. 3-seed CSU trailed in the first half as the Rams struggled on offense coming off a late-night buzzer-beater to beat Grand Canyon the night before.
Then the worst-case scenario happened. Star Lexus Bargesser went down with a non-contact injury and immediately hobbled to the locker room.
No. 2 UNLV led by eight (21-13) shortly after and seemed possible to pull away.
But CSU would not let that happen. The Rams clamped down on defense and two bench players sparked the Rams to victory.
Here are takeaways from the game.
Marta Leimane leads CSU
Senior Marta Leimane is the definition of a team player. She’s started frequently in her career but willingly comes off the bench for the Rams.
She does a lot of the hidden connector work for the team on both offense and defense. But this was her night in the spotlight.
Leimane hit two first-quarter 3-pointers to keep the Rams in touch as they found their energy early.
When Bargesser went out, Leimane helped steady the ship. Her 3-pointer at the buzzer sent the Rams into half tied.
It seemed to swing the momentum for the game.
Leimane hit another buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter, this a two-pointer, as CSU went into the fourth up three points (41-38).
Another 3-pointer from Leimane early in the fourth was followed by one from Hannah Ronsiek and it was CSU in control.
Leimane hit four of five 3-point attempts and scored 16 points.
UNLV was rattled and CSU was racing to victory.
McKenna Murphy also hit two 3-pointers off the bench for the Rams as those two bench players led CSU.
Defense leads to championship game
The Ryun Williams-led Rams are always elite defensively and this year is no different.
But this was a masterclass.
UNLV went just 3-16 shooting in the third quarter that decided the game. The Rebels were limited to just 13 points in the second quarter, which is when UNLV led and could have pulled away after Bargesser was injured.
But CSU's defense absolutely clamped down and kept the Rams in it early and then won the game.
UNLV star Meadow Roland averages 15 points per game, but scored just nine on 3-15 shooting. Shelbee Brown averages 11 points per game and scored seven on 3-10 shooting.
CSU holds on late
The Rams grew the lead to 13 (55-42) midway through the third quarter but UNLV was always going to make one last push.
As UNLV started full-court pressing, the Rams had a few issues and UNLV finally got shots to fall and cut into the lead.
Twice in the final minute UNLV cut the CSU lead to just three points, but the Rams never allowed UNLV to have a possession with a chance to tie the game.
CSU hit eight of nine free throw attempts to seal the game.
Brooke Carlson led the Rams with 19 points and was 7-7 from the free throw line.
Teams of destiny one win from NCAA Tournament
The March 10 title game will be a battle of two teams that both have a team of destiny vibe.
There's the No. 3 Rams. They are now 26-7 and no underdog, but it took a big fourth-quarter comeback and buzzer-beater to beat No. 6 Grand Canyon in the quarterfinals.
Then CSU lost its best player in the semis while trailing the UNLV team that had won three of the last four Mountain West tournament titles. Still, the Rams prevailed. On the Mountain West Network postgame show Williams said the injury to Bargesser appeared to be "not good."
Waiting for CSU in the championship? How about the No. 9-seed.
Yes, No. 9 Air Force will be the title-game opponent. The Falcons beat No. 8 Wyoming 60-53 in the first round. Then they stunned defending champ (and 2025-26 regular season champ) and No. 1 seed San Diego State 83-76 in the quarterfinals. Then it was a 68-66 win over No. 5 Boise State in the semis.
It's one of the most remarkable runs in Mountain West history.
Which team will make the Big Dance? The winner is NCAA Tournament bound.
The title game is at 6:30 p.m. Pacific/7:30 p.m. Mountain on March 10 and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
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: Colorado State loses Bargesser, but beats UNLV in Mountain West semis
Continue reading...
