Colorado State University Athletics
Sunday, December 8
Fort Collins, CO
1 PM MT
Colorado State
5-5,0-2Mountain
69
vs
72
Boise State
6-4,2-0Mountain
1
2
3
4
F
Boise St.
18
22
19
13
72
Colorado State
17
16
20
16
69
Rams Fall in Close One to Boise State, 72-69
12/8/2019 6:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – In junior college, Colorado State women's basketball head coach Ryun Williams was given a figure. His own head coach told him, "75 percent of all games are going to be won or lost by five points or less."
The source cited was a Harvard study, something Williams still questions the validity of to this day. Nonetheless, the sentiment still rings in his head in games like Sunday's 72-69 loss to Boise State at Moby Arena.
A late push led to the thin margin, but the Rams fell short. To reach the potential, which is so easily visible, the close games need to reverse course.
"We're a good basketball team," Williams said. "But we have to start winning these close games."
So far this year, the Rams have faced a single-digit margin in four games. Including their latest loss, they've yet to tally a win in those instances.
A cause of the struggles is still working into their final form. The Broncos, a perennial Mountain West champion who's won 32 of their last 38 conference games, has found its identity. Led by six seniors, they presented a harsh litmus test for the Rams.
The close margin, while short of the host's expectations, showed how close they are.
"This team has a ton of potential," Williams said. "I hope they're in the locker room thinking, 'we should've won the game.' That's what winners think. We're thinking we should've won that basketball game.
"I think our kids should believe we can beat that team and play on the same floor with them."
While the Broncos were a complete team, the Rams are still unaware what a complete team could look like. They've been without Lore Devos since the first game. Myanne Hamm and Tori Williams have also gone down with injuries in the past two weeks.
With his team at full strength, Williams remains giddy. They've already shown so much, reinforcements would only add to it. Turning the close losses into wins would also provide a snowball opportunity.
"We all just tried to play tough tonight," Megan Jacobs said. "We really wanted this win tonight, but I think that our fans can see that we really tried to compete and get that win. We'll continue to move forward in conference and build on what we did tonight."
The players on the floor are providing their own sparks already. Jacobs, after a hard fall in the first frame, finished with 18 points. Andrea Brady, the team's leader, finished with an even greater 23.
A solid core has shown its face, even in the losses.
"That was good leadership tonight," Williams said. "I liked Annie and Megan's leadership tonight. They played hard and made some big plays."
The one thing which held the Rams back was their inability to keep the Broncos to a single attempt. The visitors racked up a bevy of offensive rebounds in the win, and second chances allowed pare down the win probability.
When the Rams did limit the Broncos' attempts, like they did in the fourth quarter, they proved to be the more efficient squad.
Little things like rebounding after a good defensive possession represent the difference between outcomes. Focusing on those small portions of a bigger picture will lend itself to success.
"When you get two good teams out there, it's going to be a close game," Williams said. "Those little things, like giving them a couple of extra possessions and they convert a 3, or they get a put-back foul, that could be the difference. It doesn't matter if it happens in the first three minutes of the game or the last three. It's equally important."
The Rams will look to a matchup in Knoxville, Tennessee against the Lady Volunteers to find some footing. It's a tough test, but one that "winners" embrace.
For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
The source cited was a Harvard study, something Williams still questions the validity of to this day. Nonetheless, the sentiment still rings in his head in games like Sunday's 72-69 loss to Boise State at Moby Arena.
A late push led to the thin margin, but the Rams fell short. To reach the potential, which is so easily visible, the close games need to reverse course.
"We're a good basketball team," Williams said. "But we have to start winning these close games."
So far this year, the Rams have faced a single-digit margin in four games. Including their latest loss, they've yet to tally a win in those instances.
A cause of the struggles is still working into their final form. The Broncos, a perennial Mountain West champion who's won 32 of their last 38 conference games, has found its identity. Led by six seniors, they presented a harsh litmus test for the Rams.
The close margin, while short of the host's expectations, showed how close they are.
"This team has a ton of potential," Williams said. "I hope they're in the locker room thinking, 'we should've won the game.' That's what winners think. We're thinking we should've won that basketball game.
"I think our kids should believe we can beat that team and play on the same floor with them."
While the Broncos were a complete team, the Rams are still unaware what a complete team could look like. They've been without Lore Devos since the first game. Myanne Hamm and Tori Williams have also gone down with injuries in the past two weeks.
With his team at full strength, Williams remains giddy. They've already shown so much, reinforcements would only add to it. Turning the close losses into wins would also provide a snowball opportunity.
"We all just tried to play tough tonight," Megan Jacobs said. "We really wanted this win tonight, but I think that our fans can see that we really tried to compete and get that win. We'll continue to move forward in conference and build on what we did tonight."
The players on the floor are providing their own sparks already. Jacobs, after a hard fall in the first frame, finished with 18 points. Andrea Brady, the team's leader, finished with an even greater 23.
A solid core has shown its face, even in the losses.
"That was good leadership tonight," Williams said. "I liked Annie and Megan's leadership tonight. They played hard and made some big plays."
The one thing which held the Rams back was their inability to keep the Broncos to a single attempt. The visitors racked up a bevy of offensive rebounds in the win, and second chances allowed pare down the win probability.
When the Rams did limit the Broncos' attempts, like they did in the fourth quarter, they proved to be the more efficient squad.
Little things like rebounding after a good defensive possession represent the difference between outcomes. Focusing on those small portions of a bigger picture will lend itself to success.
"When you get two good teams out there, it's going to be a close game," Williams said. "Those little things, like giving them a couple of extra possessions and they convert a 3, or they get a put-back foul, that could be the difference. It doesn't matter if it happens in the first three minutes of the game or the last three. It's equally important."
The Rams will look to a matchup in Knoxville, Tennessee against the Lady Volunteers to find some footing. It's a tough test, but one that "winners" embrace.
For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
Team Stats
BOISE
CSU
FG%
.414
.491
3FG%
.286
.227
FT%
.750
.909
RB
36
33
TO
13
17
STL
6
3
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
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