Colorado State led at halftime, but Michigan State dominated the final nine minutes of the game as the Spartans ousted the Rams from the women’s NCAA Division I Championships with a 65-62 win on Friday in Norman, Okla. READ MORE
Brooke Carlson had a career high with 26 points for CSU as the Rams were bidding for their first NCAA victory since the 2001 season. Lexus Bargesser, the CSU leading scorer with a 15.2 point average, missed the game due to injury. BOX SCORE
The Rams (27-8), which had won their last nine games, highlighted by a Mountain West Conference postseason title, led 29-27 at halftime and held a 47-42 lead with 1:49 left in the third quarter. Michigan State (23-8) scored the last five points of the period to tie the game at 47 with 10 minutes.
Colorado State scored first in the final quarter, but Michigan State took the lead for good on a Jalyn Brown 24-foot three-pointer at 52-49 with 9:01 left in the game. The Spartans had a pair of six-point edges (58-52, 65-59) in the last period, and CSU made it close on a Brooke Carlson three with 39 seconds remaining.
The Rams had a chance to tie in the final eight seconds, but Hannah Ronsiek’s three-point attempt before the buzzer did not draw iron.
Here are the latest postseason results and upcoming schedule.
Wednesday, March 18
- MEN – Saint Joseph’s (23-11) 69, at Colorado State (21-13) 64, (NIT BRACKET)
Thursday, March 19
- WOMEN – Northern Colorado (23-10) 79, Air Force (16-19) 72, (WNIT BRACKET)
Friday, March 20
- WOMEN – Michigan State (23-8) 65, Colorado State (27-8) 62, (NCAA D1 BRACKET)
Saturday, March 21
- WOMEN – Colorado (22-11) vs. Illinois (22-11), 7:30 p.m., Nashville (NCAA D1 BRACKET, ESPN2)
Sunday, March 22
- MEN – Trinidad State (17-16) vs. Snow (30-4), 11 a.m., Hutchinson (TSC FACT SHEET / NJCAA BRACKET / NJCAA NETWORK)
- WOMEN – Northern Colorado (23-10) at South Dakota, 12 p.m., (WNIT BRACKET)
Tuesday, March 24
- WOMEN – Colorado Mesa (36-1) vs. Minnesota Duluth (23-8), 4:30 p.m., Pittsburgh (NCAA D2 BRACKET, STREAMING)
Wednesday, April 1
- MEN – Colorado (17-15) vs. Oklahoma (19-15), 6 p.m., Las Vegas (CBC BRACKET, FS1)
