A nearly perfect third quarter launched the Colorado State women’s basketball team to a quarterfinal win at the Mountain West tournament on Monday.
The No. 5-seeded Rams toppled No. 4 Nevada 65-54 after CSU erased a big first-half deficit and blew the Wolf Pack away after halftime.
CSU (20-10) was twice down 10 points to Nevada (16-16) in the second quarter but closed the half with a surge to trail by just three at the break at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
It set the tone for a nearly perfect third quarter. CSU outscored Nevada a whopping 22-5 in the third. The Rams hit their last five shots of the quarter and four 3-pointers.
It turned the double-digit halftime deficit into a huge lead, which grew to 17 points in the fourth quarter. Nevada was never closer than within 11 points once CSU went up double-digits.
The Rams knocked down 10 3-pointers in the game. Star guard McKenna Hofschild had a game-high 21 points to go with eight assists. Hannah Ronsiek hit five 3-pointers and scored 19 points to go with seven rebounds. Marta Leimane scored 13 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists.
The win sets up a showdown with top-seeded UNLV in Tuesday’s semifinal, which will take place at 5 p.m. PT/6 p.m. MT.
More: 2024 Mountain West women’s basketball tournament bracket, results
UNLV has won the MW tournament back-to-back seasons (including a title-game win over CSU in 2022).
UNLV (28-2) beat CSU in both matchups in the regular season, but barely. The Rams lost by five at home and by three in Las Vegas.
For CSU, winning the MW tournament is the lone path to the NCAA Tournament.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado State women’s basketball team surges past Nevada; No. 1 UNLV up next
