The Coyote women’s basketball team shut down the Colorado State Rams 74-49 Sunday afternoon to move forward to the third round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
The Rams (21-11) travelled to Vermillion in hopes of continuing their WNIT career. Their record in the Mountain West Conference was 11-7 and they were an at-large team for the WNIT.
The Coyote women shot well in the first quarter, making four out of nine three-pointers. The Coyotes’ offense was fast with smart, quick passes. On defense, both teams defended tightly.
Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit said that Colorado State is a good team that excels in many aspects, and credited their defense.
“What’s really been impressive about them all year is that they’ve been one of the best teams in the country defensively,” Plitzuweit said.
Coming out in the second quarter, both teams struggled to make it in the basket, until Jaycee Bradley swished a three-pointer for the Coyotes followed by another three-pointer by Allison Arens, and the Rams decided to call a timeout.
After that, both teams added 10 more points to the scoreboard, going into halftime with a score of 40-22, Coyotes leading.
Up to that point, the Coyotes attempted 20 three-pointers and made 8 of those, compared to the 6 attempted and only three completed by the Rams.
In the third quarter the Rams’s defense didn’t let up. Putting even more pressure on the Coyotes than before, they managed to slow down their opponent’s shooting while shortening the lead to five points at one point.
With half of the of the third quarter left, the Coyotes came back with a rejuvenated defense and offense and were able to put the ball in the basket again. The Rams only made three more shots in the quarter.
Chloe Lamb shot off a three-pointer to start off the fourth quarter, followed by five more consecutive points. The Coyotes then managed to force a shot clock violation on an already struggling Rams offense.
The first time out called in the final quarter was called with five minutes left to play, and USD led 63-45. The Coyote’s offense persisted and managed to score 11 more points, making the final score 74-49.
Top scorers for the Coyotes were Ciara Duffy with 19 points, Jaycee Bradley with 15 points, and Chloe Lamb and Allison Arens with 10 points each.
In the postgame press conference, Duffy said the team prepares for each game as if it could be their last.
“That’s really good motivation knowing that it could be the last time we all take the floor together,” Duffy said.
The women’s team will host either Michigan State or Toledo Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Sanford Coyote Sport Center for the third round of the tournament.
