FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Led by 12 points from Sam Martin, Colorado State (2-7) defended its territory with a close 58-52 victory over North Dakota (4-4) at the Moby Arena.
With UND trailing 38-47 with six and a half minutes remaining in the game, Martin gave the Rams an 11-point advantage - its largest lead of the night, but senior guard Charnise Mothershed (Phoenix, Ariz.) was there to knock the margin back down to single digits with her lone three-pointer. Now down by eight with 3:32 on the clock, junior guard Nicole Smart sank her lone three-pointer of the contest. The Ada, Minn., followed with a pull-up jumper after Martin hit yet again from the field.
After the teams traded points, senior guard Charnay Mothershed (Phoenix, Ariz.) stepped up and dropped in a pair of free throws (00:45) and then Smart laid one off of the glass to pull UND to within three (55-52) with just 30 ticks left. Six seconds later, Martin settled in for a pair of free throws to give Colorado State the 57-52 advantage. Following a pair of missed chances for North Dakota, the Rams added the final point of the night with a free throw from LeDayah Forte.
"We battled," head coach Gene Roebuck said. "We played hard, but we just couldn't knock down shots. When you're playing on the road, you have to be able to knock down the open shots."
North Dakota shot a season low 31.7 percent (20-for-63), went 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) from beyond the arc, and finished 9-for-11 (81.8 percent) at the free throw line.
"I can't fault our team's effort," Roebuck said. "They worked really hard, and because of that we're going to get better. We will get better. We're a young team and we have to continue to believe in ourselves."
Junior guard Carly Rothfusz (Eden Prairie, Minn.) opened the game with a three-pointer just nine seconds in, but Kim Mestdagh quickly scored on the opposite end to begin a 13-2 run. Sophomore forward Megan Lauck (Shoreview, Minn.) broke the streak with a field goal and a free throw, but then that is where the score remained as both teams went without a point added to the board for the next two and a half minutes.
After Mestdagh broke the silence with a bucket at 10:59 to give the Rams the 15-8 lead, redshirt freshman center Emily Evers (East Grand Forks, Minn.) scored five points during an 11-6 run to bring UND to within a basket with 7:16 remaining in the first half. With the visitors now close on the Rams' heels, Mestdagh capped a 7-0 run with her lone three-pointer of the night.
Now trailing 19-28 with four minutes on the clock, Charnay Mothershed put up four straight points and sophomore forward Katie Houdek (Grafton, N.D.) followed with her own four-point streak to make it 28-27 CSU with 39 seconds remaining in the opening half. With an added pair of free throws from Meghan Heimstra, Colorado State went into the break with a 30-27 lead.
Mestdagh opened the new half with her fifth field goal of the game, but sophomore center Allyssa Wall (North Sioux City, S.D.) was there with UND's answer on the other end. CSU banked another field goal, but this time sophomore forward Madi Buck (Bismarck, N.D.) answered with a transition layup and a free throw to follow to pull UND within two (34-32) with 15:52 on the clock.
With North Dakota looking to take over the lead, the Rams staged an 8-0 run to give the home team a 10-point advantage. True freshman guard Cy'erra Mills (Maple Grove, Minn.) dropped in her first and only basket of the night to stop the run (10:32), but then UND fell into a scoring skid and struggled to find the inside of the net. With UND scoring four points and CSU recording five through the ensuing five and a half minutes, the Rams maintained their lead and then held on tight to the end.
"When we got down by 10, we missed some shots that we shouldn't have," Roebuck said. "Once you get down, you really have stay close, not let the other team build a big lead, and then hope to pull out the win."
Charnay Mothershed led North Dakota with eight points on 3-for-6 shooting from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 showing at the foul line. Buck and Smart finished with seven points apiece and Houdek ended with six. Buck led UND for boards for the seventh straight game, finishing with six rebounds (three offensive).
Joining Martin in double figures for Colorado State was Kim Mestdagh (11) and Forte (10). The Rams shot 47.7 percent (21-for-44) from the field, 2-for-13 (15.4 percent) at three-point range, and 14-for-19 (73.7 percent) at the free throw line.
North Dakota will remain on the road as it takes on Missouri this Saturday at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. Tipoff is slated for 12:30 p.m. CT.
- Go Sioux -
