Spring Break
Women's hoops hosts Aztecs in regular season finale
Justin Warren
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Sports
After a much-improved season from last year, CSU women's basketball head coach Kristen Holt will lead the Rams (9-19, 4-11 MWC) against the second seed in the Mountain West Conference, the San Diego State Aztecs (20-6, 11-3 MWC), inside Moby Arena for the final game of the regular season tonight.
"I think the last few games we have not played with the intensity that we were playing with there for a stretch," Holt said. "With this team it is all about intensity and focus and if they are focused, they are a completely different team."
The Rams come into tonight's game with two consecutive losses, the first to Wyoming and then a 22-point loss to New Mexico on the road.
"We have to put that past us, learn from our mistakes and just play hard," sophomore guard Zoi Simmons said. "We just have to go out there and give it all we have got. We just have to focus and play hard because we want to do good in the tournament that is coming up."
The Aztecs have won seven of their last eight games and enter tonight's game on a three-game winning streak after beating New Mexico, BYU and TCU.
SDSU has two games left and the Aztecs are in a fight for the second seed in the conference, with TCU also hoping to snag one of the first round byes awarded to the top two teams in the MWC Tournament.
"They will be in altitude, and I don't know how disciplined they will be," junior forward Juanise Cornell said. "We have been running and getting into good shape. Coach Holt has been emphasizing running, and if we get them tired at the end of the game, then their shots will not fall. Our best bet is to run them to death."
Last match between the two schools, the Rams came back from a nine-point halftime deficit to lead the Aztecs by seven points with 7:29 left in the game. However, CSU lost the lead after SDSU outscored the Rams 18-8 in the final seven minutes of play, defeating CSU by one point, 62-61. Sophomore forward Jen Layton-Bailes sank the winning lay-up at the buzzer to give the Aztecs the victory.
"I think the last few games we have not played with the intensity that we were playing with there for a stretch," Holt said. "With this team it is all about intensity and focus and if they are focused, they are a completely different team."
The Rams come into tonight's game with two consecutive losses, the first to Wyoming and then a 22-point loss to New Mexico on the road.
"We have to put that past us, learn from our mistakes and just play hard," sophomore guard Zoi Simmons said. "We just have to go out there and give it all we have got. We just have to focus and play hard because we want to do good in the tournament that is coming up."
The Aztecs have won seven of their last eight games and enter tonight's game on a three-game winning streak after beating New Mexico, BYU and TCU.
SDSU has two games left and the Aztecs are in a fight for the second seed in the conference, with TCU also hoping to snag one of the first round byes awarded to the top two teams in the MWC Tournament.
"They will be in altitude, and I don't know how disciplined they will be," junior forward Juanise Cornell said. "We have been running and getting into good shape. Coach Holt has been emphasizing running, and if we get them tired at the end of the game, then their shots will not fall. Our best bet is to run them to death."
Last match between the two schools, the Rams came back from a nine-point halftime deficit to lead the Aztecs by seven points with 7:29 left in the game. However, CSU lost the lead after SDSU outscored the Rams 18-8 in the final seven minutes of play, defeating CSU by one point, 62-61. Sophomore forward Jen Layton-Bailes sank the winning lay-up at the buzzer to give the Aztecs the victory.
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