FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) -- Vanessa Espinoza scored 16 points,
Lindsay Thomas had 13 and Colorado State handed San Diego State its
fourth straight loss, 65-56 on Thursday night.
Colorado State (14-9, 5-5 Mountain West) used an 11-0 run midway
through the second half to open up a 50-35 lead, and San Diego
State got no closer than seven points after that. CSU has won four
of its last five games.
SDSU (7-15, 2-7) got 18 points from Courtney Fritz and 15 from
Michelle Elliott.
Leading 39-35, Colorado State began its 11-0 surge on
back-to-back 3-pointers by Annika Walseth. Melissa Dennett added a
layup, and Espinoza hit a 3-pointer with 9:01 remaining.
Fritz's 3-pointer and Elliott's three-point play helped trim the
deficit to 50-43, but Espinoza's three-point play two minutes later
put the Rams ahead 57-45 with 5:15 left.
CSU made 8-of-10 free throws in the final two minutes.
Colorado State took a 24-23 halftime lead despite shooting only
33 percent compared to San Diego State's 45 percent. The Aztecs
committed 11 turnovers in the half and 19 for the game.
Both teams endured prolonged scoring droughts in the half. CSU
went 5:43 without a point, during which San Diego State scored 11
straight points, including three straight 3-pointers by Fritz, for
a 13-3 lead.
The Aztecs then failed to score for the next 8:52, and CSU
scored nine straight points during that span, including five points
by Thomas.
Michelle Strawberry's driving layup and subsequent 3-pointer
that barely beat the shot clock put the Aztecs ahead 19-17 with
3:20 left in the half. But Dennett countered with a three-point
play.