After one of the most exciting seasons in Colorado State women’s basketball history, the No. 11 seed Rams lost 48-45 to the No. 6 seed University of South Florida in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Women’s Tournament. That loss officially ended an historic run that had the Rams ranked as high as No. 22 in the nation.
CSU had two chances within the last 10 seconds to come up with a game-tying shot, but the ball unforgivingly bounced off the back of the rim on both attempts. The loss was Colorado State’s first in over three months, and even though an historic season is over, the 2015-16 CSU women’s team will not be forgotten.
The Rams 31-2 overall record was the best in over a decade and their .939 winning percentage was a school record. Their dominance of the Mountain West was impressive, frequently defeating opponents by double digits. On both sides of the court, quit was not a word in the Rams’ vocabulary. All season they battled on both ends, relentlessly wearing down their opponents.
Defensively, the Rams were stout, and their ability to smother opponents was a common trend throughout the season. Along with the highest winning percentage in school history, CSU set team records in overall scoring defense, field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal defense; all of which played a huge role in their run to the tournament.
After the heartbreaking loss to USF, head coach Ryun Williams praised the efforts of his team, “That was a good college basketball game. I love my basketball team. For 33 nights this year, these kids have showed up and put themselves in a position to win,” Williams said.
“Not one bad night, not one time did they not put themselves in a position to win,” Williams continued. “That’s hard to do, that’s how competitive they are. It doesn’t surprise me that it came down to that last shot with our group. You don’t have a year like this without incredible seniors. Jamie [Patrick] had a big time senior game. I’m proud of our team, I’m proud of USF. That’s a well-played game. Courtney [Williams] is the real deal. The kid is incredible. She is rock star. I’m a proud basketball coach. These kids represented Colorado State big time.”
In a season where the men’s team was up and down, the lady Rams never disappointed. Their team cohesion on the court was a basketball purist’s dream. Everyone on the court unselfishly doing their part to lead the team to victory.
Being able to overcome adversity is a mark of a great team, and that’s what this team was able to do on a regular basis. Whether is was Ellen Nystrom hitting a game-winning jump shot, giving the Rams a 64-63 victory against CU on Dec. 2, or CSU storming back in the Mountain West tournament, overcoming a double-digit deficit to top Fresno State in the Mountain West Championship game.
This team was made of grit and never said “die.”
“I don’t think you ever envision 31 wins, 28 in a row. We learned from our trip overseas in August that we have a lot of good players. We have a really competitive bunch that competed every day. That’s why our team kept getting better. It was one through 15 all year long,” Williams said.
“I think it was shortly after Christmas that we knew we had a bunch that is different,” the head coach explained. “We have great versatility. Their will to win is unmatched. I’ve never had a team like this. I maybe never will again. That’s why I love them so much.”
Some teams just seem to have the “it-factor,” finding a way to win, no matter the circumstances. That is what this team had. They may not have received the attention they deserved, or the national recognition that should have come with being 31-1 entering the tournament, but the fans in Fort Collins witnessed greatness.
Winning nearly 95 percent of your games is impressive, no matter the level of competition, and no anti-Mountain West cynic can take away what this group accomplished. They beat many good teams this year, and after their performance against South Florida, it is clear they can hang with the better teams of the nation.
The 2015-16 Colorado State women’s basketball season was a thrilling ride, Ram fans everywhere should be excited for what the future holds. Williams is one of the elite young coaches in the nation, and in just a few short years has turned the program into a Mountain West powerhouse.
With Williams leading the way, the Rams just might be back in the tournament this time next year. Until then, Ram fans should be proud of what this team accomplished. A season like this is truly special, and even though the Rams would have liked to make a deeper run in the postseason, the future of women’s basketball is bright in Fort Collins.
