Calling Utah State’s Shannon Dufficy one of the best players in the Mountain West is no exaggeration. After all, she entered Saturday’s game against Colorado State as the conference’s leading rebounder and second-best scorer.
Considering the impact she has on the Aggies’ success, it’s no surprise she is the focus of opposing defenses. So when a team holds her in check for most of the contest, as the Rams did Saturday afternoon, chances are they’ll be able to compete.
Despite their ability to do so, the Rams had no answer for her supporting cast as the Aggies ran away with a 72-53 victory. Hailey Bassett and Eliza West rose to the occasion with much of CSU’s focus on Dufficy. Bassett registered 18 points and 12 rebounds while West ran the offense efficiently to finish with 11 points — all in the first half — and seven assists.
“Bassett’s had some really good games this year,” coach Ryun Williams said. “She converted a lot early and they made baskets. So if that’s the case, you’ve got to counter on the other end.”
Counter, the Rams did not. Utah State had success getting to the high post early in the game. It stayed patient with CSU’s zone defense and worked the ball around the perimeter before eventually finding room around the basket.
Offensively, the Rams failed to match that energy and execution. They rarely created open looks and struggled to knock them down when they did. That said, Grace Colaivalu had her best game of the season, finishing with 20 points, six assists and five rebounds. Outside of her efforts, though, the Rams struggled mightily scoring the ball as leaders Lore Devos and Mollie Mounsey combined for just eight points.
A problem for the Rams all season, Williams again pointed at consistent offense as something that simply needs to improve, period.
“I thought offensively, we were pretty poor the first half as far as execution, doing what you’re supposed to do,” he said. “Whether it’s setting screens, that sort of thing. And we were not overly organized, to be honest with you. You’ve gotta score the ball at this level.”
In the second frame, Utah State extended its offense beyond the 3-point line. The Rams made it a point to guard the post more, leaving shooters open from deep. West was the main beneficiary as she nailed three early triples to present more problems for CSU’s defense.
And the thing about the best players is they find a way to contribute, even if it’s not on the scoreboard. Dufficy did just that as she dominated the boards throughout the afternoon. Less than five minutes into the game, she already racked up seven rebounds, many of which came on the offensive end leading to extra scoring opportunities and hinting at the kind of rebounding day it would be for CSU.
Though she scored only four points in the opening half, Dufficy’s impact was still wide-spread as the Aggies largely had the game in control with a 22-point lead at the break, including a 22-8 advantage rebounding.
“Whether it’s more fight, you’ve really gotta get engaged and involved on the glass with a team like Utah State,” Williams said. “They’re very talented on the glass with Dufficy and (Bassett). They’ve got bigger, stronger, more athletic bodies than us. When they put the effort and determination behind it, they made us look silly on the glass at times.”
Colaivalu expanded upon what was her best game of the season in the second half as she continued to find space in the lane and knocked down shots to score a season-high 20 points.
“I’m looked at to be the main facilitator of the team, to bring the spark, and I’m looked at to score,” Colaivalu said. “That should be my mindset every single game, and tonight I just felt like I played a little bit more like me.”
Still, it was too little to mount a comeback of that magnitude as most of Utah State’s bench played the majority of the fourth quarter. CSU struggled shooting the ball, finishing 29 percent from 3 and 39 percent from the field.
Dufficy found more success scoring in the second half to finish with 14 points and 12 boards and join Bassett in double-double land. Lena Svanholm was CSU’s second-leading scorer with seven points, while Myanne Hamm added six.
The loss is CSU’s fourth consecutive after they began MW action with victory. For a team struggling more than they have all season, Hamm recognized the importance of staying together to break the losing streak.
“Little things, it’s a mindset thing,” Hamm said. “We feed off each other really well, but that also means if someone’s very negative, we might have negative energy, too. So we just need to be always positive.”
For Williams, much of that comes down to effort.
“We don’t believe in moral victories here, it’s just not what we’re about,” he said. “It’s about competing every play with every ounce of energy and effort and concentration and intelligence that you have.”
Colin Barnard: 970-669-5402, cbarnard@reporter-herald.com and twitter.com/ColinBarnard_
