The Colorado State women’s basketball team had their March Madness come to as sudden and disappointing end on Saturday as the Lady Rams lost by three after a last-second shot by the Rams rimmed out.

To get this far, though, is a major accomplishment.

All year long, the Rams had been battling for recognition. Despite dominating all season, owning the second-longest winning streak in the nation, the Rams only just snuck into the AP Top 25 in the final weeks of the season. Still, come conference tournament play, CSU were playing with a win-and-in mindset; with the way they’d been discounted and under appreciated all season, nobody would have been shocked if the Rams were sitting on the outside with an early Mountain West Tournament upset.

Still, even after taking home the Mountain West title in dramatic fashion, the NCAA Selection Committee couldn’t help but slight the Rams once again, giving Tennessee (the team they bumped out of the Top 25) a higher seed in the country’s biggest tournament. Not to mention, they were placed in a considerably easier bracket. In fact, the CSU-South Florida matchup was the only one between two ranked teams in Round 1 of the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

But the Rams were ready.

Jamie Patrick came out on fire, tallying a quick block and a three-pointer to get the Rams off to a hot start. South Florida, though, showed their strength in the second half. Led by one of the best players in college hoops, Courtney Williams, the Bulls stretched their lead.

But Colorado State responded. They continued to push the ball and get stops defensively. And just like every good March Madness game, this one came down to the last shot.

With seconds left in the game, South Florida inbounded the ball deep, trying to end the game, but Hannah Tvrdy read the pass and rushed to the ball, stealing it at half court; the Rams immediately called a time out, but the clock had ran before anyone touched the ball, so the game appeared to be over. After review, the referees determined that there should be 1.6 seconds left on the clock, and the Rams would have the ball on their own sideline.

They had their shot.

Announcers, fans and the South Florida Bulls all thought the play would be drawn for the senior, Patrick, but what happened next, no one had expected.

Down three, with the ball at mid court, CSU called a trick play! Patrick is guarded tightly, just as we had expected, but instead of coming towards the ball, she runs towards the opposite wing, drawing the perfect distraction. The pass is inbounded, instead, to freshman guard Sofie Tryggedsson. She hadn’t played all game but there’s no denying she knows how to shoot. As the leading scorer for the Danish national team, almost any look is a good look for Tryggedsson. The Rams could not have asked for a better shot. It looked good from the second it left her hands.

An unlucky bounce.

Although this was a heart breaking loss for the Rams, the women proved to the committee that this is where they are meant to be. They earned every second of time on that court, and they showed the nation how proud they are to be, the underrated, CSU Rams.

Let’s all hope this is just the start.

(Featured image via @CSUWomensBball)