Jan. 1, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game No. 13
Colorado State (4-8) vs. South Dakota (10-2)
Jan. 3, 2009 | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena (8,745) | 2 p.m. MT
Colorado State hosts South Dakota Saturday...
The Colorado State women’s basketball team tips off the new year Saturday, playing host the the University of South Dakota Coyotes in the Rams’ final non-conference game of the season. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. MT from Moby Arena between Rams (4-8) and Coyotes (10-2).
Colorado State enters the game looking for its second consecutive win - and its third straight home victory - coming off of a 56-48 triumph over Prairie View A&M in the second round of the Wells Fargo New Year’s Classic in San Antonio, Texas.
The Coyotes come to Fort Collins as part of a three-game road swing through the state of Colorado that will also include matchups with the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs on Friday and Monday, respectively.
Saturday’s contest will be broadcast live on AM 1410 KIIX. Brian Roth, in his eighth season behind the mic for the Rams, calls all the action. Kevin McGlue will provide color commentary. Live game audio will also be available via Rams All-Access subscription on CSURams.com.
Live statistics are available on CSURams.com by clicking on the “Gametracker” icon on the calendar of the home page or from the women’s basketball schedule page.
Rams vs. Coyotes...
Saturday’s tilt between the Rams and the Coyotes marks the third such meeting between the two teams, and their first matchup in 24 seasons. The teams split two previous games, with the Rams capturing a 63-51 victory in 1979, but falling 66-65 five seasons later.
CSU vs. USD series history...
11/17/79; W, 63-51 (Fort Collins)
12/01/84; L, 65-66 (Fort Collins)
More about South Dakota...
First-year head coach Ryun Williams has led South Dakota to a 10-2 mark to begin the 2008-09 season, picking up right where the Coyotes left off in 2007-08. Last year’s team compiled a school-record mark of 33-2 and ended the season ranked No. 2 in the nation after losing in the NCAA Division II championship game.
This season, USD begins its transition to the NCAA Division I level, and the Rams represent the first of 11 Division I opponents on the schedule for the Coyotes, after a Dec. 21 matchup with Northern Iowa was postponed.
The Coyotes return nine letterwinners from last season’s team but lost four starters, with the lone holdover being senior forward Bridget Yoerger.
Yoerger ranks as the team’s top scorer and rebounder, averaging 19.0 points and 8.9 boards per game. She has recorded double-digit points in 11 of the team’s 12 games this season and has eclipsed the 20-point mark six times for the Coyotes. Yoerger currently ranks fifth in program history in scoring and sixth in rebounding for her career.
Senior guard Ashley Wiemann also averages double-figures in scoring (12.5 ppg.) for the Coyotes, while ranking as the team’s top three-point threat. Wiemann leads the team in three-pointers made (45), attempted (92) and three-point field goal percentage (.489).
Recapping the Wells Fargo New Year’s Classic...
Colorado State posted a 1-1 record at the Wells Fargo New Year’s Classic, Dec. 29-30, falling to host UTSA 67-58 on the first day, but closing out the trip with a win over Prairie View A&M, 56-48.
The Rams jumped out to big leads early in both contests. UTSA closed the game on a 14-4 run over the final 3:18 of the contest to erase a nine-point CSU lead in the second half and capture the victory on their home court.
Sophomore guard Zoi Simmons recorded her first-career double-double, finishing with career marks of 16 points and 11 rebounds, but the Rams were unable to hold on for the victory. Freshman forward Chatilla van Grinsven added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Rams, while freshman guard Kim Mestdagh added nine boards.
On the second day of the tournament, the Rams watched a 10-point first-half lead disappear with 15 minutes left in the game. However, this time it was the Rams who closed the game with a strong push and a 13-4 run over the final 4:09 to pick up their fourth victory of the season, matching the win total of last year’s squad.
Mestdagh provided the spark for the Rams, scoring 16 points and notching seven rebounds, five assists and two steals to lead the Rams to the victory. Junior forward Juanise Cornell added 10 points and five rebounds, while senior forward Britney Minor chipped in with nine rebounds, four points and three assists. Senior forward Carine Reimink recorded nine points, six rebounds and two blocks in the contest.
Simmons, who averaged 12.5 points and 10.0 rebounds, was named to the all-tournament team.
Confident vs. non-conference...
Since the formation of the Mountain West Conference during the 1999-2000 season, the Colorado State women’s basketball team has posted an impressive record of 11-4 (.733) against non-conference opponents in the month of January. The Rams have won six straight such games, but have not had a non-conference opponent on the slate in January since the 2004-05 season.
Mestdagh becoming a regular...
Freshman guard Kim Mestdagh has become a regular on the court for the Rams, and has started seven of the Rams’ last eight games. During that stretch, Mestdagh is leading the team with 10.9 points per game. She has also recorded team bests with 19 three-pointers, 13 assists and 10 steals. Mestdagh, a native of Ieper, Belgium, has also connected on 44.2 percent (19-for-43) from three-point range during that span. She is also averaging 4.5 rebounds per game, good enough for third on the team in the last eight contests.
Beeming from long distance...
Senior captain Kandy Beemer ranks as one of the top three-point threats in CSU history. With 65 career treys, Beemer is tied for 14th on the CSU career list, while her .340 shooting percentage from long range is 14th in the Rams’ record books. Beemer has connected on at least one three-pointer in each of the Rams’ games this season, including five games in which she has hit at least three shots from downtown. She currently ranks tied for fifth in the Mountain West Conference in three-pointers made per game (2.17).
Simmons from the stripe...
Sophomore guard Zoi Simmons was perfect (13-for-13) from the free-throw line in the Rams’ last two contests and has moved into a tie for third in the MWC with a season free-throw percentage of .909 (20-for-22). Simmons has improved her free-throw shooting dramatically since her freshman season, when she connected on just 30-for-49 (.612) from the charity stripe.
Starting for the Rams?...
Head Coach Kristen Holt, searching for the right combination, has used five different starting lineups for the Rams this season. Three players, seniors Kandy Beemer, Britney Minor and Carine Reimink, have started all 12 games for the Rams. Junior Juanise Cornell has started eight times, followed by freshman Kim Mestdagh’s seven starting nods. Three players, sophomores Zoi Simmons and Bonnie Barbee, and freshman Chatilla van Grinsven, have each started three games.
The following is a breakdown of the Rams’ won-loss record by starting lineup:
• Beemer, Mestdagh, Minor, Cornell, Reimink: 3 (2-1)
vs. N. Colorado (W), at Montana (L), vs. UNI (W)
• Beemer, Mestdagh, Minor, van Grinsven, Reimink: 3 (1-2)
vs. Denver (L), at UTSA (L), vs. Prairie View A&M (W)
• Beemer, Barbee, Minor, Cornell, Reimink: 3 (1-2)
at Wichita State (L), at Colorado (L), vs. Idaho (W)
• Beemer, Simmons, Minor, Cornell, Reimink: 2 (0-2)
vs. Valparaiso (L), at Creighton (L)
• Beemer, Simmons, Mestdagh, Minor, Reimink: 1 (0-1)
vs. Murray State (L)
Change in Air Force game time...
Colorado State’s Feb. 21 home game against the Air Force Falcons has been moved to a 7 p.m. tip time to accommodate for a time change in the Colorado State at Air Force men’s game also scheduled for that day at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo. The men’s game, originally slated for 7 p.m., was moved so as not to conflict with an Air Force hockey game, and the women’s game was moved to accommodate television broadcasts for both games, which will air live on The Mtn. The men’s game will now tip at 4 p.m.
Up next...
Colorado State begins Mountain West Conference play, hosting the TCU Lady Frogs at 7 p.m. at Moby Arena. TCU was selected to finish third in the MWC Preseason Coaches’ poll, and is receiving votes in both national polls released Dec. 29.
