Jan. 5, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game No. 14
Colorado State (5-8) vs. TCU (8-5)
Jan. 7, 2009 | Fort Collins, Colo. | Moby Arena (8,745) | 7 p.m. MT
Colorado State opens MWC action vs. TCU...
The Colorado State women’s basketball team opens its Mountain West Conference schedule, playing host to TCU on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT from Moby Arena between the Rams (5-8) and Lady Frogs (8-5).
Colorado State enters the game looking for its third consecutive win - and its fourth straight home victory - coming off of a 56-55 triumph over the South Dakota Coyotes on Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Frogs, who were selected to finish third in the MWC preseason coaches poll, come to Fort Collins riding a three-game losing skid, but had been receiving votes in both national polls prior to a Dec. 30 home loss to cross-town rival SMU, 79-75. The Lady Frogs have been idle since that loss.
Wednesday’s contest will be broadcast live on AM 1410 KIIX in the Fort Collins area. 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 free of charge 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. Lady Frogs...
Wednesday’s tilt between the Rams and the Lady Frogs marks the 10th in the series between the two schools. Colorado State won the first three meetings, but TCU has picked up six straight victories over the Rams since joining the Mountain West Conference in 2005-06. The last CSU victory in the series was an 89-66 win on Feb. 11, 1999 at Moby Arena. Last season, the Lady Frogs picked up a 70-52 victory in Fort Worth and a 76-41 triumph in Fort Collins.
CSU vs. TCU series history...
12/11/93; W, 92-69 (Fort Collins)
01/14/99; W, 89-76 (Fort Worth)
02/11/99; W, 89-66 (Fort Collins)
01/21/06; L, 63-73 (Fort Collins)
02/22/06; L, 57-83 (Fort Worth)
01/06/07; L, 86-36 (Fort Worth)
02/07/07; L, 67-85 (Fort Collins)
01/19/08; L, 52-70 (Fort Worth)
02/20/08; L, 41-76 (Fort Collins)
More about TCU...
Head coach Jeff Mittie is in his 10th season at the helm of the Lady Frogs program, where he has compiled a record of 204-100, and returns five letterwinners and six starters from last season’s team that posted a 23-12 mark (13-3 MWC) and advanced to the third round of the WNIT.
2008 MWC Freshman of the Year Helena Sverrisdottir leads the Lady Frogs, ranking as the team’s leading scorer, and one of three players averaging double-figures for TCU. Sverrisdottir enters league play as the MWC’s third-leading scorer (16.6 ppg.), just ahead of junior transfer TK LaFleur (15.6 ppg.) who ranks sixth. Sverrisdottir is also the team’s top rebounder at 6.8 boards per game, eighth in the MWC. Sophomore transfer Rachel Rentschler ranks second in rebounding (5.7 rpg.) while adding 10.0 points per contest.
As a team, the Lady Frogs rank near the top of the MWC in a number of statistical categories, including first in scoring (74.4 ppg), three-point field-goal percentage (.393), three-point field-goal percentage defense (.259), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.02), and three-pointers made per game (6.62).
Last time out...
Britney Minor tallied 12 points, and fellow senior Amaka Uzomah added nine rebounds to lead the Colorado State women’s basketball team to a 56-55 victory over the University of South Dakota on Saturday afternoon at Moby Arena.
Colorado State stormed back from a 10-point second-half deficit, as Uzomah punctuated the Rams’ comeback effort with an offensive rebound and putback with 17 seconds remaining to cap a wild final 5 minutes that saw six lead changes and two ties.
With the Rams trailing by one, 55-54, and less than 30 seconds left in the game, sophomore Bonnie Barbee missed a potential go-ahead jump shot, but Uzomah outrebounded a host of Coyotes, missed the ensuing layup, but converted after her second offensive rebound to score the game-winning basket.
Uzomah finished the game with six points to go along with her team-high nine rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass.
South Dakota opened up its biggest lead of the game, 42-32, thanks to a 16-6 run over the opening 6 minutes, 12 seconds of the second half. The Rams answered with a 10-0 run of their own to knot the game at 42. Minor added four of her team-high 12 during that span and freshman Meghan Heimstra sparked the run with two quick baskets at the 13:30 and 12:42 marks.
With the win, the Rams improved to 12-4 since the formation of the Mountain West Conference (1999-2000) against non-conference opponents in the month of January.
Home sweet home...
Colorado State has won three straight at Moby Arena for the first time since 2005-06, when the Rams defeated UC-Irvine (85-65), Colorado (86-83) and Portland (70-58). After the Rams’ victory over South Dakota on Saturday, Colorado State is 291-169 (.633) all-time at Moby Arena.
Rams in MWC openers...
Colorado State is 6-3 all-time in Mountain West Conference openers, the second-best record among the MWC’s original eight members. Utah is 7-2 in league-opening games. However, it was the Rams who handed Utes their first conference-opening loss, an 87-77 triple-overtime affair in Salt Lake City in 2002. What makes the Rams record even more impressive is the fact that CSU has opened league play on the road more times (seven) than any school in the MWC. Wednesday’s opener against TCU will mark the Rams’ first conference-opener at Moby Arena since 2004, a 54-52 victory over BYU. The Rams are 2-0 in conference openers played at Moby Arena, having also beaten rival Wyoming, 86-69, in the MWCs first season, 1999-2000.
Turnaround among tops in NCAA...
At 5-8, Colorado State has already surpassed its win-total from all of 2007-08, and has posted one of the top turnarounds in the NCAA this season. Through games played Jan. 4, the Rams rank tied for 13th with an increase of one win, alongside Delaware and Miami (Fl). Fordham (+7) ranks atop the list, followed by Alabama (+4). Hofstra, Central Connecticut State and Colgate (+3) are tied for third, while Kent State, Central Michigan, Washington State, Mercer, Eastern Washington, Cal State Northridge, and Sam Houston State (+2) are tied for sixth
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 13 games for the Rams. Junior Juanise Cornell has started nine times, followed by freshman Kim Mestdagh’s seven starting nods and sophomores Zoi Simmons’ four starts. Two players, sophomore 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 3 (1-2)
vs. Valparaiso (L), at Creighton (L), vs. South Dakota (W)
• Beemer, Simmons, Mestdagh, Minor, Reimink 1 (0-1)
vs. Murray State (L)
Up next...
The Rams hit the road for their second conference test of the season, facing the BYU Cougars on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. The game will be televised live on BYUTV (Comcast 232 in Fort Collins).
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.
