Jan. 6, 2012

Complete Release | Statistics

Colorado State (4-10) finishes its two-game road stint to close non-conference action at Seattle (9-6). Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT Sunday at the Connolly Center.
 
Seattle will host the Rams in its 12th home game of the season, having played only four road contests as an independent school in its transition to the WAC beginning in the fall of 2012. The Redhawks are currently riding a three-game win streak.

CSU's Kim Mestdagh earned the preseason Player of the Year title to start the 2011-12 season. She was the first to earn the honor since Becky Hammon in 1998-99. CSU was picked to finish third in the final standings. It was the highest prediction for the Rams since the 2002-03 season, when CSU was picked to finish in second place.

The game will be broadcast live on AM 1410 KIIX. Matt Wozniak, in his third season with the Rams, calls all the action. Live game audio will also be available via Rams All-Access subscription on CSURams.com.

Rams vs. Redhawks series...  
Sunday's meeting between Colorado State and Seattle will be the first game between the two schools. This is also Head Coach Kristen Holt's first contest vs. Seattle.

The Redhawks are the fifth team that Colorado State has played for the first time this year.

About CSU Seattle...    
Head coach Joan Bonvicini is now in her third season with the Redhawks, improving the team's RPI from 190 at the end of 2010-11, to 176 in the latest poll (Jan. 3). She has increased Seattle's win total each year, surpassing last season's total of eight wins on Thursday.

Bonvicini is no stranger to the Division I level, having coached at Long Beach State and Arizona for a combined 29 seasons, earning a spot on the NCAA all-time wins list with a career record of 635-346.

The Redhawks have four players who have started and played in each game. Among them is Kacie Sowell. Just a sophomore, Sowell leads the team in both scoring (13.9) and rebounding (7.7). She shoots a .614 field-goal percentage, which would be No. 7 in the country, but during its transition to Division I, Seattle does not appear in the NCAA individual rankings. Talisa Rhea, a transfer from Oregon State, leads the team in assists, averaging 5.6 per game.

Seattle scored 27 second-chance points off 22 offensive boards Thursday, as they defeated Idaho in Moscow, 80-72. The Redhawks saw five players reach double figures: Sowell (17), Rhea (13), Ashley Ward (12), Sylvia Shephard (11) and Daidra Brown (10). The team decimated what was once a 15-point defecit midway through the first half for the win.

Though fairly even with their opponents, the Redhawks are in the positive in scoring (plus-3.1), rebounding (+2.9) and turnover (+0.5) margins. The team averages 71.1 points per contest, shooting a .434 percentage from the field, including a .328 percentage from beyond the arc.

Last time out...    
Two crucial free throws and a late layup by Sam Martin gave Colorado State a two-point lead with 20 seconds left that it wouldn't relinquish as the Rams defeated Bakersfield 65-63 at the Icardo Center Wednesday night.

CSU earned its first road win of the season and its first win since Dec. 11, improving to 4-10 on the year.

Sam Martin proved to be the game's clutch player, totaling a game-high 21 points, shooting a .643 percentage, making nine field goals.
Freshmen LaDeyah Forte and Kara Spotton scored career highs on the night. Forte tallied 15 points, topping her previous high of 10 just before the halftime buzzer. Spotton recorded 17 points, besting her previous score of nine.

Colorado State played against a roster of only seven players for Bakersfield. Five members from the Roadrunners (3-15) squad fell prey to knee injuries earlier this year, including three season-ending ACL injuries.

The game featured the 10th different starting lineup so far this season for the Rams, which leads the nation. It was Morgan Hunt's first collegiate start, and it was also the first game since Feb. 2, 2010, that Kim Mestdagh did not start. She came off the bench in only two contests that year in her sophomore season.