Jan. 28, 2013

Complete Release | Schedule | Season Stats

Colorado State (5-13, 1-4 MW) travels to Boise, Idaho, to take on the Broncos (10-8, 3-2) Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.

This week's trip to Boise is followed by another road matchup at Wyoming on Saturday. This will be the team's last two-game stretch away from Moby for nearly a month.

The Broncos have won all of their Mountain West home contests with a 3-0 record at Taco Bell Arena. Their wins include a two-point edge over Wyoming (70-68), a one-point win over Air Force (66-65) and, most recently, a nine-point victory over Nevada (67-58).

With the return of two-time all-conference selection, Sam Martin, and the reigning Mountain West Sixth Player of the Year, Meghan Heimstra, the Rams will look to improve upon last season’s 13-17 record. Sophomore Ladeyah Forte leads Colorado State from the point guard position. She finished second in assist-to-turnover ratio in the MW in her rookie year.

The game will be broadcast live on AM 1410 KIIX. Matt Wozniak, now in his fourth season with the Rams, calls all the action. Live game video will also be available for all non-televised home contests via Rams All-Access subscription on CSURams.com, and for the first time, fans will be able to listen to every Rams' game for free on Rams All-Access.

Scouting Report on Boise State   

• Preseason all-MW team member Lauren Lenhardt leads the Broncos with 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. The three-time Player of the Week is averaging an MW-best 18.4 ppg in league play.
• The Broncos have won four of their last six games, losing only to Fresno State and New Mexico on the road.
• In their last contest vs. Nevada, the Wolfpack shot only 25.8 percent, including a .161 percentage in the second frame, as Boise State rolled to victory, 67-58. Lenhardt tallied 22 points, while Lexie Der added 12  points and nine boards.
• Boise State maintains a solid amount of bench production, averaging 23.1 points per game.
• Boise State is 2-6 when scoring below 64 points.
• Hit hard with injuries, only three of the 10 active players currently playing for Boise State competed for the Broncos in 2011-12.

Series vs. the Broncos    

• Wednesday's meeting between Colorado State and Boise State will be the sxith game between the two schools.
• The Rams are 2-3 vs. the Broncos overall with a 1-1 record in Boise.
• This is Head Coach Ryun Williams first contest vs. Boise. Until this season, Williams had never played against any team in the MW, aside from CSU.

A win will...  

• Keep CSU in at least seventh place in the conference standings. The Rams are currently tied for seventh with Nevada and Air Force with a 1-4 mark.
• Give the Rams their second road win of the season, and an above .500 record on the road in MW play.
• Put to rest a difficult loss to Boise State back in March of 2012. CSU had swept the Broncos in the regular season, only to lose to them in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West tournament.
• Tally the most wins (3) for CSU in a single month this season. So far, the Rams haven't gotten more than two wins in November and December.

Last time at Boise State (Jan. 17, 2012) 
The Rams were up by three with 1:21 on the clock and in danger of falling behind to the Broncos, but Colorado State held off Boise State with outstanding defense and clutch shooting, winning 60-52 at Taco Bell Arena.

With its second win on the road this season, CSU is now 2-1 in conference play with a 6-12 record overall, while Boise State falls to 11-7 overall and 2-1 in the Mountain West.

Both Ladeyah Forte and Kelly Hartig had a chance to put the game away for CSU with little more than a minute remaining, but both players missed the front end of their one-and-one free-throw attempts. The Rams caught a break with a missed shot on the Boise end and Meghan Heimstra hit a layup and got the foul at the Rams’ end to seal the win.

Colorado State opened the game on a 9-0 run and eventually increased its lead to as much as 14 midway through the first half. However, mental errors late in the half led to Rams turnovers and BSU was able to close the gap to seven heading into the locker room.

A 13-2 run midway through the second half gave the Rams a 10-point lead, but Boise State would not go away, threatening by pulling within three points at the 1:40 mark. But in the end, Heimstra’s shot and free throws by Hayley Thompson removed all hope for the Broncos.

Kim Mestdagh and Sam Martin both tallied double figures with 21 and 19, respectively. Mestdagh was also the Rams’ leader on the defensive end with 10 rebounds for a double-double.

Heimstra also hit double figures with clutch play at the end. She finished the night with 10 points and seven boards. Thompson and Hartig were dominant forces for the Rams down low, pulling down seven boards as well.

Martin approaching exclusive company   
With a career-high 30 points vs. South Dakota Mines on Jan. 4, Sam Martin has reached elite status, entering the top 20 in scoring at CSU. With 992 points to date, the Colorado native is ranked No. 17.

Sixteen Ram greats have reached 1,000 points in their careers at Colorado State, since the program began in 1974.

At this point Martin needs just 8 points to get to 1,000. She would become the second junior in two years to reach 1,000 points before her senior campaign. Kim Mestdagh hit the mark her junior season in 2011, eclipsing 1,000 vs. UNLV on Jan. 18.

The Parker native is also just 18 rebounds away from 500. If she were to reach 1,000 points and 500 boards this season, she would be just the fifth player in CSU history to do so before her senior year. The last player to accomplish such a feat was CSU Hall of Fame member, Katie Cronin, who reached the goal 15 years ago during the 1997-98 season.

Up Next 
Colorado State wraps up the week on the road at Wyoming Saturday. The Cowgirls are currently 4-2 in the league with a 15-4 mark overall. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT.