March 8, 2010

Complete Release

After closing out the regular season with an overall record of 13-16, and posting a 5-11 record in Mountain West Conference action, the Colorado State women's basketball team enters the 2010 Conoco MWC tournament as the No. 8 seed.

The Rams improved by four wins over their regular-season record from 2008-09, and captured five conference victories under Head Coach Kristen Holt.  The five conference victories are the most by a Rams squad since the 2004-05 team posted a record of 6-8 in MWC action and earned a No. 5 seed. 

Since that 2004-05 season, Colorado State has entered the tournament as the eight seed four times (2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010).  

Following the Rams... 
All of the Rams' action at the 2010 MWC tournament will be broadcast live on AM 1410 KIIX in the Fort Collins area.  Brian Roth, in his ninth season behind the mic for the Rams, calls all the action.  Matt Wozniak 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.

Fans can catch live telecasts of the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on The Mtn. (Comcast 411; DirecTV 616).  The women's championship game, scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. MT, will be broadcast nationally on Versus (Comcast 55; DISH 151). 

CSU's MWC tournament history... 
Colorado State is 10-9 all-time in the Mountain West Conference tournament, including a 9-6 mark in tournament games played in Las Vegas, Nev. 

In 2001, the Rams rolled to a 3-0 mark to capture the tournament championship, and last season posted a victory over Wyoming before falling to fourth-seeded New Mexico.

Below is a listing of the Rams’ record vs. each league foe at the MWC tournament: 

Team	Tournament Games	Record
Wyoming	5	4-1
BYU	4	1-3
New Mexico	4	1-3
Air Force	2	1-1
UNLV	2	1-1
San Diego State	1	1-0
Utah	1	1-0
TCU	0	0-0
Totals	19	10-9

Building a program of excellence... 
The Rams, finished out the 2009-10 regular season with a 13-16 record, eighth place in the Mountain West Conference. The Rams surpassed their win total from last season on Jan. 23, in a thrilling 67-60 victory over New Mexico. CSU hasn't won 13 games in one season since the 2004-05 campaign, when the team went 15-13. Colorado State also showed a solid performance at home. The Rams closed out their home schedule 9-5 on the season, their best home record since 2004-05 when they went 11-5 at Moby Arena.

2009-10 big wins... 
In an in-state matchup vs. rival Colorado on Dec. 11, the Rams gave the Buffaloes their second loss of the season. CSU had four players score in double figures to overcome a 16-point deficit for the win, 69-61.

Colorado State won its first overtime game since 2003 on the road at UNLV on Jan. 20. Sophomore Kim Mestdagh brought the Rams to within two points with 44.5 seconds left in the extra period. A clutch turnover at the other end of the court by the Rebels gave the Rams possession. Then Mestdagh pulled up for the three and hit the basket with 11 seconds left. UNLV (8-11, 1-4 MWC) charged down the court but was unable to capitalize on a last-second jump shot, 66-65.

The Rams snapped a 13-game series losing streak with a win at home vs. New Mexico on Jan. 23. With 1:19 remaining in the game and the score tied at 60, junior Bonnie Barbee came off a double screen and hit a three-pointer from the wing to take the lead, a lead the Rams wouldn't relinquish, 67-60.

A pair of sweeps for the Rams... 
Four of Colorado State's Mountain West Conference victories in 2010 came at the expense of two programs, as the Rams earned regular-season sweeps over Air Force and UNLV for the second time in two years. Head Coach Kristen Holt is undefeated in her career vs. the two teams.

Mountain West bests... 
The Rams have increased their free-throw shooting percentage from the beginning of the season. In non-conference play, CSU shot 67.5 percent from the line, and since conference play began, the Rams have connected on 72.2 percent of their free throws. Zoi Simmons leads CSU in free-throw shooting at 83.3 percent, while Kim Mestdagh is a close second, shooting 80.7 percent. Meghan Heimstra has been sent to the line a team-high 129 times this season, shooting 61.2 percent, which is 10th best in the conference. The Rams currently rank fourth in free-throw percentage.

CSU finished out the 2009-10 regular season ranked second in the Mountain West in steals. Kim Mestdagh and Chantel Kennedy have contributed 100 steals in CSU’s favor. Mestdagh leads the Rams with 59 forced steals, which is sixth best in the Mountain West. Mestdagh collected a career-high six steals against South Dakota on Jan. 2.

Duo good from three-point range... 
Colorado State features two players on the 2009-10 roster that have knocked down at least 45 three-pointers on the season, and have led the Rams to one of the top three-point shooting seasons in school history.  

Leading the charge is sophomore Kim Mestdagh, who with 87 three-pointers has become just the third player in school history to knock down 80 or more treys in a single season.  Mestdagh ranks first in the MWC, and ninth nationally, averaging 3.0 three-pointers per game.  After just two seasons Mestdagh has already racked up 138 three-pointers, ranking eighth in CSU's history.

Junior guard Bonnie Barbee ranks second on the Rams squad with 48 three-pointers on the season. Barbee averages 1.7 baskets per game beyond the arc and ranks fourth on the junior single-season charts in CSU history. After three seasons in a Rams uniform, the Tempe, Ariz., native has 113 three-pointers, which ranks 12th all-time.

Filling up the stat sheet...    
Sophomore Chatilla van Grinsven has started 41.4 percent (12-29) of the Rams' games this year and averages 25.0 minutes per game. All 12 of her starts this season have come during conference play. As an off-the-bench starter, she is ranked in the top 10 in three categories in Mountain West play. van Grinsven ranks seventh in blocked shots per game (1.1), ninth in free-throw percentage (74.2) and 10th in scoring (13.1 per game).

The Helmond, Netherlands, native places second in most stats this season with 62 offensive boards, 11.9 points per game, and 6.1 rebounds per game, and she has 20 blocks on the season.

On Feb. 24, at New Mexico, van Grinsven picked up her second career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Her first double-double effort came at home vs. Wyoming on Jan. 5, when she grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.

The Rams Record Book...    
Several Colorado State players have etched their names into the CSU record book this season; most notably, sophomore guard Kim Mestdagh, who steadily moved up the career charts in a number of categories. See Page 5 of this release to follow Mestdagh’s climb up the career charts.

In addition to Mestdagh's career achievements, freshman Chantel Kennedy has cracked the top 10 among freshmen and is ranked ninth in offensive rebounds. On the season she has pulled down a total of 46 boards. Kennedy recorded a personal best of five offensive boards when the Rams battled New Mexico on the road, Feb. 24, 2010.

Kennedy plays a well-balanced game and is also ranked in the top 10 among freshmen in steals. She registered 41 steals on the 2009-10 season, earning her the eighth position. She marked a season-high five steals in California when the Rams took on the speedy San Diego State Aztecs.

Chatilla van Grinsven ranks high among the top sophomores in several categories. She is ranked fifth in free throws made and fourth in free throws attempted, collecting totals of 85 and 119, respectively, on the 2009-10 season.  She has recorded 20 blocked shots (17 of those during conference play), earning her the eighth-ranked position. She is also ranked in the 11th spot after pulling down 62 offensive rebounds.

Another sophomore has excelled for the Rams this season. Meghan Heimstra has blocked 38 shots this year, giving her the fourth-highest total ever recorded by a Ram and the second most by any sophomore in a single season. Her season high was five rejections against Wyoming on Jan. 5, which is tied for the most by a sophomore in one game in school history with fellow teammate Chatilla van Grinsven. She now has 51 blocks in her two years at CSU, putting her in 15th place on the all-time list. Also, her 229 rebounds are the fifth-highest total by a sophomore in a single season at CSU. Her 7.90 boards-per-game average is fifth among all second-year players.

As a team, the Rams have notched 178 three-pointers on the season, good enough for ninth on the team single-season charts in the Rams' record book. Their 564 three-point attempts rank in seventh and a 31.6 three-point percentage comes in at 18th.

In the second matchup vs. Air Force this season, Colorado State saw five players score in double digits for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign in a game vs. Wyoming at the Mountain West championships. Sophomore Chatilla van Grinsven scored 17, followed by junior Bonnie Barbee with 15, Kim Mestdagh had 13, and Natalie van den Adel and Meixandra Porter both put up 12 points.