Nov. 18, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game No. 2
Colorado State (0-1) at Colorado (1-0)
Nov. 19, 2008 | Boulder, Colo. | Coors Events Center (11,064) | 7 p.m. MT
Rams travel to face rival Buffs...
The Colorado State women’s basketball team (0-1) heads to nearby Boulder, Colo., on Wednesday to square off against in-state rival University of Colorado Buffaloes (1-0).
The game is scheduled to begin at 7:07 p.m. MT from the Coors Events Center (11,064) and will mark the 39th meeting between the two rival schools separated by less than 50 miles.
The game will be the first of the season for the Rams to be televised and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain. Marc Stout will call the play-by-play while former CU head coach Ceal Barry will provide analysis, and Alanna Rizzo will provide sideline reports.
Fans in the Fort Collins area can also listen to the game on AM 1410 KIIX. Brian Roth returns for his eighth season calling the action. The game can also be heard streaming online at CSURams.com by signing up for Rams All-Access.
CSU vs. Colorado series...
Wednesday’s meeting between Colorado and Colorado State marks the 39th game in the series that dates back to the Rams’ first season of basketball, 1974-75. The Buffaloes hold a 28-10 advantage in the all-time series, including an 18-2 mark in Boulder. CU has won two consecutive decisions, and five of the last six overall (CSU defeated CU 86-83 in Fort Collins in 2005). However, three straight victories by the Rams from 1999-01 have kept the series very close in recent years.
Last 10 vs. CU...
| 11/30/93 |
L, 55-75 |
Boulder |
| 12/1/99 |
W, 73-67 |
Fort Collins |
| 12/6/00 |
W, 72-70 |
Boulder |
| 11/28/01 |
W, 81-69 |
Fort Collins |
| 12/12/02 |
L, 51-65 |
Boulder |
| 12/3/03 |
L, 74-81 |
Fort Collins |
| 12/8/04 |
L, 77-83 |
Boulder |
| 11/30/05 |
W, 86-83 |
Fort Collins |
| 11/29/06 |
L, 51-56 |
Boulder |
| 12/1/07 |
L, 47-82 |
Fort Collins |
About Colorado...
The Buffaloes return nine letterwinners and two starters - sophomore Brittany Spears and junior Bianca Smith - from last season’s team that went 19-15 overall, 5-11 in the Big 12, and advanced to the semifinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Fourth-year head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller, enters her 10th year overall as a head coach at the NCAA DI level, having spent six seasons at Tulsa before coming to Colorado before the 2005-06 season. She has amassed a career record of 132-141 (.484) overall and is 41-53 (.436) at CU.
Sophomore guard/forward Brittany Spears returns as the Buffs top player in 2008-09 after earning a spot on the Big 12 all-rookie team. The team’s leading returner in both scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg), she ranked first among all Big 12 freshmen in both categories.
CU opened the season with an 86-59 win over Central Florida on Sunday. Spears led all scorers with 23.
CSU vs. CU comparision...
| CSU |
Category |
CU |
| 69.0 |
Points Per Game |
86.0 |
| 76.0 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
59.0 |
| 37.9% |
FG % |
47.0% |
| 38.3% |
Opponent FG % |
34.3% |
| 29.2% |
3-PT Field Goal % |
38.1% |
| 38.5% |
Opp. 3-PT Field Goal % |
0.0% |
| 60.0% |
Free-Throw % |
61.5% |
| 46.0 |
Rebounding Average |
40.0 |
| +6 |
Rebounding Margin |
-11 |
| 13.0 |
Assists Per Game |
13.0 |
| 24.0 |
Turnovers Per Game |
19.0 |
| 17.0 |
Opp. Turnovers Per Game |
31.0 |
| 7.0 |
Steals Per Game |
14.0 |
| 3.0 |
Blocks Per Game |
6.0 |
Last time out...
Senior Britney Minor and sophomore Bonnie Barbee led the Rams with 16 points each and added seven and six rebounds, respectively, but the CSU women’s basketball team narrowly lost a tightly contested overtime contest in their season opener, falling 76-69, at Wichita State.
In a game that saw nine ties and 16 lead changes, the Rams seemed to be in good position late in the contest when Barbee drained a three-pointer with 1:11 left in the game to give CSU a 61-60 advantage.
But Shockers guard Val Siemens connected on two free throws on the ensuing possession to regain a 62-61 advantage. Teammate Haleigh Lankaster missed her next two free-throw attempts with 24 seconds on the clock and then fouled to send Rams’ senior captain Kandy Beemer to the charity stripe with a chance to regain the lead. Beemer, who scored 14 points and played a team-high 40 minutes in the game, missed her first attempt, but came through on the second to tie the game, 62-62, with 13 seconds left in regulation.
The shorthanded Rams’ fatigue showed in the extra period as they struggled to regain momentum. The Shockers opened the overtime on a 9-0 run, eventually holding off the Rams for the seven-point victory in front of 1,635 fans at Charles Koch Arena.
Career bests vs. Wichita State...
Sophomore guard Bonnie Barbee posted several career bests in the Rams season opener at Wichita State. Barbee, who was thrust into the starting lineup minutes before gametime because of an injury to starting point guard Zoi Simmons, responded with career marks in both points (16) and rebounds (six). She also posted personal bests in free throws made (three), free throws attempted (four), and assists (four), while playing a career-most 38 minutes.
Seniors Kandy Beemer and Britney Minor also posted career highs for minutes played with 40 and 36, respectively. Minor tied a personal mark with 16 points in the game.
Home sweet home...
Colorado State will play six of its first nine contests at Moby Arena. Overall since 1974-75, the Rams hold a record of 287-166 (.635) in Moby Arena. The Rams will play a total of 15 regular-season contests in Moby Arena in 2008-09, the most home dates for a CSU women’s basketball team since the 2004-05 season (16 home games).
International flavor...
Rams fans will notice that the 2008-09 roster features many players - both newcomers and returners alike - who are originally from outside of the United States. Returning senior Carine Reimink (Reedy Creek, Australia) returns for her second season at CSU along with junior transfer Devran Tanacan (Istanbul, Turkey), who sat out 2007-08 after transferring to CSU from the University at Albany.
Three freshmen have also travelled quite a long way to join the Rams squad. Guard/forward Kim Mestdagh hails from Ieper, Belgium, while forward Chatilla van Grinsven (Helmond) and Natalie van den Adel (Barendrecht) are both from the Netherlands.
Homegrown talent...
In addition to the five international players on the CSU roster, the Rams also feature three players from Colorado. Junior guard Alison Cheney graduated from Platte Valley High School in Kersey, Colo., and played two seasons at Western Nebraska Community College before coming to CSU. Freshman forward Meghan Heimstra is a former two-time all-Colorado peformer at Silver Creek High School in nearby Longmont, Colo., and freshman guard Morgan Ackley was a six-sport athlete at Fort Collins High School.
Worth the wait...
When the Rams take the court against CU on Wednesday, Devran Tanacan could see her first action in a game since the 2006-07 season, her sophomore year at Albany. Tanacan, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, redshirted in 2007-08 after transferring to CSU and had to wait one additional game before being eligible to compete for the Rams, serving a one-game amateurism penalty from the NCAA. Two other Colorado State players - Chatilla van Grinsven and Natalie van den Adel - are still waiting to make their debuts in a Rams uniform, while serving similar penalties. Van Grinsven will miss four games (Nov. 15 at Wichita State, Nov. 19 at Colorado, Nov. 22 vs. Idaho and Nov. 28 vs. Valparaiso). Van den Adel will be eligible to return to the Rams’ lineup for the first time on Feb. 28 at New Mexico.
Time changes...
Two games on the Rams’ schedule have had time changes this season. The Rams’ Dec. 13 matchup with Northern Iowa has been moved back 30 minutes to a 12:30 p.m. start. The Rams’ game vs. Utah scheduled for Jan. 17 has also been changed to a 1 p.m. MT tip. That game was originally scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. MT at Moby Arena.
Up next...
The 2008-09 Rams make their home debut on Saturday, when they play host to the Idaho Vandals at 2 p.m. at Moby Arena.
Coors Light Coaches’ Show...
Fans are invited to join Colorado State basketbal head coaches Tim Miles Kristen Holt at the Coors Light Basketball Coaches Show. The Stonehouse Grille, 125 S. College Ave. in Old Town Fort Collins, is the setting for the event. The coaches will join Voice of the Rams Rich Bircumshaw, who hosts the hour-long show, which begins at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged and welcome to attend, but if they can’t be there, they can listen on the Colorado State Radio Network (AM 560 KLZ in Denver, AM 600 KCOL in Fort Collins).
Coors Light Coaches’ Show schedule
• November 17
• December 1
• December 8
• January 5
• January 12
• January 19
• February 2
• February 9
• February 16
• February 23
• March 2
