Nov. 27, 2012

Complete Release

Colorado State (2-2) will begin its four-game road series with a two-game road trip vs. Loyola Marymount (4-3) at Gersten Pavilion (4,156) on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MT. The Rams will then travel to Bowling Green, Ohio to challenge the Falcons on Saturday before heading home on Sunday.

The Rams next four away games are at three opponents from last season and one new face in LMU. CSU lost to Bowling Green and Colorado at home last year, but earned its first win of the 2011-12 season over Tulsa at Moby Arena.

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.

After a tough start, losing their first two games, the Lions have won four of their last five, including all three of matchups at home. The Rams will meet LMU for its eighth game already this season.

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 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.

About Loyola Marymount…    

• The Lions are predicted to finish seventh in the West Coast Conference this year. Senior Alex Cowling was named to the preseason All-WCC Team. She has recorded two double-doubles this so far this season.
• LMU is 3-0 at home this season with wins over Long Beach State (58-52), Utah State (98-81) and Cal State Fullerton (85-73). The win over Utah State, tallying 98 points, was the highest score for LMU since 2007.
• Cowling leads the team with 16.7 points per game, followed by Hazel Ramirez and Mackenzie Kerins at 10.0 and 9.9, respectively. Defensively, Kerins is the leader with 8.7 boards per game, with Cowling next in line with 7.4. Ramirez is also averaging an impressive 7.0 assists per game, with a school-record 12 vs. Utah State.
• Cowling is poised to take over as the all-time scoring leader in the WCC this season. She currently has 1,855 points, and is 310 away from the top spot.
• Charity Elliott is in her first year with the Lions. She comes from UC San Diego, where she compiled a 127-34 record in five seasons.
• LMU returns three starters this season and 10 letterwinners overall, losing just three players from last year's roster.
• The Lions most recently went 1-1 at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas. Poor shooting cost them in a loss to Iowa State (55-33), but the team was resilent, coming back from being down by as many as 20 points vs. Tulsa to win, 75-74.

Series vs. the Lions...    
Wednesday's meeting between Colorado State and Loyola Marymount will be the seventh game between the two schools. This is Head Coach Ryun Williams first contest vs. the Lions.

The Rams are 4-2 vs. LMU overall, and they are currently on a three-game win-streak in the series, dating back to December of 1992. CSU is 0-2 in Los Angeles, however.

Last time out...  
Colorado State's first quarter slow start proved to be costly as the Rams fell, 66-62, to Toledo at Moby Arena.

The Rams began the game down 21-4. Sophomore LaDeyah Forte having the only points on the board until senior Meghan Heimstra sparked a 12-0 run with a lay-up with 12:30 left in the first half.

Although CSU fought back and cut the deficit throughout the duration of the game, Toledo's veteran squad held strong for the victory utilizing its abilities from the three-point range. The Rockets out-shot the Rams from the arc with a 45.8 percent, making 11 three-point shots, while Colorado State ended the game with 15.8 percent.

Sophomore Kara Spotton came off the bench for the Rams and recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Spotton recorded highest amount of rebounds in a game of any player since Amaka Uzomah who graduated in 2009.

Freshman Emily Johnson and Caitlin Duffy both came off the bench and played aggressively for the Rams. Johnson recorded a career high 11 points while adding three rebounds. Duffy added seven points, five assists, and two rebounds.

Forte lead the Rams with 16 points, four steals, and four assists nearly reaching her career high of 17 points at TCU the previous season.

Junior Alicia Nichols added seven points, two blocks and two rebounds giving the bench a total of 37 points. Heimstra recorded six rebounds, five points, and three blocks for Colorado State.

The Rams will hit the road for the first time this season as they travel to Los Angeles, Calif. to face Loyola Marymount on Wednesday Nov. 28. The Rams are 4-2 against Loyola Marymount. The last time the two teams met was Jan. 2004. The Rams are currently on a three-game win-streak in the series. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT.