Colorado State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Begins League Play
1/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2006
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Game 12: San Diego State (3-7, 0-0 MWC) at Colorado State (6-5, 0-0 MWC)
January 5, 2006 • 7:00 p.m.
Fort Collins, Colo. • Moby Arena (8,745)
The Matchup: Colorado State and San Diego State begin their bids for the Mountain West Conference title with the league-opening game on Thursday. The Rams are 7-6 all-time against the Aztecs in Moby Arena and have won the last five games at home, as well as the last three meetings between the squads. Both coaches, Jen Warden at Colorado State and Beth Burns at San Diego State are in their first seasons with the programs, but this is Burns' second stint with the Aztecs after coaching there from 1989-1997. Series History vs San Diego State
Last Time Out: Colorado State split games at the Wells Fargo New Year's Classic, dropping a 69-65 decision to Tulsa, then rebounding to defeat host Texas-San Antonio 63-59. Sophomore guard Sara Hunter led the team in scoring in both games, posting 20 and 16, respectively. Senior forward Lindsay Thomas was also in double figures in scoring in both games, with 10 and 13, respectively, while senior center Melissa Dennett posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Tulsa and senior guard Vanessa Espinoza scored 12 points against the Roadrunners and had a game-high five assists in both contests.
All-Tournament: Sara Hunter was named to the Wells Fargo New Year's Classic All-Tournament team after leading the Rams in scoring in both games. Hunter had a season-high 20 points in the loss to Tulsa and then answered with 16 points against the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners. These are the first two games this season Hunter has led the team in scoring. Against Tulsa, she connected on a season-high six three-pointers and answered with four against Texas-San Antonio.
Conference Openers: This will be just the third year in the seven seasons of Mountain West play the Rams have opened the conference season at home. The Rams are 4-2 in league openers, but are a perfect 6-0 in conference home openers. This is the first time the Rams will open the league season with San Diego State, as the Rams had opened three times with BYU, twice with Wyoming and last season at Utah.
Hitting A Grand: Lindsay Thomas became just one of 13 players in school history to score 1,000 points in a career, hitting her 1,000th point at the 1:57 mark of the second-half against Tulsa with a layup. Thomas now has 1,016 points to rank 13th on the school career charts and 19th in Mountain West Conference history. She needs 22 points to move into 12th on the CSU charts (1,037, Sherry Neely, 1981-85).
It's Raining Threes: Sara Hunter became just the third player in school history to connect on six or more three pointers in a game multiple times in her career when she nailed six against Tulsa. Hunter hit a career-high seven three-pointers last season against BYU in the Mountain West Tournament and now has two games in her career with six or more triples. Becky Hammon (1995-99) tallied six or more three-pointers in 12 times, while Kris Osterberg (1987-91) managed the feat three times.
Closing In: Melissa Dennett is just 49 points shy of scoring her 1,000th career point. Dennett currently ranks 15th in school history in scoring with 951 points and is nine shy of taking over 14th (959, Kathy Lightfoot, 1980-82). Also closing in on one grand is Vanessa Espinoza. Espinoza has 932 points in her career to rank 17th on the school's scoring charts. This could be the first time in school history three players surpass the 1,000 career mark in the same year.
Conference Predictions: Prior to the beginning of the 2005-06 season, the Mountain West Conference coaches and selected media predicted the finish in the league standings. Colorado State was chosen fifth, while Utah was picked to win the conference. New Mexico was picked second, TCU third and UNLV fourth. Rounding out the predictions were BYU in sixth, Wyoming seventh, San Diego State eighth and Air Force ninth.
They're Accurate: The .643 (9-14) three-point field-goal percentage for the Rams at Texas-San Antonio is the fifth-best shooting performance from beyond the arc in school history and the second-best this season. The team also connected at a .692 (9-13) clip against Northern Colorado on Dec. 18. For the season, the Rams are shooting .396 (59-149) from the three-point line, which would be a new school record, surpassing the current record of .381 (169-443) from the 1995-96 team.
Tough D: Colorado State held Texas-San Antonio to just .315 from the field on Saturday, the lowest of any opponent this season. Opponents are shooting .418 from the field this season, and the Rams have held just four below .400 for the game.
An Anomaly: Lindsay Thomas has been to the free throw line just 13 times in 11 games this season. The senior entered 2005-06 averaging just under 2.5 free throw attempts per contest, and this year is attempting just 1.2 per game.
Helping Hands: All five starters for Colorado State (Vanessa Espinoza, Sara Hunter, junior guard Molly Nohr, Melissa Dennett and Lindsay Thomas) are averaging at least 1.3 assists per game this year. Nohr leads the way with 4.4, which also ranks second in the Mountain West, while Espinoza averages 3.9, good for sixth in the conference. Dennett is at 2.3 per contest, while Hunter averages 1.6 and Thomas is at 1.3.
Cracking The Top 10: Lindsay Thomas also moved into the top 10 in career rebounds over the weekend. The senior now has 627 boards to rank ninth in school history and 10th in Mountain West Conference history. With just three more she will pass Angie Gorton on the school charts, who tallied 629 from 1998-2002. The record for career boards at CSU is 1,027 by Janie Schieffelin (1978-82). Thomas also already ranks third in career offensive rebounds with 231 and is just 35 away from the school record of 265 by Theresa James (1992-96).
Career Milestones: Vanessa Espinoza recorded her 300th career assist over the weekend and now has 309 to rank seventh in school history. She also notched her 150th career steal and now is tied for 11th in school history with 151.
Crashing The Boards: Lindsay Thomas notched 11 rebounds against Tulsa for the 21st game in her career in double figure rebounds, which ties for the fourth most double figure games in school history (Katie Cronin and Jane Lange). The record is 45 by Janie Schieffelin, while Theresa James hit double digits on 42 occasions and Jennifer Halbach is third with 23. Melissa Dennett also grabbed 10 boards in the same contest, giving her 19 games in her career in double figures, which is seventh on the list.
Explosive Output: Colorado State ranks first in the Mountain West Conference in scoring offense this season, averaging 71.3 points per game. The Rams are also first in field-goal percentage, shooting .441 and lead the league in three-point field-goal percentage, connecting on .396 of their shots. Along with those, the Rams lead the conference in assists with 15.82 per game. CSU also ranks second in free throw percentage at .746.
Best In the Mountain West: Melissa Dennett leads the Mountain West Conference in rebounds per game with 9.3 a contest and is also on top in offensive rebounds with 4.18 per game, almost a whole offensive board better than anyone else in the league (Michelle Strawberry, SDSU, 3.20). She is also tied for the league lead with 1.55 blocks per game. Molly Nohr ranks second in assists per game with an average of 4.36 and is tied for third in assist/turnover ratio at 2.18, while Sara Hunter is second in three-pointers made a contest with 2.27. Lindsay Thomas ranks third in rebounds per game with 8.2 and is also third in defensive rebounds with 6.18 a game.
Among The Nation's Leaders: Colorado State currently ranks 18th in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage, shooing .396, while the Rams are also ranked 27th in free throw percentage, shooting .746 (out of 324 Division I schools).
Starting Lineups: Colorado State has used the same starting lineup in all 11 games this season (Nohr, Dennett, Thomas, Hunter, Espinoza). Last season the Rams used six different starting lineups. The combination of Nohr, Hunter, Dennett, Thomas and Espinoza went 1-2 in 2004-2005.
On This Date: Colorado State is 7-4 overall in games played on January 5, including a 4-1 record in Moby Arena. The Rams are also 1-2 on the road and 2-1 in neutral games.
Block Party: Prior to the game at San Jose State, Colorado State had recorded at least one blocked shot in the previous 55 games dating back to Dec. 11, 2003 at Denver. Last season, Colorado State had 109 blocks ranking second all-time. This season the Rams have 34 blocks and are on pace to end the year with 87.
It Is Good To Be Home: Colorado State is averaging 80.0 points in home games this season and only 60.8 points in road/neutral games. The Rams are also allowing 70.5 points at home compared to 74.4 points away from Moby Arena.
Believe It Or Not: In Colorado State's five wins this season they are losing the rebound battle on average 35.6-38.2. The Rams actually win the battle of the boards in their losses on average 38.8-38.0.
Thomas From The Field: Lindsay Thomas is shooting .478 from the field this season, which ranks second among starters, however, Thomas has never had a season where her field goal percentage has finished below .500.
Double Your Pleasure: Lindsay Thomas and Melissa Dennett both tallied double-doubles in the games with South Dakota State, UC-Irvine, San Jose State and Tulsa. Thomas and Dennett had double-doubles in the same game three times last season. The Rams are 4-2 (1-3 this season) when both Thomas and Dennett record a double-double in the same game. Thomas has 18 career double-doubles, while Dennett has 15.
Dishing Them Out: Molly Nohr leads the team with 48 assists through 11 games, which ranks her second in the Mountain West Conference. She has also already tied her career-high for assists in a season, matching last year's output of 48 assists. In 2004-05, Nohr had 48 assists in 27 games for an average of 1.8 per contest. She now has 114 assists in her career and is on pace to end the 2005-06 season with 122.
Scoring 80: The Rams have scored 80 points in four games this season and are 4-0 in those games. Colorado State is 166-12 all-time when scoring at least 80 points in a game. The last time Colorado State lost after putting up 80+ was on Jan. 22, 2004 when the Rams lost to UNLV 83-92 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Television Trouble: Last season Colorado State was 0-6 in games that were televised. This season the Rams are 1-1 on television picking up the only win in the last two years coming against Colorado on Nov. 30 in Moby Arena.
Going The Distance: Vanessa Espinoza played the entire game against San Jose State and Lindsay Thomas played the entire game vs. South Dakota State this season. Prior to Thomas, the last player to play an entire game was Becky Hammon. Hammon played all 40 minutes of the Colorado State 71-59 victory over CS Northridge in the NCAA Tournament on March 12, 1999.
Century Mark: Both Vanessa Espinoza an Lindsay Thomas have played in 100+ games for the Rams. Espinoza has now played in 106 games at Colorado State and Thomas has seen action in 102 games.
Dynamic Duo: Lindsay Thomas and Melissa Dennett are on pace to go down as the most prolific shot blocking duo in school history. Dennett has 86 career blocks and Thomas has 73. The tandem of Shannon Strecker and Ashley Augspurger currently are the best blocking tandem in school history with a combined 175 blocks.
Fan Support: Colorado State has had at least 1,000 fans attend each of the last 151 home games. The last time the Rams played at home in front of fewer than 1,000 fans was Jan. 5, 1996 when Colorado State faced Idaho State.
Missing the Mark: The last time no Rams reached double figures in scoring was during the 2000-01 season. On March 10, 2001 no player reached double figures in a game against BYU. The Rams won that Mountain West Conference Tournament game 59-56. Colorado State had five players reach double figures in the season opener. This season the Rams have had at least one player reach double figures in scoring in every game this year.
Warden Hosts Pregame "Chalk Talks": This season Jen Warden will host a pregame "chalk talk" at all Colorado State home games. She will begin her talk 22 minutes prior to tip-off. The "chalk talks" are open to members of the Slam Dunk Club and will be held in the Hall of Fame room on the south concourse of Moby Arena. For more information on the Slam Dunk Club, contact Lisa Eakins at (970) 491-6965.
Coors Light Ram Basketball Coaches' Show: Catch Colorado State head women's basketball coach Jen Warden on the Colorado State Sports Network throughout the season. Warden will be on the Coors Light Ram Basketball Coaches' Show with head men's basketball coach Dale Layer live from the Fort Collins Hilton. The show starts at 7 p.m. MT. The broadcast can be heard on 600 AM KCOL in Fort Collins and 710 AM KNUS in Denver. Colorado State football and men's basketball play-by-play announcer Rich Bircumshaw will be the host. Broadcast Dates - January 9, January 16, January 23, January 30, February 6, February 13, February 20, February 27 and March 6.
About San Diego State: The Aztecs enter Mountain West Conference play with a 3-7 record. Senior Michelle Strawberry leads the team with 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while senior guard Veronica Shaw is the other player in double figures in scoring with 11.6 a game. SDSU dropped its first five games, before defeating Portland State and Boise State and then in its last outing, defeated UC Davis 59-45 after losing earlier this season at Davis.
