Colorado State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Preview: Rams Host Falcons
1/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game 19: Air Force (10-8, 1-6 MWC) at Colorado State (7-11, 1-6 MWC)
February 2, 2006 • 7:00 p.m. • Fort Collins, Colo. • Moby Arena (8,745)
The Matchup: Colorado State returns to Fort Collins to take on the Air Force Academy on Thursday evening. Both teams are currently tied for seventh in the standings with 1-6 conference records. Colorado State has won the last 20 games against the Falcons, last dropping a game in 1990. Head Coach Jen Warden is also a perfect 2-0 against Air Force, while the Rams are 14-1 all-time in Fort Collins against the Falcons.
Scouting Air Force: Sophomore forward Alecia Steele leads the Academy in both scoring (10.3) and rebounding (6.8). She is the only Falcon to average double figures in scoring, as sophomore guard Pamela Findlay is second on the squad with 9.9 points per game. The Falcons are 1-6 in conference play with the lone win coming at San Diego State in overtime -- which is also the team the Rams have their only win over. Air Force head coach Ardie McInelly is a graduate of Boise State, the same team CSU head coach Jen Warden led the previous three years.
Last Time Out: Colorado State dropped its sixth straight game, losing at #20 BYU, 70-54. The Rams shot just .288 from the field and were led by sophomore guard Sara Hunter with 15 points, while freshman forward Casie Shepherd chipped in 12. Junior forward Marilyn Moulton came off the bench to lead the team with nine rebounds, five on the offensive end, while junior guard Molly Nohr came off the bench to lead the squad with four assists. All 15 of Hunter's points came from behind the arc as she hit five three-pointers.
Closing Out: Colorado State closes out the first-half of Mountain West Conference play with the game against Air Force on Thursday evening. The Rams are currently tied with Air Force for seventh in the league standings. CSU will have played five of its first eight conference games in Moby Arena and will close the season with five of its final eight on the road.
Bombs Away: Sara Hunter has hit 12 three-pointers in the last two games against BYU. Hunter nailed seven in the Mountain West Tournament First-Round game last season and then hit for five against the Cougars on Saturday.
A Rarity: Against BYU on Saturday, none of the three CSU seniors reached double figures in scoring as forward Melissa Dennett had six, forward Lindsay Thomas scored five and guard Vanessa Espinoza did not play due to a concussion. The last time none of those players reached double figures was their freshman year, against Baylor in the WNIT semifinals on March 31, 200
Injury Bug: Vanessa Espinoza played just one minute in the second-half after getting hit in the eye against Wyoming and missed the entire game against BYU with a concussion. She is listed as day-to-day.
The Long Ball: The last two opponents, Wyoming and BYU, have combined to attempt 63 three-pointers. The two teams have combined to make 21 of those, or 33 percent. Opponents in Mountain West Conference play have attempted 50 more three-pointers than the Rams, putting up 153, compared to 103 for CSU.
Scoring Breakdown: Colorado State is scoring 38.5 percent of its points in the paint this season, 22.8 from beyond the arc, 21.7 from the free throw line and 17.0 percent from jumpers outside the paint. In contrast, CSU opponents are scoring 41.2 percent from the paint, 26.9 from the three-point line, 19.0 from the free throw line and 12.9 from jumpers.
The Streak: The six game losing streak is the longest at Colorado State since the 1986-87 season when the Rams dropped six straight from Jan. 9, 1987 to Jan. 31, 1987. The Rams snapped the streak with a win at Air Force, 76-73, on Jan. 31. The longest losing skid in school history is the 13 straight the 1976-77 team ended its season with.
Making The Freebies: Colorado State shot .882 (15-for-17) from the free throw line at BYU on Saturday, marking the seventh time this year the Rams have shot 80 percent or better from the charity stripe. The Rams have also hit 75 percent or better from the free throw line in 10 of the 18 games and lead the conference with a .761 percentage, including .790 in conference games.
A Day(s) To Celebrate: Wednesday is National Girls and Women in Sports Day and CSU is hosting several events around campus. To emphasize the importance of girls participating in sports, the Colorado State women's basketball team is offering $1 admission to the game against Air Force on Thursday to all youth ages 3-18. During the game, women athletes will be honored for their participation in games and sport, and after the game, get autographs from Colorado State and local professional athletes.
One of Each: Melissa Dennett needs just one more offensive rebound to move into the top 10 in a single season at CSU. The senior has 71 and with her next one will tie Misty Smith for 10th. She also needs just one more blocked shot to tie Shannon Strecker for 14th on that single-season chart.
It's Been A While: In the first half against Wyoming, Colorado State did not attempt a three-pointer. The last game where the Rams did not put up a triple in a half was the second half at Fresno State on Feb. 4, 1993 -- a 55-53 victory for CSU. The last time the Rams did not try a three-pointer in the first half of a game came way back on Dec. 29, 1990 -- a 53-49 loss to Northern Iowa.
Contributing: All seven players that have seen action in all 18 games this season have scored in double figures in at least one game. Melissa Dennett leads the way with 13 double figure games, while Lindsay Thomas has done so 11 times. Sara Hunter (10), Molly Nohr (4), Marilyn Moulton (2), Casie Shepherd (3) and junior guard Liz Kramer (1) round out the team's double figure scoring games.
Good Golly: Molly Nohr has scored at least one point, pulled down at least one rebound and dished out at least one assist in all 18 games this season.
Enjoying The Starts: Casie Shepherd has started the last four games for CSU, and is averaging 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, along with 25.3 minutes per game with a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. In the first 14 games, coming off the bench, Shepherd averaged just 11.5 minutes per game with 3.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game and was shooting 70 percent from the charity stripe (21-30).
Upon Further Review: When researching a note, it was discovered that Jennifer Halbach (1984-88) did not score 1,073 points to rank 11th in school history like originally thought. Halbach scored 923 points, which ties her for 18th with Jacque Johnson (1996-00) and moves the three current seniors up one spot in the career scoring. Lindsay Thomas is 11th with 1,067 points, Melissa Dennett is 12th with 1,059 and Vanessa Espinoza ranks 14th with 980.
Make It A Double: Melissa Dennett tallied back-to-back double-doubles in the games against TCU and Wyoming, and now has eight season and 17 in her career. The senior has also been in double figures in scoring in 13 of the team's 18 games this year and in double figure rebounds in nine games. For her career, she has 58 double figure scoring and 21 double figure rebound contests.
The Long Ball: Colorado State has made four or more three-pointers in 14 of the team's 18 games this season, including 11 of the last 12 and six of the seven conference games. CSU has also had 11 games with five or more three-pointers. The Rams are averaging 5.2 triples per contest which ranks fifth in the Mountain West Conference and lead the league, connecting on .369 of their shots.
Block Party: Melissa Dennett blocked one shot at BYU, bringing her season total to 24, which already ranks 15th on the CSU single season charts. The senior also has 93 blocks in her career, which ranks third all-time. Teresa James (1992-93) owns the single-season record with 48 and the career record with 164. Dennett's high for a season is 36 from 2003-04.
Starting Scoring Streaks: Melissa Dennett has started in the last 75 games for Colorado State, and has tallied at least one point and two rebounds in each of those games. Since the start of her sophomore season, Dennett has averaged 13.96 points and 7.65 rebounds per game, shooting .525 from the field.
Send Us To The Stripe: In Mountain West Conference play, the Rams are shooting .790 from the free throw line, sinking 98 of their 124 attempts, which leads the league. The .790 ranks second in Mountain West Conference history, behind the .803 from Utah in 2000-01.
That Can't Be Right!: The Rams' leading scorer, Melissa Dennett is averaging 15.3 points per game. The senior, however, is scoring more points in the team's losses than in the victories. In losses, Dennett is averaging 16.2 points per game, compared with 14.0 in wins and is the only player in double figures in the losses.
Balanced Attack: Six different Rams have either led the team or shared in the team lead in scoring in a game this season. Melissa Dennett has led the Rams on nine occasions, Vanessa Espinoza four times, Sara Hunter three times, Molly Nohr twice and Casie Shepherd and Lindsay Thomas once.
Lots of Time: Lindsay Thomas has played in all 109 games during her career at Colorado State and has made 45 consecutive starts and 80 throughout the last four years. Vanessa Espinoza has missed just two games in her four seasons, playing in 107 and starting in 77, and had her string of 56 consecutive starts snapped at BYU. Melissa Dennett has played in 85 games for the Rams, starting in the last 75 straight.
Four and Five For Three: Vanessa Espinoza and Sara Hunter have combined to hit 72 of the team's 93 three-pointers this season, combining for four three-pointers a game. The pair make more three-pointers per game than any other duo in the Mountain West Conference, and also sink 77.4 percent of the Rams' outside shots, the most dominant pair in the league.
Hitting A Grand: Melissa Dennett scored her 1,000th career point with her second free throw of a two shot foul with 5:50 remaining in the first half of the game against UNLV, becoming the 13th player in school history and the second this season to eclipse 1,000 points. Lindsay Thomas became the 12th player 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 1,072 points to rank 11th on the school career charts, while Dennett is right behind her in 12th with 1,065 points. This could be the first time in school history three players have scored 1,000 career points in the same season as Vanessa Espinoza currently has 980.
First Possession: Melissa Dennett has won the opening tip in 17 of 18 games for the Rams this season (TCU). The Rams have scored first in 13 of the 18. She also won 20 of 28 opening tips during 2004-05.
Hitting Their Shots: Colorado State leads the Mountain West Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.369) and free throw percentage (.761) and are second in scoring offense (67.9). In conference games only, the Rams lead in free throw percentage, shooting .790 from the charity stripe and are second in rebounding offense (39.3) and defensive rebounds (26.43).
Best In the Mountain West: Melissa Dennett leads the Mountain West Conference in rebounds per game with 9.0 a contest and is also on top in offensive rebounds with 3.94 per game, over a whole offensive board better than anyone else in the league (Alecia Steele, Air Force, 2.83). She also leads the conference with 1.33 blocks per game, is third in field-goal percentage (.527) and fourth in scoring (15.3). Molly Nohr ranks second in free throw percentage (.864) and Sara Hunter is third in three-pointers per game (2.22). In conference games only, Dennett is tied for the lead league in rebounding (8.6) and leads the conference in field goal percentage (.544), while Nohr is second in free throw percentage (.944).
Among The Nation's Leaders: Colorado State currently ranks 20th in the nation in free throw percentage (.751) and 27th in three-point field-goal percentage (.376). The Rams are also 66th as a team in field-goal percentage (.431). Statistics are through games played on January 23. Individually, Vanessa Espinoza currently ranks 19th in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage, connecting on .451 of her shots. Utah's Julie Larsen leads the nation, hitting .551 of her three-point attempts.
On This Date: Colorado State is 5-2 in games played on Feb. 2, with a 3-0 record at home, and 2-2 away from the friendly confines of Moby Arena. This will be the second meeting between Colorado State and Air Force on Feb. 2 as the two teams met in 2002, with the Rams winning 63-55 at the Academy.
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 17.
Fan Support: Colorado State has had at least 1,000 fans attend each of the last 155 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.
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 93 career blocks and Thomas has 75. The tandem of Shannon Strecker and Ashley Augspurger currently are the best blocking tandem in school history with a combined 175 blocks.
Quite A Stretch: Colorado State has hit at least one three-pointer in the last 122 games, dating back to Jan. 17, 2002 against San Diego State. In that contest, the Rams were 0-14 from beyond the arc. That game snapped a 232 game streak, dating back to a Nov. 25, 1994 victory over Pennsylvania.
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) 491-6569.
Coors Light Ram Basketball Coaches' Show: Catch 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. 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 - February 6, February 13, February 20, February 27 and March 6.
