Colorado State University Athletics
Game Notes: Rams travel to face conference-leading Utes
2/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game No. 25
Colorado State (8-16, 3-8 MWC) at Utah (17-7, 10-1 MWC)
Feb. 18, 2009 | Salt Lake City, Utah. | Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000) | 7 p.m. MT
Rams travel to face conference-leading Utes...
Colorado State hits the road this week for a Wednesday night matchup with conference-leading Utah. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Colorado State is in search of its first win at Utah since 2002, and is looking to avenge a 74-48 setback suffered at the hands of the Utes on Jan. 17 in Fort Collins.
The Rams (8-16, 3-8 MWC), are coming off of their best performance of the season, an 85-55 victory over the UNLV Lady Rebels on Saturday.
Utah (17-7, 10-1 MWC) went 1-1 during a two-game road swing last week. The Utes dropped their first contest of the MWC season at San Diego State (55-49), and defeated Air Force, 57-32. Utah holds a two-game edge in the conference standings over SDSU and TCU, who are both 8-3.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on AM 1410 KIIX in the Fort Collins area. Brian Roth, in his eighth season behind the mic for the Rams, calls all the action. Nick Sebesta 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 the “Gametracker” icon on the calendar of the home page or from the women’s basketball schedule page.
Rams vs. Utes...
Wednesday's contest between the Rams and the Utes marks the 70th in the series between the two schools, the second-longest rivalry for the Rams (Wyoming, 74 games). Utah owns a 55-14 advantage in the all-time series, including a 30-4 advantage in Salt Lake City. CSU's last road victory vs. Utah was Jan. 12, 2002, an 87-77 (3 OT) decision.
CSU vs. Utah series history in MWC...
1/22/00; L, 52-77 (Salt Lake City)
2/19/00; W, 57-56 (Fort Collins)
1/18/01; L, 51-73 (Salt Lake City)
2/17/01; L, 59-67 (Fort Collins)
1/12/02; W, 87-77(3ot) (Salt Lake City)
2/07/02; W, 58-53 (Fort Collins)
1/18/03; L, 50-73 (Salt Lake City)
2/13/03; W, 56-44 (Fort Collins)
1/17/04; L, 51-55 (Fort Collins)
2/12/04; L, 57-71 (Salt Lake City)
1/13/05; L, 50-68 (Salt Lake City)
2/26/05; L, 69-77 (Fort Collins)
1/14/06; L, 54-76 (Salt Lake City)
2/15/06; L, 56-80 (Fort Collins)
1/11/07; L, 57-73 (Fort Collins)
2/10/07; L, 49-64 (Salt Lake City)
2/02/08; L, 28-68 (Salt Lake City)
3/05/08; L, 58-63 (Fort Collins)
3/12/08; W, 60-52 (Las Vegas)
1/17/09; L, 48-74 (Fort Collins)
More about Utah...
Head coach Elaine Elliott, a four time conference Mountain West Coach of the Year, is in the her 26th season at the helm of the Utes’ program where she has compiled a career record of 553-219 (.716).
The Utes attack features the top two scoring threats in the MWC in senior guard Morgan Warburton (18.6 ppg.) - the preseason conference player of the year - and junior forward Kalee Whipple (17.3 ppg.). Senior forward Katie King also averages double-figures for the Utes (11.0 ppg.).
The Utes lead the league in field goal percentage, connecting on 45.3 percent from the field as a team, and also rank first in scoring defense (55.5 ppg.), rebounding defense (30.6 rpg.) and rebounding margin (+8.3). Junior forward Halie Sawyer ranking as the team’s top rebounder (fifth in the MWC), pulling down 8.3 boards per contest.
Last time out...
Four players finished in double figures, paced by Bonnie Barbee’s career-high 19 points, as Colorado State (8-16, 3-8 MWC) rolled to an 85-55 victory over the UNLV Lady Rebels (10-14, 3-8 MWC) on Saturday at Moby Arena.
The win snapped a five-game skid for Colorado State and also marked CSU’s first home Mountain West Conference victory since Feb. 22, 2007 vs. SDSU (62-56).
Colorado State capitalized early on and trailed for only 29 seconds in the game, building a double-digit advantage just 5 minutes into the contest and never letting UNLV creep to within closer than 10 the rest of the game. CSU posted a dominating performance that saw the team hold an advantage in nearly every statistical category, including a 50-31 rebounding edge, while outshooting UNLV 47.8 percent to 25.9 percent for the game
Barbee hit three of her career-high-tying four three-pointers during a key stretch in the game’s opening stanza. She anchored a 22-6 Rams run between the 16:58 and 9:27 marks of the first half that saw a one-point CSU deficit turn into an 18-point advantage.
After leading 40-30 at halftime, Colorado State opened the second half on fire, pushing the lead beyond the 20-point mark, 54-32, just more than 6 minutes after the intermission. The CSU defense held UNLV to only one field goal during that stretch, and the Rams steadily pulled away for the remainder of the contest. The lead ballooned to 35 after an Alison Cheney jumper with 3:48 remaining, and Colorado State cruised to the blowout victory, its largest since a 75-40 win over Air Force on March 5, 2005.
Senior forward Britney Minor (14), sophomore guard Zoi Simmons (12) and junior forward Juanise Cornell (10) also finished in double-figure scoring for the Rams. Simmons also finished with a team-best three assists. Freshmen Kim Mestdagh and Meghan Heimstra added nine and eight points, respectively, and classmate Chatilla van Grinsven pulled down a career-high eight rebounds to go along with four points.
Double the fun...
With its eighth win of the season, Colorado State doubled its win total from 2007-08, and has posted one of the top turnarounds in the nation. The Rams' four-win improvement is tied for 19th nationally.
Holt signs on through 2012-13...
Colorado State Head Coach Kristen Holt on Feb. 5 agreed to a multi-year contract that will keep her at Colorado State through the 2012-13 season. The announcement was made by Director of Athletics Paul Kowalczyk. "I would like to thank Dr. Frank and Paul Kowalczyk for the opportunity to remain at Colorado State as the head women's basketball coach," said Holt. "I am excited about the strides that our team has made this season. Colorado State has a history of great women's basketball and it is my goal to elevate this program atop the Mountain West Conference and return it to national prominence."
Offense explodes vs. Lady Rebels...
Colorado State scored a season-high 85 points vs. UNLV on Saturday, eclipsing the old mark of 70 points set vs. Murray State on Nov. 29 and tied at UNLV on Jan. 14. It marked the most points scored by a CSU team in a regulation game since defeating Idaho, 88-68, on Nov. 24, 2007.
Getting offensive on the glass...
Senior foward Amaka Uzomah, who ranks sixth in the MWC with an average of 6.9 rebounds per game, is just four offensive rebounds shy of 70 for the season. Uzomah would become the first player with back-to-back 70-plus offensive rebounding seasons since Rams standout Melissa Dennett did it three times between 2003-06. Last season, Uzomah notched 78, good enough for eighth on the all-time list. Marilyn Moulton holds the all-time record of 101 offensive rebounds, set in 2006-07.
Minor major at the line...
Senior forward Britney Minor has 161 career free throws in two seasons at CSU and is just two shy of tying for 20th on the all-time list. Minor would be the only player to make the list in less than three seasons in a Rams uniform.
Cornell heating up the winter months...
Juanise Cornell has been on a tear as of late for the Rams, averaging 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds per game over the Rams' last six contests, and has scored in double-figures in four straight games entering Wednesday's matchup at Utah. It marks jsut the second time in Cornell's career that she has reached double-figures in four staight games. This matches a stretch between Nov. 17 and Nov. 24, 2007 in which Cornell reached double figures at UMKC (12), at Northern Colorado (10), vs. Navy (14), and vs. Creighton (10).
Mestdagh among top freshman shooters...
Freshman guard Kim Mestdagh has hit 38 three-pointers this season, second on the team behind Kandy Beemer's 50. She currently ranks fourth in a single-season by a CSU freshman and is on pace to finish with 46, just behind Sara Hunter who is second on the list with 47 as a frosh in 2004-05. Becky Hammon ranks first on the list with 88 treys her first season.
Van den Adel countdown nearing end...
Natalie van den Adel's long wait is nearly over. The freshman guard, who is serving a 27-game NCAA amateurism penalty, has three games remaining before she can suit up for the first time in the regular season, Feb. 28 at New Mexico.
Up next...
Colorado State hosts the Air Force Falcons on Saturday at Moby Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised live on The Mtn. The Rams will also be participating in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association "Pink Zone" event, and will welcome back many former players as part of their Ram Legends celebration.
