Colorado State University Athletics
Game notes: CSU hosts Northern Iowa
11/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2010
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CSU hosts Northern Iowa in regular-season opener...
Colorado State (0-0) hosts its regular-season home opener Friday vs. Northern Iowa. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT at Moby Arena (8,745).
Head Coach Kristen Holt and the Rams finished 13-17 in 2009-10 en route to building their program of excellence, improving numbers in the win column by three from 2008-09, and nine since Holt took over the helm. Junior Kim Mestdagh was awarded with three conference Player of the Week honors. A second-team selection, she received the team’s first all-conference honor since Melissa Dennet in 2004-05.
On Sunday in Cedar Falls, Iowa, four players tallied double-digits as the Panthers beat Maryville. Junior Katelin Oney was the top scorer for UNI with 17 points and both senior Erin Brocka and sophomore Amber Kirschbaum grabbed seven rebounds. The team shot 48.0 percent from beyond the arc. The Panthers won, 74-45.
The game will be broadcast live on AM 1410 KIIX. Matt Wozniak calls all the action. Live game audio will also be available via Rams All-Access subscription on CSURams.com.
Rams vs. Panthers series...
Saturday's meeting between Colorado State and Northern Iowa marks the sixth game between the two schools. The Rams are 2-3 against the Panthers and the teams are tied 1-1 at Moby Arena.
Colorado State last played UNI on the road in November of 2007. CSU lost, 58-72, as the Panthers shot 46.9 percent from the field compared to the Rams 35.7 percent. Northern Iowa also sunk 95.0 percent of its free-throws, hitting 19 of 20.
About Northern Iowa...
The Panthers are under the direction of head coach Tanya Warren in her fourth year at UNI. She has a 41-47 (.466) record in three years at the helm. Northern Iowa won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament last season and advanced to the NCAA tournament before falling to No.1 seed Nebraska.
The Panthers top returners are senior Lizzie Boeck and junior Jacqui Kalin. Boeck averaged 14.2 points and 3.1 assists per game last season, while Kalin averaged 11.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 2009-10.
Last time out...
The Colorado State women's basketball team recorded 21 steals and saw point production from all 10 players Friday night at Moby Arena, coming up victorious in its first and only exhibition game of the season, 81-75.
Junior Kim Mestagh, a second-team all-conference selection a year ago, began the 2010-11 season where she left off, leading the team with 19 points. She paced the Rams, who had four players score double digits in the win. Also tallying double figures was junior forward Chatilla van Grinsven (11 points) and freshmen Sam Martin (15) and Mandy Makeever (12).
Martin, a 6-2 forward from Chaparral High School in Parker, Colo., shot 7-of-10 from the floor and pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, including five from the offensive end. As a team, the Rams outrebounded the Cougars 43-35 and totaled 19 offensive boards, resulting in 22 second-chance points.
Offensively, the Rams shot 43.7 percent from the floor. They also benefited from 33 Cougar turnovers and 28 points off of turnovers.
Rams' Returners...
This season CSU returns all but one letterwinner for the 2010-11 campaign. Captain Sara Hemmings leads the squad in her senior season along with Bonnie Barbee and Zoi Simmons. The junior class is led by Mestdagh, the leading returning point scorer in the Mountain West, and Chatilla van Grinsven. The sophomore class features fast-paced players Chantel Kennedy and Meixandra Porter.
Junior Meghan Heimstra will redshirt this season due to a hip injury.
The Newcomers...
Colorado State adds four freshmen to the team in 2010-11. CSU's opener Friday will feature locals Hayley Thompson (Mullen High School), Sam Martin (Chaparral High School), and also twin sisters from Peaster, Texas, Amber and Mandy Makeever (Peaster High School).
Thompson, a 6-1 wing and forward, is a strong defensive player, and a good perimeter shooter. Martin, a 6-2 forward, sat out her senior season due to injury, but averaged 18 points per game her junior year. She will be counted on to score from the low post and help with the rebounding effort. Amber Makeever, a 5-11 guard, is a strong three-point shooter and will play the wing while Mandy Makeever, a 5-10 guard, is a good all-around player and will play the point guard and wing positions.
Junior transfer Kelly Hartig brings a wealth of experience from Virginia, as her team advanced to the NCAA tournament second round in 2008-09. A Colorado native from Highlands Ranch, the forward earned Most Improved Player for the Cavaliers her sophomore year. After sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, Hartig will be eligible to play beginning Dec. 20 vs. South Dakota.
Marquee matchups...
Colorado State’s 2010-11 schedule features four contests against teams receiving votes in the preseason national rankings. The Rams first contest against a team receiving preseason attention comes Nov. 18 at 2009-10 NCAA tournament Elite Eight contender Florida State. The Seminoles are ranked No. 18/14 in the AP and USA Today/ESPN Coaches' polls. Then the Rams head to Tempe, Ariz., for a matchup against Arizona State Dec.11. The Sun Devils are receiving votes in the AP poll. The Rams’ MWC schedule features two tilts against such opponents with two each against No. 23/RV TCU and RV/RV San Diego State.
Improved RPI...
Colorado State closed the 2009-10 season with an NCAA RPI of 175, which is up 19 spots from the 2008-09 season.
Under Head Coach Kristen Holt’s watch, the Rams’ RPI has steadily improved. Before Holt’s first season in 2007-08, CSU closed the year at No. 309, and improved to 194th following the 2008-09 campaign. Factoring in last season’s 175 final RPI, the Rams have improved by 134 spots in the last two seasons.
Mestdagh record watch...
With two seasons left, junior Kim Mestdagh is already making an impact in the Rams' record books. The leading returning point scorer in the Mountain West is on pace to crack the top-15 this season on the all-time most points list. She enters the 2010-11 year with 707 career points.
Last season Mestdagh lead the Mountain West in three-point field goals made (89) and also lead the conference with the most double-figure scoring games with 27.
The Ieper, Belgium, native took first place, surpassing all-time points-leader Becky Hammon, for three-pointers made (89) and attempted (240), in a single season among sophomores all-time in CSU's program history.
The following is a list of Mestdagh's current spot in CSU's all-time record books:
Points Per Game (min. 45 games)
12. 11.80 Mestdagh (720/61)
3-Point Field Goals Made
7. 140 Mestdagh (399)
3-Point Field Goal Attempts
7. 399 Mestdagh (140)
3-Pt Field Goal % (Based on 75 attempts)
12. .351 Mestdagh (140-399)
Free Throw % (Based on 100 attempts)
17. .734 Mestdagh (80-109)
Up next...
Colorado State will leave next week for Tallahasse, Fla., as the Rams take on the No. 18/14 Florida State. The Seminoles advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament last season.