Colorado State University Athletics
Game notes: Rams look to continue win streak vs. Bears
11/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2010
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Colorado State vs. Northern Colorado| Game 7 |
| COLORADO STATE RAMS | NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rams host Northern Colorado...
Colorado State looks to continue its four-game win streak vs. in-state rival Northern Colorado. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. Thursday in Moby Arena (8,745).
The Rams fell to the Bears last season, 65-56, despite double-figure scoring from Chatilla van Grinsven (22) and Kim Mestdagh (13). UNC had three players in double-digits and out rebounded the Rams by 14, including 14 offensive boards to CSU's five. The team also had trouble from the free-throw line, making only 53.3 percent (8-15) of its shots, while the Bears made 93.8 percent (15-16) of their attempts.
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.
Live stats are available on CSURams.com by clicking the link on the calendar of the home page or on the women's basketball schedule page.
Rams vs. Bears series...
Colorado State will take on Northern Colorado for the 29th time Thursday. The Rams own the series, 18-10, overall and they are 11-3 in Fort Collins.
After a 15-game win streak from 1979-2006, CSU and UNC have traded off in the win column, each winning two contests in the past four years. Here's a look at the last 10 matchups between the two schools:
| 01/16/88 | W, 69-67 | Greeley |
| 02/08/89 | W, 53-45 | Fort Collins |
| 12/15/91 | W, 88-79 | Fort Collins |
| 12/01/92 | W, 91-62 | Fort Collins |
| 01/02/05 | W, 69-59 | Greeley |
| 12/18/05 | W, 81-66 | Fort Collins |
| 12/06/06 | W, 59-48 | Greeley |
| 11/20/07 | L, 60-70 | Greeley |
| 12/06/08 | W, 62-47 | Fort Collins |
| 12/21/09 | L, 56-65 | Greeley |
About Northern Colorado...
UNC has gotten off to a quick start, playing seven games, including two tournaments on the road before Thursday's matchup. After an overtime loss to South Dakota, the bears defeated Air Force and Santa Clara at home. Since then, the team has been on the road in Iowa and California for two-consecutive tournaments, losing to Central Michigan, Northeastern, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara. Despite a 2-5 record, all but one of the Bears' losses has been by nine points or less.
Four players, including UNC's two returning starters are averaging double figures in scoring: Junior Kaisha Brown (11.6), sophomore Lauren Oosdyke (11.3), Freshman D'shara Strange (11.1) and senior Courtney Stoermer (10.1). Defensively, Strange and Oosdyke lead the team in rebounds with 7.4 and 7.0, respectively.
In their last contest at UC Santa Barbara, the Bears went on a 32-14 run in the final 8 minutes of the game, making 50.0 percent of their shots (11-22), but it wasn't enough as UNC was unable to come back vs. the Gauchos. They fell 63-54. Northern Colorado was denied 10 times by Big West Player of the Week, Mekia Valentine. The 6-4 center recorded 10 of the teams' 11 blocks, contributing to the Bears 24.4 field-goal percentage.
Last time out...
The Colorado State women's basketball team had four players score in double digits as the Rams defeated Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 90-57, in the final game of the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational Sunday afternoon at Moby Arena.
The Rams (4-2) have extended their winning streak to four contests, their longest since 2005. The victory also marked the highest scoring regulation game the Rams have had since they defeated Tennessee-Martin, 95-49, in December of 2004.
Martin had a solid performance and posted her first career double-double as she led the Rams with 25 points, and tied a team high 12 rebounds with junior Chatilla van Grinsven.
van Grinsven, junior Kim Mestdagh and true freshman Hayley Thompson scored 18, 17 and 13 points, respectively. Van Grinsven and Mestdagh were named to the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational all-tournament team. Mestdagh was also named MVP of the tournament for the second year in a row.
At the line...
Early in the season the Rams have already stamped their footprint in the Mountain West Conference statistical standings. CSU has improved its free-throw percentage to a league-best 75.6 percent (90-119), up from 69.6 percent last season.
Sophomore Meixandra Porter has proven to be a clutch performer from the free-throw line for the Rams. On Nov. 21 at North Dakota, she kept CSU on top in the final seconds hitting four of five free throws. To date Porter has missed only one from the line in her career, making 95.2 percent (20-21). This season, she is second in the Mountain West with 92.9 percent accuracy (13-14).
Junior Kim Mestdagh is also off to a good start in 2010 at the line. She has hit 90.0 percent of her shots (18-20), which ranks fourth best in the conference this season.
In the MWC books...
Colorado State has made a leap in the Mountain West Conference statistical records with its four-game win streak, currently the longest win streak in the league. The team is now second in the conference in scoring offense, averaging 68.7 points per game. The Rams are second in field-goal percentage with 41.8 percent, and they are first in three-point field-goal percentage, averaging 35.7 percent. The team has made the third most field-goals in the league, averaging 6.7 per game. The Rams are second in the assists column, averaging 16.8 per game.
On the defensive side of the ball CSU is third in rebounding offense, pulling down an average of 41.3 boards per game, and it's second in rebounding defense, allowing only 34.8 boards from their opponents. The team is second in rebounding margin, grabbing 6.5 more rebounds than their foes. They are second in defensive rebounding percentage, getting the defensive rebound 70.4 percent of the time.
Crashing the boards...
Junior Chatilla van Grinsven leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game, which ties for seventh best in the conference. An all-tournament team selection in the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational, she pulled down a career-high eight offensive boards vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Nov. 28, helping the Rams score 19 second chance points. She leads the Mountain West in offensive rebounds with 3.5 per game.
Filling the stat sheet...
Sophomore Chantel Kennedy leads Colorado State in both assists and steals this season with 26 and 14, respectively. Her 2.3 steals and 4.3 assists per game each rank third in the conference. In the Rams' game vs. Texas Southern on Nov. 27, Kennedy assisted a career-high nine shots and tied a career-high with five steals.
Kennedy's assist-to-turnover ratio is also first in the league. With 26 assists and just 11 turnovers through six games this season, she averages 2.4 assists to every turnover.
An early present for the holidays...
Only three more games until junior Kelly Hartig will play in her first game as a Ram wearing number 13. After sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, Hartig will be eligible to play beginning Dec. 20 vs. South Dakota.
Hartig brings a wealth of experience from Virginia, as her team advanced to the NCAA tournament's second round in 2008-09. A Colorado native from Highlands Ranch, the forward earned Most Improved Player for the Cavaliers her sophomore year.
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. In 2007-08, the year before Holt took over, 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 second-highest point scorer (19.3 ppg) in the Mountain West is on pace to crack the top-15 this season on CSU's all-time career points list. After six games this season, she has 836 career points.
To date Mestdagh has reached double figures in all six of the Rams' games this season. The Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational MVP for the second-consecutive year recorded two 17-point games, hitting five three-pointers in each contest, with an 85.7 field-goal percentage vs. Texas Southern. She also assisted a team-high five shots and forced four steals vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Mestdagh recorded a career-high 32 points at North Dakota on Nov. 21, her second game she's scored at or above 30 points in her career. The Belgium native notched her second career double-double earlier this season vs. Northern Iowa on Nov. 12 with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
This season the Belgium native is in the top three in the Mountain West in scoring (19.3; second), three-point field-goal percentage (.500; first) and three-point field goals made (26; first). Mestdagh's 4.3 three-pointers per game also ranks second in the country. She is behind Texas Pan-American's Ce'Monay Newell by only one-tenth of a point.
Mestdagh's 50.0 three-point field-goal percentage is the highest among all players at CSU in a single season with at least 50 attempts. She is 26-52 from beyond the arc this season.
The following is a list of Mestdagh's current spot in CSU's all-time record books:
Points Per Game (min. 45 games)
10. 12.48 Mestdagh (836/67)
3-Point Field Goals Made
7. 166 Mestdagh (451)
3-Point Field-Goal Attempts
7. 451 Mestdagh (166)
3-Pt Field-Goal % (Based on 75 attempts)
10. .368 Mestdagh (166-451)
Free-Throw % (Based on 100 attempts)
12. .760 Mestdagh (98-129)
Coors Light Coaches' Show...
The Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show airs Mondays at 6 p.m. MT, live from the Beach House Grill in Old Town Fort Collins, and will continue throughout the season until Feb. 28. Shows air live on the Colorado State Sports Network's Flagship, KLZ (560 AM). A complete schedule can be found on the bottom of Page 4 of this release.
Up next...
Colorado State travels south to Boulder, Colo., for a double-header with the men's team vs. Colorado. Tip-off for the women's game will be at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men at 8. Both games will be broadcast live on FSNRM.