Colorado State University Athletics
Game notes: CSU begins two-game homestand
2/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 25, 2010
Colorado State (13-13, 5-8) is home to take on TCU (20-6, 10-3) Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. MT at Moby Arena.
The Rams look to stay above .500 against the No. 1 team in the Mountain West. CSU has not dropped below .500 this season.
TCU junior guard Emily Carter tied a career high with 25 points and the Frogs shot a season-best 53.3 percent, in a 79-64 victory over UNLV at the Daniel-Meyer Colesium Tuesday. Starr Crawford and TK LaFleur also reached double figures with 16 and 11 points, respectively.
The game will be broadcast live on AM 1410 KIIX. Brian Roth calls the action while Matt Wozniak provides color analysis. Live game audio will also be available via Rams All-Access subscription on CSURams.com.
Rams vs. Horned Frogs series...
Colorado State and TCU will meet for the 13th time this Saturday. The Horned Frogs have won nine of the 12 games.
Colorado State is 2-6 vs. TCU in Fort Collins. Although CSU won the first three games in the series, TCU is currently on a nine-game winning streak.
Last meeting...
Sophomore Chatilla van Grinsven had a team-high 20 points and Kim Mestdagh came alive in the second half to total 14 points, but it wasn't enough as the Rams fell to No. 20/21 TCU 78-51 on Jan. 27 at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
The Rams (11-8, 3-3) shot 33.3 percent on the night, hitting 21 of 63 baskets, one attempt less than the Frogs (15-4, 5-1), who hit 30 of 64 and shot 46.9 percent.
About TCU...
The Horned Frogs are ranked No. 1 in the Mountain West and are receiving votes in the national polls. They lead in six major statistical categories (scoring offense, scoring margin, rebounding offense, rebounding defense, steals, and turnover margin) for the MWC. They are also in the top-five in 12 other categories.
TCU’s Emily Carter leads the team in scoring averaging 14.9 points per game and 16.2 points since conference play began. Helena Sverrisdottir is close behind averaging 14.0 points per game. Starr Crawford leads the team in rebounds with 8.8 per game.
Last time out...
Colorado State fought hard and put forth a great effort, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a solid New Mexico team. The Rams fell 65-50 Wednesday night at The Pit.
CSU struggled in the turnovers column, committing 25. The Lobos were able to score 38 points off the Rams turnovers.
Sophomores Kim Mestdagh and Chatilla van Grinsven were the top performers for Colorado State. Each recorded double-doubles on the night with 19 and 16 points, respectively, and 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively. Each had 14 first-half points. It was the first time two players registered double-doubles since Elle Queen and Carine Reimink vs. USF on Nov. 13, 2007.
It was a close game from the start. The game was tied four times and the lead changed on 12 occasions, but New Mexico pulled away midway through the second half and gained the 15-point lead. The Lobos outscored the Rams 36-18 in the second half.
Building a program of excellence...
The Rams, now 13-13, are sitting in seventh place in the Mountain West Conference. With only three games remaining, the Rams have already surpassed their win total from last season. CSU hasn't won 13 games in one season since the 2004-05 campaign, when the team went 15-13.
Filling up the stat sheet...
Sophomore Chatilla van Grinsven has started 34.6 percent (9-26) of the Rams games this year and averages 24.0 minutes per game. As an off-the-bench starter, she places second in most categories. She averages 11.3 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game, and she has 15 blocks and 39 steals on the season.
On Feb. 24, at New Mexico, van Grinsven picked up her second career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Her first double-double effort came at home vs. Wyoming on Jan. 5, when she grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.
From the line...
Junior guard Zoi Simmons is second in the conference in free-throw percentage (.833). In the Rams' final non-conference game this season vs. South Dakota, Simmons hit six free throws in the final minute, when the Rams were clinging to a one-point lead and had not made a field goal since the 6:49 mark, to ice the win. She was 8-8 on the afternoon.
Heimstra, Kennedy well-balanced...
In 26 games this season sophomore forward Meghan Heimstra has scored a total of 219 points and has 204 rebounds. She leads the team in rebounds per game with 7.8 and is third in points with 8.4 per game. Defensively, the sophomore averages 5.6 boards per game, which puts her in third place in the conference. Heimstra has four double-doubles this season, and she recorded a career-high 14 rebounds in the Jan. 5 game vs. Wyoming.
Freshman Chantel Kennedy pulls down boards at both ends of the court. This season she has 44 offensive rebounds and 51 defensive. Kennedy averages 3.7 rebounds per game, fourth-highest on the team, despite having a height advantage over only three other players.
Mestdagh sets record highs...
Sophomore Kim Mestdagh leads the Mountain West in three-point field goals made and is second in scoring. In 26 games this season, Mestdagh has 436 points, averaging 16.8 per game. She has hit 81 three pointers averaging 3.1 per game above second-place Amy Beggin of New Mexico, who has 55 beyond the arc. She also leads the MWC in double-figure scoring games with 24 this season.
The Ieper, Belgium native recorded her first career double-double at New Mexico Feb. 24. She had 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the contest.
Mestdagh is in second place, just two below Becky Hammon, for three-pointers made (81), and she has surpassed Hammon for three-pointers attempted (213), in a single season among sophomores all-time in CSU's program history.
In the Rams' matchup vs. South Dakota on Jan. 2, Mestdagh recorded six steals, a career-high, season team high, and tied for second in the conference this season.
Mestdagh’s 30 points Dec. 6 vs. Southern Illinois were the most by a CSU player in a 40-minute regulation game since Becky Hammon poured in 30, March 14, 1999, to lead the Rams to an 86-70 win over Southwest Missouri State in the second round of the NCAA tournament, in front of 8,741 Moby Arena fans. Sara Hunter had 41 in a 101-96 overtime loss vs. San Francisco on Nov. 13, 2007. Hammon scored 30 or more in eight games that season.
Coors Light Coaches’ Show...
The Coors Light Basketball Coaches’ Show airs Mondays at 7 p.m. MT, live from the Stonehouse Grille in Old Town Fort Collins, and will continue throughout the season until March 1. 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 will play its final home game of the regular season vs. San Diego State. Tipoff is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. MT.
