Rams host Morgan State on Thursday to cap nonconference schedule

Colorado State Rams (7-3) vs. Morgan State Lady Bears (6-5)
Thursday, Dec. 21 |12 p.m. MT
Moby Arena | Fort Collins, Colo.
Live Video: CSURams.com/live (MW Network)
Live Audio: CSU Radio Network (KARS 102.9 FM) | TuneIn
Live Stats: CSURams.com

Colorado State Women's Basketball: Tickets | Twitter | Weekly Release | Thursday Notes

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State women's basketball team caps off its nonconference schedule this Thursday with an afternoon matchup against the Morgan State Lady Bears.

Colorado State (7-3) welcomes Morgan State (6-5) to Moby Arena for a 12 p.m. MT opening tip on Thursday. CSU has won three of its last four games at home, while the Lady Bears (6-5) hold a 1-4 record on the road this season.

Tickets for all homes games are now available, and may be purchased at CSURams.com/tickets or through a call to 800-491-RAMS (7267). Parking is available for all home games in the Moby Arena parking lot. A new clear bag system is now in effect for all CSU women's and men's basketball games in an effort to increase the safety of all fans in attendance, and information on that system can be found here.

Live video for Thursday's game will be available through CSURams.com/live (MW Network), while live audio will be available on KARS 102.9 FM via the CSU Radio Network. Matthew Wozniak will be on the call for each. Live stats will also be made available for each contest. Each can be found in the links above, or on the women's basketball schedule page on CSURams.com. In addition, live audio can be found through the TuneIn app.

A Colorado State Win Would…
- Be the Rams' third straight win and sixth victory in their past seven games.
- Be the Rams' second straight win at Moby Arena.as well as their fourth win in their last five home contests.

Game Day Storylines
- Senior guard Stine Austgulen ranks as one of the NCAA's top sharpshooters so far this season. Her .476 three-point field goal percentage is 19th in the nation and tops among qualifiers in the Mountain West. Austgulen is also ninth in the conference in three-point field goals made per game (two).
- Colorado State has been one of the nation's top defensive teams in the nation during sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams' tenure, and the Rams are once again this season. CSU ranks 22nd in the nation and tops in the Mountain West in field goal percentage defense (.343) this season.
- As a team, one of Colorado State's most favorable national statistical rankings is in the turnovers column. The Rams commit just 12.9 turnovers per game, which ranks 26th in the nation. Additionally, CSU has the nation's 28th-lowest rate of personal fouls per game (14.7).
- Another of CSU's strengths is on the defensive glass, as the Rams rank 15th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (31). The Rams are paced in that category by Hannah Tvrdy, Annie Brady and Veronika Mirkovic, who individually rank eighth, ninth and 10th in the Mountain West, respectively.
- Lore Devos paced the Rams with 25 points in her collegiate debut against Idaho. No other CSU player has scored as many points in her debut in the now-six-year Ryun Williams era. She currently leads the team in points per game (9.3) and free throw percentage (.826).
- In addition to those CSU ranks, Devos also ranks fifth in the conference with her .826 free throw percentage.
- Brady has started for the Rams in each of the past two games, and ranks as one of the Mountain West's top rebounders and shot blockers. The junior is currently ninth in the conference in rebounds per game (6.6) and seventh in blocks per game (0.8).
- Brady is also one of three qualifying Rams among the Mountain West's top 10 in field goal percentage. Brady ranks fourth (.519) in the conference, while freshman Grace Colaivalu ranks fifth (.517) and Tvrdy ranks seventh (.473).
- Colaivalu also ranks within the conference's top 10 in assists, checking in at sixth this week with 3.8 per game. Colaivalu has led the Rams in assists in six games this season.
- Tvrdy is currently averaging 33 minutes played per game, the fourth-most in the conference.

Early Season Storylines
- The Colorado State women's basketball team is off to a 7-3 start this season, matching its second-best 10-game start of the now-six-year Ryun Williams era. Each CSU team with at least seven wins in its first 10 games has gone on to win the Mountain West regular season title and at least 23 games.
- Colorado State is fresh off its fourth consecutive regular-season Mountain West title, distinguishing the program as one of 12 teams in the nation – women's and men's basketball – to have an active streak at least that long.
- No other basketball team in Mountain West history – women's or men's – has won as many regular-season conference titles consecutively. In addition, the Rams have won all four of those outright. Of teams to win consecutive MW regular-season titles, no other team has won more than two outright.
- Colorado State was picked to finish third in the conference this season by league coaches and select media. The Rams received six first-place votes en route to 211 points and that third place projection. The Rams rank behind only Boise State (seven FPV, 221 points) and Wyoming (six FPV, 216 points).
- The Rams return three of five starters and seven letterwinners from last year's team. Hannah Tvrdy is the Rams' returning leader in each of points (8.3), rebounds (4.6) and assists (2.4) per game.
- CSU also looks to be solid from beyond the three-point arc this season. The Rams return 80 percent of their three-point production from last season, as 203 of 255 threes made last year were made by returning players.
- Mixing with that veteran core returning for Colorado State is a group of eight underclassmen, as sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams grooms one of the youngest CSU rosters over his tenure. In terms of what percentage of the roster is made up of freshmen and sophomores (53.3 percent), CSU ranks as the nation's 18th-youngest team.
- Although the Rams' roster is largely composed of youth, the Mountain West also looks to be one of the nation's youngest conferences. The Rams are the fifth-youngest team in the conference when measured by the same criteria above.

Scouting the Morgan State Lady Bears
- The Morgan State Lady Bears are off to a 6-5 start this season, but have lost their two most recent games following a four-game win streak. Among the recent wins for the Bears was a 62-51 victory over FIU on Dec. 6.
- Morgan State was projected to finish eighth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference prior to the season by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. The Lady Bears finished ninth in their league last season.
- Each of Braennan Farrar and Tykyrah Williams were named Preseason All-MEAC leading up the season. Farrar leads the Lady Bears in five major statistical categories this season, and with her 33 steals, places 22nd in the nation.
- Lexus Spears leads the Lady Bears in four major statistical categories, including points per game (13.9). Spears is shooting a team-best .553 thus far this season.

Rams Match Second-Best 10-Game Start of Ryun Williams Era
- With its win over Prairie View A&M on Monday, Dec. 18, the Colorado State women's basketball team moved to 7-3 for the 2017-18 season, matching its second-best 10-game start under sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams.
- Only one Williams-led CSU team compiled a better record through 10 games. The 2015-16 Rams went 9-1 through their first 10 contests before finishing with a 31-2 mark and a program record for win percentage (.939).
- Under Williams, every team to win at least six of its first 10 games has gone on to win the Mountain West regular-season title and win at least 23 games.

Colorado State Under Ryun Williams in First 10 Games (Sorted by Best Start)
2015-16 – 9-1
2017-18 – 7-3
2014-15 – 7-3
2013-14 – 7-3
2016-17 – 6-4
2012-13 – 3-7

Rams' Four Consecutive Regular-Season Conference Titles Ranks Among Nation's Elite
- The Colorado State women's basketball team made history this past season by winning its fourth consecutive regular-season Mountain West championship. That feat had never been previously accomplished by any women's or men's basketball team in conference history.
- That active streak of four consecutive regular-season conference titles ranks the Rams among the nation's elite. Between both women's and men's NCAA Division I basketball, only 11 other programs in the nation have a current streak that is as long or better.
- On the women's side, the programs are Baylor, Chattanooga, Connecticut, DePaul, Green Bay, Notre Dame and defending national champion South Carolina.
- Only four men's teams have a streak at least as long at the CSU women: Gonzaga, Kansas, Villanova and Wichita State.

Regular-Season Conference Titles Won – Best Active Division I Streaks (Women's and Men's Basketball)
Kansas (men's) – 13 (Big 12)
Green Bay (women's) – 11 (Horizon)
Baylor (women's) – Seven (Big 12)
Chattanooga (women's) – Five (Southern)
Gonzaga (men's) – Five (West Coast)
Wichita State (men's) – Five (Missouri Valley)
Colorado State (women's) – Four (Mountain West)
Connecticut (women's) – Four (American)
DePaul (women's) – Four (Big East)
South Carolina (women's) – Four (SEC)
Villanova (men's) – Four (Big East)

Rams Enter 2017-18 as One of Nation's Youngest Teams
- While the Rams' 2017-18 roster is largely made of a veteran group of seven upperclassmen, the bulk of the Rams' roster this season comes from the ranks of underclassmen. A combined eight freshmen and sophomores make up 53.3 percent (eight of 15) of the roster, while the six freshmen make up 40 percent.
- In terms of what percentage of the roster is comprised of underclassmen, Colorado State ranks as the nation's 18th-youngest team. If measured by percentage of freshman relative to the overall roster, CSU's 40 percent is the 10th-highest in the nation.
- However, the Mountain West also shapes up to be a very young conference this season. Each of San Jose State (80 percent), Utah State (76.9 percent), Air Force (76.5 percent) and Fresno State (69 percent) are younger than Colorado State by underclassmen on the roster.

Youngest Division I Teams by Percentage of Underclassmen
1. UNCG – 87.7 percent
2. FIU – 80 percent
2. San Jose State – 80 percent
4. Utah State – 76.9 percent
5. Air Force – 76.5 percent
12. Fresno State – 69 percent
18. Colorado State – 53.3 percent

Youngest Division I Teams by Percentage of Freshmen
1. Savannah State – 64.3 percent
1. Fordham – 64.3 percent
3. Air Force – 58.8 percent
4. San Jose State – 53 percent
5. FIU – 50 percent
5. Elon – 50 percent
10. Colorado State – 40 percent

Rams Projected to Finish Third in the Mountain West in 2017-18
- The Colorado State women's basketball team has been voted by league coaches and select media to finish third in the Mountain West in 2017-18, as announced by the conference on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
- Colorado State, which is coming off an unprecedented fourth consecutive regular-season Mountain West title, earned 211 points and six first-place votes en route to its third-place projection. The only team to earn more first-place votes was Boise State, which received a league-best 221 points and was picked to win the conference by seven voters. Wyoming (216 points, six first-place votes) narrowly edged CSU for second in the voting.
- New Mexico and UNLV, which were picked fourth and fifth respectively, were the only other schools to receive first-place votes. The Lobos received four first-place votes and 186 points, while the Lady Rebels received 185 points were picked No. 1 by two voters.
- The Rams had been picked to win the Mountain West in each of the past three preseason Mountain West polls and four times overall. Behind only those three first-place projections, this is the Rams' fourth-highest projection under sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams. The Rams were picked seventh before winning the conference in 2013-14 and fifth before Williams first season at CSU (2012-13).

2017-18 Mountain West Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
Rank/Team (First-Place Votes) - Points
1. Boise State (7 FPV) - 221 points
2. Wyoming (6) - 216
3. Colorado State (6) - 211
4. New Mexico (4) - 186
5. UNLV (2) - 185
6. Utah State - 136
7. Fresno State - 117
8. San Diego State - 102
9. San José State - 61
10. Nevada - 60
11. Air Force - 29

Devos Makes Historic Debut for Rams
- Freshman guard Lore Devos made her first official appearance for Colorado State on Friday, Nov. 10 in the Rams' season-opener against Idaho. The Kortrijk, Belgium native opened her CSU career with 25 points, the most by any CSU freshman in a season opener in head coach Ryun Williams' six-year tenure.
- Devos was the Rams' leading scorer against Idaho, scoring her 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the floor and 5-for-5 shooting from the free throw line.
- The only other player to score at least 20 points in her debut for Williams was two-time Mountain West Player of the Year Ellen Nystrom. The former CSU standout from Sweden scored 20 points in her first career game for CSU, a win over UCCS on Nov. 8, 2013.

Most Points Scored by a CSU Freshman in a Season Opener Under Ryun Williams
Lore Devos (2017-18 season) – 25 points
Ellen Nystrom (2013-14 season) – 20 points
Taylor Varsho (2012-13 season) – 19 points
Callie Kaiser (2015-16 season) – 13 points
Elin Gustavsson (2013-14 season) – 10 points

Rams Look to be Strong from Three-Point Range
- Although the Rams lost substantial production in many categories with the departure of last year's senior class, one area the team did not lose much in is three-point shooting. As a team, the Rams return 80 percent of their three-point field goals made from last season.
- 203 of the 255 threes made by the Rams last year were made by returning players. Stine Austgulen led the Rams last season with 53 three-point field goals made.
- Austgulen and Hannah Tvrdy return as two of the top three-point shooters in the Mountain West, ranking No. 14 and No. 7 in three-point field goal percentage last season, respectively.
- Notably, junior Myanne Hamm ranked fifth in MW in three-point field goal percentage during conference play (.400), while junior Sofie Tryggedsson ranked 14th in the MW with 1.5 three-point field goals per game during conference play.

Williams Chasing CSU All-Time Wins Record
- Sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams entered the 2016-17 with a record of 115-46 in his tenure thus far at Colorado State. That wins total ranks only behind Tom Collen (129 wins) for most all-time as CSU head coach.
- With the Rams' 70-67 overtime over San Jose State on Jan. 4, 2017, Williams earned his 100th win as CSU head coach, becoming third coach in program history to reach that milestone. Besides Ryun Williams and Tom Collen, the only other coach in school history to reach that mark was Greg Williams (108 wins).
- Ryun Williams already owns the most conference wins in program history, as his teams have gone 70-18 in Mountain West play over his tenure. The previous record was held by Collen, who won 56 games as CSU head coach from 1997-02.

Dropping Knowledge
- Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams has been selected as one of 32 voters for the USA TODAY Sports Women's Basketball Coaches Poll. The panel, which is chosen by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), votes weekly throughout the regular season.
- The voters are chosen based upon the 32 conferences that receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Each conference has one representative, and the names of the voters are published along with each week's poll.

The 2016-17 Season at a Glance
- Colorado State accomplished many feats in 2016-17, but none was greater than winning its historic fourth consecutive regular-season Mountain West championship. No other basketball team in Mountain West history – women's or men's – has won the conference in four consecutive seasons other than the CSU women.
- CSU reached the postseason for the fourth straight season under now-sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams with an automatic berth to the Postseason WNIT. The Rams defeated Saint Mary's at Moby Arena in the first round of the tournament, marking the Rams' first postseason win since 2003.
- On Dec. 18, 2016, CSU defeated Seattle, 66-62, to record the team's 22nd consecutive win at Moby Arena. That broke the previous record for consecutive wins at home, which was previously 21 straight from 1998-99.
- The Rams also set two different records for consecutive conference wins between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. The Rams had won 22 straight games against conference foes when including postseason games, and 25 games against conference opponents in regular-season contests.
- Overall, the CSU's 25 wins tie for the fourth-most in program history, while the Rams' 15 conference wins tie for the second-most in program history.
- Ryun Williams posted his fourth consecutive season with 15 Mountain West wins or more, bringing his career MW record to 70-18. His current MW win percentage of .795 ranks as the best of any coach in Mountain West history.
- Williams also became the third coach in program history to reach 100 wins at CSU, and has the second-most wins at CSU (115) in school history. Tom Collen owns the all-time record with 129 wins at CSU.
- Williams' 70 Mountain West wins also rank as by far the most conference wins in CSU history.
- Ellen Nystrom, who graduated after the 2016-17 season, repeated as Mountain West Player of the Year after earning that honor in 2015-16. The Rams have had the conference player of the year in three consecutive seasons, as Gritt Ryder earned honor as a senior in 2014-15.
- Nystrom and fellow 2016-17 senior Elin Gustavsson departed CSU as the winningest players in conference play in Mountain West history. The senior duo from Sweden won 63 MW games over their careers at CSU, which is by far the most of any athlete – women's or men's basketball – in conference history.

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