Rams face Northern Colorado on the road this Sunday

Colorado State Rams (5-3) at Northern Colorado Bears (6-2)
Sunday, Dec. 10 |2 p.m. MT
Bank of Colorado Arena | Greeley, Colo.
TV: CET (Comcast channel 105, HD 900 – check local listings)
Live Video: WatchBigSky.com | Pluto.tv
Coverage: CSU Radio Network (KARS 102.9 FM) | Live Stats

Colorado State Women's Basketball: Tickets | Twitter | Game Notes

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State women's basketball team plays its final road contest of its non-conference schedule this Sunday, when the Rams travel to face the Northern Colorado Bears.

Opening tip for Colorado State's (5-3) Sunday game at Northern Colorado (6-2) is slated for 2 p.m. MT from Bank of Colorado Arena. UNC was last in action on Sunday, Dec. 3, when the Bears defeated Pacific, 80-55. Among the top wins for the Bears during their non-conference slate are victories over then No. 20/25 DePaul, LSU and BYU.

Sunday's game at Northern Colorado will be televised live for those in the state of Colorado on Comcast Entertainment Television (CET). Comcast subscribers can find CET at channel 105 and in high definition on channel 900. Chad Andrus will handle the play-by-play duties, while Carlyn Chavez will serve as the analyst.

Sunday's game at Northern Colorado will be streamed live at WatchBigSky.com and at Pluto.tv. In addition, Matthew Wozniak will be on the call for the CSU Radio Network on KARS 102.9 FM on Sunday. Live stats will also be made available by Northern Colorado for the game. Links to each are available above or on the women's basketball schedule page on CSURams.com.

A Colorado State Win Would…
- Be Colorado State's third consecutive win against Northern Colorado.
- Move CSU to 4-1 against Northern Colorado under sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams.
- Give the Rams a 23-12 record in the all-time series against Northern Colorado.
- Be the Rams' 12th win against in-state opponents in their past 14 games.
- Improve the Rams' record against in-state opponents to 23-7 in Williams' six-year tenure.
- Move the Rams to 2-0 on the road this season and 41-22 on the road under Williams.

Game Day Storylines
- With a three-point field goal percentage of .500 this season, Colorado State's Stine Austuglen currently ranks as one of the nation's top sharpshooters. Austgulen places 12th in the nation in that category and third in the Mountain West.
- As a team, Colorado State's most favorable national statistical ranking is in the turnovers column. The Rams rank 27th in the nation for fewest turnovers per game (12.9).
- In addition, the Rams once again rank as one of the nation's top teams defensively. The Rams are 29th nationally as well as tops in the Mountain West in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to .347 shooting.
- 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 (10.3), free throw percentage (.826) and shares the team blocks lead with Annie Brady (six).
- In addition to those CSU ranks, Devos also ranks sixth in the conference with her .826 free throw percentage.
- Grace Colaivalu has led the Rams in assists in four games this season, and cracks the conference's top in assists per game this week. The freshman currently ranks ninth in the league with 3.6 per game.
- Each of Austgulen and Sofie Tryggedsson rank among the MW's top 10 in three-point field goals made per game. Austgulen places seventh with 2.0 per game, while Tryggedsson checks in at 10th (1.9).
- Each of Brady and Hannah Tvrdy contribute to the Rams as two of the top rebounders on the defensive glass in the conference. Tvrdy ranks eighth in the league in defensive rebounds per game (4.9), while Brady ranks ninth (4.8).
- Tvrdy is currently averaging 32.1 minutes played per game, the fourth-most in the conference.

Early Season Storylines
- The Colorado State women's basketball team 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 Northern Colorado Bears
- Northern Colorado, the preseason Big Sky favorite in each of the coaches' and media polls, has enjoyed a 6-2 start to its 2017-18 campaign. Among the wins for the Bears so far this season are victories over then-No. 20/25 DePaul, LSU and BYU.
- Following its early wins over DePaul and LSU, Northern Colorado began to receive votes in the AP Top 25.
- Northern Colorado enters this week as the nation's No. 1-ranked team in free throw percentage, topping the nation at .850. Savannah Scott ranks 42nd in the nation in that category (.889), while Savannah Smith places 126th (.825).
- UNC is paced offensively by a trio of Bears averaging double-figure scoring. Savannah Scott leads the team with 18.3 points per game, while Savannah Smith averages 15.4 and Courtney Smith averages 14.4.

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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