Rams hit the road for Mountain West contests at San Diego State, Fresno State

Colorado State Rams (9-4, 1-1 MW) at San Diego State Aztecs (7-6, 1-1 MW)
Wednesday, Jan. 3 | 7:30 p.m. MT/6:30 p.m. PT
Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl | San Diego, Calif.
Live Video: CSURams.com/live (MW Network)
Live Audio: CSU Radio Network (KARS 102.9 FM) | TuneIn
Live Stats: GoAztecs.com

Colorado State Rams (9-4, 1-1 MW) at Fresno State Bulldogs (6-7, 1-1 MW)
Saturday, Jan. 6 | 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT
Save Mart Center | Fresno, Calif.
Live Video: CSURams.com/live (MW Network)
Live Audio: CSU Radio Network (KMAX 94.3 FM) | TuneIn
Live Stats: GoBulldogs.com

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

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State women's basketball team travels to California this week to take on the San Diego State Aztecs and the Fresno State Bulldogs in the Rams' first Mountain West contests on the road this season.

Colorado State (9-4, 1-1 MW) plays its first game of 2018 at San Diego State (7-6, 1-1 MW) on Wednesday, with opening tip set for 6:30 p.m. PT (7:30 p.m. MT) from Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl. CSU's contest against Fresno State (6-7, 1-1 MW) is slated for a 2 p.m. PT (3 p.m. MT) start from the Save Mart Center on Saturday.

CSU and each of its opponents are off to a 1-1 start in Mountain West play. SDSU started its season with a win over Wyoming, the preseason projected No. 2 team in the conference, but dropped a game on the road at Utah State. The Bulldogs played each of their games on the road last week, dropping its conference opener at Nevada before winning at Air Force.

Live video for each game will be available through CSURams.com/live (MW Network), while live audio will be available via the CSU Radio Network and the TuneIn app. Wednesday's radio broadcast is scheduled for KARS 102.9 FM, while Saturday's will be carried by KMAX 94.3 FM. Matthew Wozniak will be on the call for each radio broadcast. Live stats will also be made available by each host institution. Each can be found in the links above, or on the women's basketball schedule page on CSURams.com.

A Colorado State Win on Wednesday Would…
- Improve the Rams' road record to 3-0 this season. 9
- Be the Rams' 10th consecutive win against San Diego State.
- Be the Rams' 15th straight win against a Mountain West school from the state of California.
- Be the Rams' 18th win in its last 19 games against Mountain West schools from the state of California.
- Be the Rams' fifth win in their past six games.

Game Day Storylines
- Senior guard Stine Austgulen ranks as one of the NCAA's elite sharpshooters so far this season. Her .500 three-point field goal percentage ranks fourth in the nation and tops among qualifiers in the Mountain West. Austgulen averages 2.5 three-pointers per game in Mountain West play, ranking ninth in the conference.
- Colorado State has been one of the nation's top defensive teams during sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams' tenure, and the Rams are once again this season. CSU ranks 12th in the nation and tops in the Mountain West in field goal percentage defense (.337) this season, as well as seventh nationally and best in the conference in three-point field goal percentage defense (.248).
- As a team, one of Colorado State's most favorable national statistical rankings is in the turnovers column. The Rams commit just 12.8 turnovers per game, which ranks 26th in the nation. Additionally, CSU has the nation's 23rd-lowest rate of personal fouls per game (14.4).
- Another of CSU's strengths is on the defensive glass, as the Rams rank 13th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (30.3). The Rams are paced in that category by junior forward Annie Brady, who ranks fourth in the Mountain West with 5.6 defensive rebounds per game (7.3 per game overall). Senior guard Hannah Tvrdy is seventh in the conference with 5.2 defensive rebounds per game.
- Freshman guard Grace Colaivalu is averaging a team-best 20.5 points per game in Mountain West play, ranking third in the league. Her 26 points against Boise State on Dec. 28, 2017 were the most by any player in the league in a conference opener this season.
- Additionally, Colaivalu ranks 10th in the conference with three assists per game in MW play.
- Brady has averaged 8.5 rebounds per game in conference play so far, ranking her fifth in the league. Tvrdy ranks sixth with eight rebounds per game in conference play.
- In addition to her effective three-point shooting, Austgulen has also been an efficient scorer from the floor overall. The senior ranks eighth in the conference with a .615 field goal percentage in MW play.
- Senior forward Veronika Mirkovic is currently averaging one block per game and 1.5 steals per game in Mountain West play. Those totals rank sixth and ninth in the conference, respectively.
- Tvrdy is currently averaging 37 minutes per game in MW play, the third-most in the league. Austgulen ranks sixth in the conference with 36 minutes per game in conference games.
- 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 free throw percentage (.826).

Scouting the San Diego State Aztecs
- San Diego State is 7-6 overall and 1-1 in the Mountain West this season. The Aztecs went 11-19 last season, including a 6-12 mark in conference play. Colorado State has won the past nine meetings between the two schools.
- SDSU defeated Wyoming, the preseason projected No. 2 team in the conference, to start Mountain West play, but dropped the next game at Utah State. The Aztecs were projected to finish eighth in the conference in preseason voting.
- As a team, SDSU's highest national statistical ranking is in three-point field goals made per game (7.7), a category that the Aztecs rank 65th in. SDSU's Lexy Thorderson ranks 81st nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.408).
- The Aztecs' top scorer this season is McKynzie Fort, who averages 16.4 points per game. Fort, who also leads the team in rebounds (4.9 per game) and field goal percentage (.487), was voted Preseason All-Mountain West prior to the season.

Scouting the Fresno State Bulldogs
- Fresno State has a 6-7 record this season and is one of six Mountain West teams with a 1-1 conference record to this point. Fresno State finished the 2016-17 season with an 18-15 record (8-10 MW), including three wins in the Mountain West tournament before falling to Boise State in the final.
- Fresno State will play its first conference game at home this week after starting league play on the road. The Bulldogs fell to Nevada, 90-73, in the two teams' conference opener, but bounced back with a 64-58 win at Air Force. The Bulldogs were projected to finish seventh in the conference in preseason polling.
- Among the strengths for Fresno State this season is its three-point shooting, as the Bulldogs rank 45th in the nation with a .367 three-point field goal percentage. The Bulldogs also rank 56th nationally in free throw percentage (.739).
- Junior guard Candice White ranks as the only qualifying player in the nation with a perfect 1.000 free throw percentage this season. White, a Preseason All-Mountain West selection, ranks 93rd in the nation with a Mountain West-best 17.3 points per game.

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.

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

Annie Brady Named Mountain West Women's Basketball Player of the Week
- After recording double-doubles against each of Prairie View A&M and Morgan State, Colorado State junior forward Annie Brady has been named the Mountain West Women's Basketball Player of the Week. The conference announced Brady's honor on Tuesday, Dec. 26.
- Over those two games, the junior averaged 18.5 points per game on .581 (18-for-31) shooting and corralled 15.5 rebounds per game.
- Her first double-double of the week came in a 19-point, 14-rebound (seven offensive) effort in the Rams' 71-59 win over PVAMU. She followed that with an 18-point, 17-rebound performance to lead CSU to a 60-44 win over Morgan State in the Rams' nonconference finale. Brady shot 9-for-13 (.692) from the floor in that game.
- This marks the first weekly conference honor for Brady since she joined the Rams prior to this season. The Salt Lake City, Utah native is also the first Ram to receive one of the league's weekly honors this season.

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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