Rams host South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Colorado Christian in exhibitions

This Week
Colorado State Rams vs. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Hardrockers
Thursday, Nov. 1 | 7 p.m. MT
Moby Arena | Fort Collins, Colo.
Colorado State Rams vs. Colorado Christian Cougars
Friday, Nov. 2 | 7 p.m. MT
Moby Arena | Fort Collins, Colo.
Coverage: Tickets | Game Day Information | Live Stats

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State women's basketball team makes its first appearances in Moby Arena leading up to the 2018-19 season this Thursday and Friday with exhibition contests against the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Hardrockers and the Colorado Christian Cougars.

Tip time for each of the Colorado State's exhibitions is 7 p.m. MT. CSU will be facing the Hardrockers on Thursday, and the Rams' Friday opponent is the Cougars. Admission and parking for Thursday's game is free, and seating will be first come, first served.

Tickets are available for the Rams' Friday night exhibition against Colorado Christian and for all other games in Moby Arena this season. Tickets may be purchased at CSURams.com/tickets or through a call to 800-491-RAMS (7267). Parking is available for $10 for all home games in the Moby Arena parking lot and for free in the Lory Student Center parking lot.

CSU Athletics' clear bag system will be in effect for all CSU women's and men's basketball games in an effort to increase the safety of all fans in attendance, as is the use of metal detectors. Information on that clear bag system, along with other important game day information, can be found on the CSURams.com game day page here.

Live video and radio production will begin with the Rams' season opener against Eastern New Mexico on Tuesday, Nov. 6, but this week's exhibition action may still be followed through live stats.

Scouting the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Hardrockers

The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Hardrockers finished the 2017-18 season with a 16-13 record under now-sixth-year head coach Ryan Larsen.
SD Mines went 11-11 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) in 2017-18, qualifying for the conference tournament for the second straight season. The Hardrockers project to finish ninth of 16 in the conference this season, according to a poll of league head coaches.
The Hardrockers finished among NCAA Division II leaders in fewest personal fouls per game, ranking fourth nationally with an average of 13.7. Additionally, the Hardrockers were eighth among NCAA DII schools in fewest turnovers per game (12.0).
Individually, SD Mines rising junior Sami Steffeck was 37th among all NCAA DII players in three-point field goal percentage (.385) in 2017-18.
Notably, SD Mines head coach Ryan Larsen was an assistant under current CSU head coach Ryun Williams at South Dakota, where the two helped transition the Coyotes from Division II to Division I competition.

Scouting the Colorado Christian Cougars

The Colorado Christian Cougars went 7-20 in 2017-18 under head coach Corey Laster, who enters his third season at the helm of the program this year.
CCU went 5-17 in its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conferene slate in 2017-18. The Cougars are projected to finish 13th of 16 teams in 2017-18 in a poll of the league's head coaches.
One of CCU's strengths last season was shot blocking, as the Cougars ranked 73rd (3.7/game) among all NCAA DII schools in that category. The Cougars were also 81st in NCAA DII in free throw percentage (.736).
CCU's Jordan Baer was selected to the Preseason All-RMAC Team on Oct. 23. Last season, Baer averaged 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, and ranked 57th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (6.0).

CSU Coaching Staff Among the Nation's Most Experienced

Entering this season, Colorado State women's basketball has four coaches on its staff with NCAA head coaching experience. No other women's basketball program in the nation has more than three.
Along with current CSU head coach Ryun Williams, each of Kellie Lewis (Florida Atlantic), Rico Burkett (Wayne State) and Chad Lavin (South Dakota, Wyoming) have been head coaches at an NCAA institution in their careers.
No other school has as many coaches with NCAA head coaching experience. Baylor, Texas Tech and UNCW each have three coaches on their respective staffs with NCAA head coaching experience.

Rams Make Fifth Consecutive Postseason Appearance in 2017-18

Among the many accomplishments of the 2017-18 Colorado State women's basketball team was its fifth consecutive postseason appearance. The Rams received an at-large bid to the Postseason WNIT, and advanced to the second round for the second straight season.
Colorado State defeated Western Illinois, 67-64, last season, and took down Saint Mary's, 80-68, in overtime in the opening round two years ago for its most recent postseason victories. Before those two WNIT wins, CSU had not won in the postseason since 2003.
CSU will be looking to make its sixth consecutive postseason berth in 2018-19. The Rams have only had one longer streak of consecutive postseason appearances, reaching the NCAA Tournament or the WNIT in seven consecutive seasons from 1998-04.

Rams Win 20 Games for Fifth Straight Season

Colorado State women's basketball went 21-12 in 2017-18, clinching its fifth straight season with at least 20 wins under now-seventh-year head coach Ryun Williams.
Outside of those five seasons, Colorado State has only won 20 games or more in nine other seasons. That gives Williams 35.7 percent of the 20-plus-win seasons in program history.
Former CSU head coaches Greg Williams, Tom Collen and Chris Denker combined for the only stretch with more consecutive seasons of 20 victories or more from 1995-2003. Ann Matlock coached the only other CSU team with 20 wins or more in 1981-82.

Williams Ranks Among CSU, Mountain West Coaching Greats

Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams enters his seventh season at the helm of the program in 2018-19. Williams has won 136 games in his tenure to this point, making him the winningest coach in program history.
In addition to that, Williams has won 81 conference games, by far the most in program history. Former CSU head coach Tom Collen is the closest with 56 conference wins.
Williams also ranks as the third-winningest coach in Mountain West history in terms of win percentage in conference games (76.4 percent, 81-25). The only coaches with better records in conference play are former Utah head coach Elaine Elliott (.793, 130-34), as well as former Fresno State head coach and current TCU head coach Reagan Pebley (.778, 28-8).
Ryun Williams' seventh season as CSU basketball coach makes him one of the two longest-tenured head coaches in program history. Greg Williams also served as head coach for seven seasons from 1990-97.

Dropping Knowledge

Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams is 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.
Williams is in his second season as a voter after completing his first year voting in the coaches' poll in 2017-18.

Newcomers in the Lineup for the Rams

Among the storylines for Colorado State women's basketball this season will be the integration of seven newcomers into the 2018-19 lineup. The seven newcomers will mesh with the return of six letterwinners, along with one redshirt.
Of those newcomers, two are graduate transfers and are eligible to contribute immediately. Those players are guard Roichelle Marble (Wisconsin) and forward Tatum Neubert (LSU/Oregon).
Also among the newcomers are junior guard Mollie Mounsey (Seward County CC), a two-time NJCAA First-Team All-American, and freshman guard/forward Taylor Mole (Australia), who joins the Rams with international playing experience.
Jamie Bonnarens (Cameron), Megan Jacobs (Utah) and Tori Williams (Utah) will redshirt per NCAA transfer rules before playing for the Rams next season.

Rams Return Mountain West All-Freshman Selection

Among the returners for Colorado State in 2018-19 is sophomore guard Grace Colaivalu, who was named to the Mountain West All-Freshman Team last season.
Upon receiving that distinction last season, Colaivalu became the first Ram to earn an all-conference freshman team selection since 2013-14 and the third all-time. The only other two Rams to be named to the MW All-Freshman Team were Ellen Nystrom and Elin Gustavsson, each in 2013-14.

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