Rams host Northern Arizona, No. 17/19 Arizona State at Moby Arena this week

Colorado State Rams (3-3) vs. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (4-2)
Wednesday, Dec. 5 | 11:30 a.m. MT
Moby Arena (8,745) | Fort Collins, Colo.
Coverage: CSURams.com/live (MW Network) | KARS 102.9 FM | Live Stats

Colorado State Rams (3-3) vs. No. 17/19 Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2)
Sunday, Dec. 9 | 2 p.m. MT
Moby Arena (8,745) | Fort Collins, Colo.
Coverage: CSURams.com/live (MW Network) | Stadium | KARS 102.9 FM | Live Stats

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State women's basketball team welcomes a pair of teams from the Grand Canyon State this week, hosting the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Wednesday and the No. 17/19 Arizona State Sun Devils on Sunday.

Tip time between Colorado State (3-3) and the Lumberjacks (4-2) is set for 11:30 a.m. MT from Moby Arena (8,745) on Wednesday. The Rams' matchup with the Lumberjacks will feature a visit from the Poudre School District, with approximately 1,600 fourth- and fifth-graders among the attendees for Wednesday's game.

CSU bookends the week at home with a 2 p.m. MT match with No. 17/19-ranked Sun Devils on Sunday. The Rams' Sunday afternoon contest will be the team's designated White Out this season, and fans are encouraged to attend the game wearing white attire.

Tickets are available for all games in Moby Arena this season, and 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 home 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.

Each game will be streamed via the Mountain West Network on CSURams.com/live. In addition, Sunday's game against Arizona State will be broadcast live on Stadium. Each radio broadcast is scheduled to be on KARS 102.9 FM, with Matthew Wozniak on the call for each game. Live stats will also be available. Links to each can be found above or on the schedule page on CSURams.com.

Scouting the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

Northern Arizona has a 4-2 record to start its 2018-19 season, including wins over Mountain West foe Fresno State (86-73) and over previously unbeaten Loyola Marymount (63-62). NAU looks to improve upon a 7-23 season in 2017-18 under now-second-year head coach Loree Payne.
Northern Arizona is projected by league coaches and select media to finish 10th of 11 teams in the Big Sky Conference this season. The Lumberjacks went 4-14 in conference play a season ago.
Northern Arizona has been among the nation's efficient teams on the offensive end, ranking 94th nationally and tops in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.427). Conversely, NAU ranks in the nation's bottom half in field goal percentage defense (.220). Despite that, the Lumberjacks are still 42nd in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage defense (.253).
NAU's Khiarica Rasheed ranks 25th nationally and best in her conference in field goal percentage with a .600 mark to this point in the season. Kaleigh Paplow is 96th nationally and tops on the team in points per game (17.3), while Caitlin Malvar ranks 44th in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage (.462).

Scouting the No. 17/19 Arizona State Sun Devils

The Arizona State Sun Devils find themselves ranked in both major polls after a 5-2 start to the 2018-19 season. The Sun Devils' only losses are to No. 4/5 Baylor and No. 5/4 Louisville.
Arizona State was picked by both league head coaches and select media in separate polls to finish fifth in the Pac-12 in 2018-19. ASU returns all five starters and all 10 letterwinners from the 2017-18 team that went 22-13 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
ASU ranks favorably among all NCAA programs in numerous categories, with assist/turnover ratio (13th – 1.35) its most favorable. The Sun Devils are 33rd nationally in both rebound margin (+9.0) and scoring margin (+18.7), and are 26th in the NCAA in turnovers per game (13.1).
The facilitator for the Sun Devils' offense is Reili Richardson, who ranks 19th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.2), as well as 62nd in the NCAA in assists per game (5.0). Kianna Ibis leads the team and is 131st in the nation in field goal percentage (.488), and leads a balanced scoring attack with 12.7 points per game.

A Colorado State Win on Wednesday Would…

Be the 398th NCAA victory of head coach Ryun Williams' career.
Move Colorado State to 85-20 at Moby Arena during Williams' tenure.
Improve Colorado State's record to 7-5 all-time against Northern Arizona.
Be the Rams' sixth win in their past seven games at home, dating back to last season.

Rams Among National Statistical Leaders

Defensively, the Rams once again rank among the nation's elite. Colorado State is fifth in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense (.304), 21st in three-point field goal percentage defense (.239) and 21st in scoring defense (53.3).
Through six games, Colorado State ranks fifth nationally in fewest personal fouls per game (12.7) and 50th in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game (14.0).
Junior guard Mollie Mounsey ranks among the NCAA leaders in minutes played per game (38.7), placing fifth individually.
Sophomore guard Lore Devos is 67th nationally in minutes played per game (35.3).
Sophomore guard Grace Colaivalu ranks 89th in the country in assists per game, averaging 4.7 per contest.

Rams Among Mountain West Statistical Leaders

As a team, Colorado State tops the Mountain West in scoring defense (53.3), field goal percentage defense (.304) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.239).
Sophomore guard Lore Devos ranks fourth in the Mountain West in scoring (16.7 points/game). She also ranks sixth in field goal percentage (.512), eighth in rebounding (6.7/game), second in minutes played (35.3) and seventh in offensive rebounds per game (2.8).
Devos' .727 (8-for-11) field goal percentage at Gonzaga ranks as the fourth-best in a single game by any player in the conference this season.
Junior guard Mollie Mounsey has corralled a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game this season, ranking seventh in the conference. Mounsey is also fifth in the league in three-point field goals made per game (2.3), and leads the Mountian West in defensive rebounds per game (6.3) and minutes played per game (38.7).
Mounsey corralled 13 rebounds against North Florida on Dec. 2, the second-most in a single game by any player in the Mountain West in 2018-19.
Sophomore guard Grace Colaivalu is averaging 4.7 assists per game, good for sixth in the conference. Additionally, the Sacramento, Calif., native is seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.6) and seventh in minutes played (32.5).
Senior forward Tatum Neubert is ranked fourth in the league in blocked shots per game (1.3).

Quick Hits

After finishing the 2017-18 season with its fifth straight 20-win season and fifth consecutive postseason appearance, Colorado State touts a new-look squad for 2018-19. The Rams return seven players from last year's roster, but welcome as many newcomers to the team.
Among the returning players for Colorado State is talented sophomore guard Lore Devos, who was second on the team in scoring over the Rams' two exhibitions. Devos averaged 17.5 points per game against those two opponents, and posted a double-double against Colorado Christian (17 points, 10 rebounds). Devos scored single-game team-highs in points in the 2018-19 season opener against Eastern New Mexico (23 points) and against North Florida (23 points). She currently paces the team with 16.7 points per game.
Among the Rams' newcomers is junior guard Mollie Mounsey, who has been named the 2018-19 Mountain West Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Mounsey, who averaged 21.0 points per game over the Rams' two exhibitions, is a two-time NJCAA First-Team All-American and led the nation (Division I, II, III, NAIA or NJCAA) in threes (143) in 2016-17 at Seward Country CC.
Senior forward Tatum Neubert, another newcomer for the Rams, averaged a double-double for the Rams in exhibition play. Neubert was one of three Rams to average double-digit scoring in those exhibitions (13.5/game) and corralled an average of 10 rebounds per outing.
Sophomore guard Grace Colaivalu is also among the returners for the Rams after earning the program's first Mountain West All-Freshman selection since 2013-14 (Ellen Nystrom, Elin Gustavsson) last season. Colaivalu averaged 7.3 points and 2.8 assists per game last season, with a notable stretch of 22.0 points per game over her first four career conference games.
Colorado State's coaching staff has also been retooled heading to the 2018-19 season, as the Rams welcomed Rico Burkett and Kellie Lewis to the staff. With those two additions, CSU has four coaches with NCAA head coaching experience on its staff this season, the most of any women's basketball program in the nation.

Mollie Mounsey Named Mountain West Preseason Newcomer of the Year

Junior guard Mollie Mounsey of the Colorado State women's basketball team was named the 2018-19 Mountain West Preseason Newcomer of the Year on Thursday, Nov. 1.
Among the credentials for Mounsey in her junior college career were NJCAA First-Team All-America honors in each of her freshman and sophomore seasons. In 2016-17, Mounsey made 143 three-point field goals, the most of any women's basketball player in the nation among all Division I, II, III, NAIA or NJCAA schools.
Mounsey, who joins the Rams from Seward County Community College, is the second CSU player to receive a superlative award from the Mountain West in the preseason in the past three seasons. Former CSU great Ellen Nystrom was named MW Preseason Player of the Year prior to the Rams' 2016-17 campaign.

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.

Something About Season Openers for Devos

Sophomore guard Lore Devos paced the Rams with 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting in their win over Eastern New Mexico on Nov. 6. That season-opening performance mirrored her debut in 2017-18.
In the Rams' 2017-18 opener, Devos poured in a team-high 25 points on exactly the same 10-for-16 shooting from the floor. That remains Devos' career high, and is the most points scored by a player in their first game during the Ryun Williams era.
Devos' two collegiate season openers remain her two best scoring performances to this point in her career.

Newcomers' Exhibition Play a Sign of Things to Come?

Colorado State cruised to a pair of exhibition victories prior to the 2018-19 season, and the impact of a pair of their newcomers was one reason why.
Mountain West Preseason Newcomer of the Year and junior guard Mollie Mounsey posted a 21.0 points per game average in the Rams' two exhibitions, a team high. Mounsey shot 10-for-14 (.714) from beyond the three-point arc over those two games.
Senior forward Tatum Neubert was one of three Rams to average double-digit points in those two exhibitions, joining Mounsey and sophomore guard Lore Devos (17.5/game) with 13.5 points per game. More notably, Neubert averaged a double-double over those two games, averaging exactly 10 rebounds per game.

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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