Colorado State University Athletics
Wednesday, February 5
Fort Collins, CO
7 PM MT
Colorado State
vs
Fresno State
Rams Back in Moby for a Wednesday Contest Against the Bulldogs
2/4/2020 2:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Colorado State looks to knock off first place Fresno State at home.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State returns to the Moby Arena floor for a mid-week game against the Mountain West leader, Fresno State, this Wednesday for a 7 p.m. MT tip.
The Rams (4-7 MW) look to split the season series after the Bulldogs (11-0 MW) dealt CSU a heartbreaking loss on a buzzer beater to win, 55-53, in Fresno exactly two weeks ago.
Within the 11-team Mountain West standings, CSU currently stands in seventh with seven remaining games before the conference tournament at the tip of March. The fight to earn a bye as a top-5 team is attainable, but the Rams have a tough path. The Rams aim for a series sweep in three of the games (USU, WYO, AF) and a split in the other four (FS, UNLV, SJSU, SDSU).
Coach's Corner
Head Coach Ryun Williams
On returning to Moby Arena…
"We have to put the road trip behind us as the top team in the conference, Fresno State, comes into town. We took them down to the wire at their place and we expect another competitive game. We love playing at home and our crowd has been supportive all season, so we are looking forward to another battle."
Off The Tip
• Last time out, the Rams suffered a similar defeat that what they experienced in Fresno, but in Las Vegas to UNLV to a tone of 56-52. CSU led by five at the final media timeout and scored its last meaningful basket at 2:36 to hold a four-point advantage, but an ensuing 10-0 run by the Lady Rebels flipped the script. The matchup between MW's top-two defensive teams resulted in a game that didn't exceed a six-point margin. With most statistics mirroring, the difference came down to UNLV's 26.7 percent from 3 compared to CSU's season-worst 13 percent.
• The Rams' stalwarts, Andrea Brady and Makenzie Ellis, continue to remain consistent. Ellis has double-digit scoring games in 11 of the past 13 contests. Since the turn of the calendar, she has poured in 137 points in nine games (15.2 ppg). In the same time frame, Brady has compiled 79 rebounds (8.8 rpg) with 86 points (9.5 ppg). Brady's 23-rebound performance against San Jose State stands third in NCAA DI this season, while it set a single-game record at CSU.
• Defense continues to be the Rams' specialty. Thirteen times this season CSU, the MW second-best scoring defense (59.5 ppg), has held an opponent to 60 points or less. Six times it has been below 50 points - a feat not replicated in the MW. Fourteen times this season, CSU held its opponent to under 10 points in a quarter including four times it has been under five points.
• Ball control continues to be a strength for the Rams. CSU has had less turnovers than its opponent in all but five games (UIW, BSU, NM, AFA, at NEV), ranking first in the Mountain West in turnovers per game (11.2), which checks in second nationally. The turnover margin (+4.1) is second in the MW and 48th in the NCAA. In all but five games (SDSU, BSU, TUL, NM, UNLV), the Rams have scored more points off of the turnovers than its counterpart.
• Redshirt-senior forward Andrea Brady has pulled in a team-high 189 rebounds, which ranks fourth in the Mountain West and 61st in the NCAA. Average-wise that pans out to 8.6 a game for fourth in the conference and 91st nationally. She has five double-digit board games with a high of 23 and has had at least six in all but three games. She is on pace for 258 rebounds which would put her near the CSU's all-time top-10 single-season record list.
What to Watch For? (Stats based on all games)
• FS scoring offense (2nd in MW) vs. CSU scoring defense (2nd in MW)
• FS field goal percentage (1st in MW) vs. CSU field goal percentage defense (1st in MW)
• FS rebounding margin (4th in MW) vs. CSU rebounding margin (10th in MW)
• FS steals (4th in MW) vs. CSU Turnovers per game (1st in MW)
• Maddie Utti (3rd scoring & rebounding in MW) vs. Andrea Brady (4th rebounding in MW)/Makenzie Ellis
Scouting Fresno State Bulldogs
• In the MW preseason poll, Fresno State was pinned to finish third after concluding last season in fourth place and a WNIT appearance. The Bulldogs are coming off a Saturday 84-78 comeback win at New Mexico in which they scored 10 unanswered in the final 1:34 to mark their 10th-straight victory. Freshman Haley Cavinder dropped a career-high 31 points with 10 in the final quarter, including a trey that ignited the Bulldogs' game-winning run.
• Three of Mountain West's top-5 scorers are on Fresno State's roster. The Cavinder twins, Haley and Hanna, reside in second (16.5 ppg) and fourth (15.3 ppg), respectively, while Maddi Utti is tied with Haley.
• How to tell them apart? Haley is the shooter with twice as many 3s attempted than her sister, but also is the team's second-best rebounder. Hanna is the driver with 100 of her 118 field goals not-3s and she leads the team in free throws. Numbers 00 (Hanna) and 01 (Haley) are on the floor the most for the Bulldogs.
Series History: Colorado State – Fresno State
Overall: 15-12
In Fort Collins: 7-5
In Fresno: 6-6
Neutral Sites: 2-1 Current Streak: CSU, 1
Current Streak: FS, 3
Last Meeting: CSU 53, FS 55 (1/22/19) at FS
Largest Margin of Victory: 21; CSU 67, FS 46 (2/10/96) at FS
Largest Defeat: 11; CSU 55, FS 66 (1/5/19) at CSU
More series information on page six on the game notes
A Colorado State Win Would Mean…
• The Rams' second win against a Mountain West opponent that holds a positive conference record. (Wyoming)
For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
The Rams (4-7 MW) look to split the season series after the Bulldogs (11-0 MW) dealt CSU a heartbreaking loss on a buzzer beater to win, 55-53, in Fresno exactly two weeks ago.
Within the 11-team Mountain West standings, CSU currently stands in seventh with seven remaining games before the conference tournament at the tip of March. The fight to earn a bye as a top-5 team is attainable, but the Rams have a tough path. The Rams aim for a series sweep in three of the games (USU, WYO, AF) and a split in the other four (FS, UNLV, SJSU, SDSU).
Coach's Corner
Head Coach Ryun Williams
On returning to Moby Arena…
"We have to put the road trip behind us as the top team in the conference, Fresno State, comes into town. We took them down to the wire at their place and we expect another competitive game. We love playing at home and our crowd has been supportive all season, so we are looking forward to another battle."
Off The Tip
• Last time out, the Rams suffered a similar defeat that what they experienced in Fresno, but in Las Vegas to UNLV to a tone of 56-52. CSU led by five at the final media timeout and scored its last meaningful basket at 2:36 to hold a four-point advantage, but an ensuing 10-0 run by the Lady Rebels flipped the script. The matchup between MW's top-two defensive teams resulted in a game that didn't exceed a six-point margin. With most statistics mirroring, the difference came down to UNLV's 26.7 percent from 3 compared to CSU's season-worst 13 percent.
• The Rams' stalwarts, Andrea Brady and Makenzie Ellis, continue to remain consistent. Ellis has double-digit scoring games in 11 of the past 13 contests. Since the turn of the calendar, she has poured in 137 points in nine games (15.2 ppg). In the same time frame, Brady has compiled 79 rebounds (8.8 rpg) with 86 points (9.5 ppg). Brady's 23-rebound performance against San Jose State stands third in NCAA DI this season, while it set a single-game record at CSU.
• Defense continues to be the Rams' specialty. Thirteen times this season CSU, the MW second-best scoring defense (59.5 ppg), has held an opponent to 60 points or less. Six times it has been below 50 points - a feat not replicated in the MW. Fourteen times this season, CSU held its opponent to under 10 points in a quarter including four times it has been under five points.
• Ball control continues to be a strength for the Rams. CSU has had less turnovers than its opponent in all but five games (UIW, BSU, NM, AFA, at NEV), ranking first in the Mountain West in turnovers per game (11.2), which checks in second nationally. The turnover margin (+4.1) is second in the MW and 48th in the NCAA. In all but five games (SDSU, BSU, TUL, NM, UNLV), the Rams have scored more points off of the turnovers than its counterpart.
• Redshirt-senior forward Andrea Brady has pulled in a team-high 189 rebounds, which ranks fourth in the Mountain West and 61st in the NCAA. Average-wise that pans out to 8.6 a game for fourth in the conference and 91st nationally. She has five double-digit board games with a high of 23 and has had at least six in all but three games. She is on pace for 258 rebounds which would put her near the CSU's all-time top-10 single-season record list.
What to Watch For? (Stats based on all games)
• FS scoring offense (2nd in MW) vs. CSU scoring defense (2nd in MW)
• FS field goal percentage (1st in MW) vs. CSU field goal percentage defense (1st in MW)
• FS rebounding margin (4th in MW) vs. CSU rebounding margin (10th in MW)
• FS steals (4th in MW) vs. CSU Turnovers per game (1st in MW)
• Maddie Utti (3rd scoring & rebounding in MW) vs. Andrea Brady (4th rebounding in MW)/Makenzie Ellis
Scouting Fresno State Bulldogs
• In the MW preseason poll, Fresno State was pinned to finish third after concluding last season in fourth place and a WNIT appearance. The Bulldogs are coming off a Saturday 84-78 comeback win at New Mexico in which they scored 10 unanswered in the final 1:34 to mark their 10th-straight victory. Freshman Haley Cavinder dropped a career-high 31 points with 10 in the final quarter, including a trey that ignited the Bulldogs' game-winning run.
• Three of Mountain West's top-5 scorers are on Fresno State's roster. The Cavinder twins, Haley and Hanna, reside in second (16.5 ppg) and fourth (15.3 ppg), respectively, while Maddi Utti is tied with Haley.
• How to tell them apart? Haley is the shooter with twice as many 3s attempted than her sister, but also is the team's second-best rebounder. Hanna is the driver with 100 of her 118 field goals not-3s and she leads the team in free throws. Numbers 00 (Hanna) and 01 (Haley) are on the floor the most for the Bulldogs.
Series History: Colorado State – Fresno State
Overall: 15-12
In Fort Collins: 7-5
In Fresno: 6-6
Neutral Sites: 2-1 Current Streak: CSU, 1
Current Streak: FS, 3
Last Meeting: CSU 53, FS 55 (1/22/19) at FS
Largest Margin of Victory: 21; CSU 67, FS 46 (2/10/96) at FS
Largest Defeat: 11; CSU 55, FS 66 (1/5/19) at CSU
More series information on page six on the game notes
A Colorado State Win Would Mean…
• The Rams' second win against a Mountain West opponent that holds a positive conference record. (Wyoming)
For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
- CSURams.com -
Players Mentioned
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