Rams Head Down I-25 for First Road Trip

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – For the first time this season, the Colorado State women's basketball team will take to the road, traveling the 70 miles south on I-25 to University of Denver's campus for a Thursday night tip at 7 p.m. against the Pioneers at the Hamilton Gymnasium.

After Monday's win over Oral Roberts, the Rams are 3-0 for the fourth time in head coach Ryun Williams' era and aim to make it a 4-0 start for the second time under the same realm, which would be the second-straight season. Standing in the way are the Denver Pioneers who Williams holds an 8-1 head-to-head record against with the lone DU win in 2012 – Williams' first matchup.

"Playing on the road is always tough as it comes with new challenges and new adversities," head coach Ryun Williams said. "It's also what makes this game so fun. The process of going into adverse environments and having to play well as a team in front of the opposing team's fans. Our team needs the test since we've been at friendly Moby Arena thus far and we look forward to accepting the challenge."

Denver (1-2) has bookend losses against Air Force and Wichita State with a win versus Missouri S&T in the middle. The Pioneers stuck with the Shockers until the fourth quarter on Monday before falling 76-61 on a 20-7 WSU final run. DU was picked to finish fifth in the Summit League Preseason Poll and reigning all-conference recipients Uju Ezeudu and Meghan Boyd were named to the SL Preseason Second Team.

"Denver seems like a team that is more in sync then last year," Williams said about the second-year head coach Doshia Woods' Pioneers. "They can score the ball. [Meghan] Boyd is one of the more dynamic scorers that we will face this season. She's capable of putting up big numbers, which will be a tough assignment. The team shots it well from both wing spots and has great interior play, so it will be a real challenge. When you add in the fact that it is an in-state rival, our team will need to be ready, because you know they will be bringing their best to the court."

RAMS NOTEBOOK (Full Game Notes Attached)

Preseason Mountain West Awards
• The Preseason Mountain West awards came out on Oct. 13th and pinned the Rams to finish fourth in the 11-team conference. Additionally, Hofschild was named to the five-person All-MW team. The Prior Lake, Minn, native started every game last season, averaging 13.4 points and led the MW in assists with 5.4 per game en route to being named the MW Newcomer of the Year and earn an All-MW nod.

Last Time Out
• The Rams held off an Oral Roberts team that was within five points at the start of the last quarter. For the third-straight game, four Rams finished with double-digit scoring marks led by Karly Murphy's second straight double-double. A block party broke out with the Rams collecting 11 swats for the fourth-highest team total in history with Sydney Mech notching eight for the second-most all-time individually.

Hot Starts
• Returner Karly Murphy and newcomers Upe Atosu and Kendyll Kinzer have gotten off on the right foot this season. Kinzer has scored 10 points in each game, marking her first time scoring in double digits in consecutive games and tying her best three-game scoring mark in her career. Atosu's 35 total points (11.7 ppg) is her best start to a season through three games. Murphy leads the Rams in scoring and rebounding despite averaging the fifth-most minutes and is in the best rebounding stretch of her career.

Early Defensive Trends
• The Rams have held all their opponents to 60 points or less and under 35% shooting. In the Mountain West, CSU ranks No. 1 in scoring defense (49.3 ppg) and No. 2 in field goal defense (32.4%). The 21 blocked shots are far and away the best in the conference with the second-place teams holding 10.

Double-Digit Scoring Rams
• In the first three games, four Rams have dipped into double digits for points. Kendyll Kinzer is the only one to do so all three times, while Upe Atosu, Karly Murphy, McKenna Hofschild each have done so twice. The one offs include Cali Clark, Anna Prim, and Sydney Mech.

Finding the Right Group
• Three Wins, Three different starting lineups. The only three constants have been Hofschild, Atosu and Kinzer. Mech did miss the opener due to injury precaution. The starting lineup breakdown is on page nine of the attached game notes.

From the Line
• Last season, Ryun Williams' squad ranked 19th in the nation in free-throw percentage at 76.3%, which also went down as the second-best percentage in CSU history. Picking up where they left off, CSU is 25 for 30 from the charity strike thus far. Karly Murphy is a perfect 8-of-8, while McKenna Hofschild is 7-of-10. Murphy is one of two players in the MW to be perfect from the line with the minimum of 2.5 FTM/G.

Back to a Normal November & Non-Conference Hustle
• Last year, the Rams played three games in the opening month of play. This year, CSU has six games on the docket for November. Then in the first week of December, CSU goes to their first non-conference tournament since the Navy Classic in 2015. For the Arizona State Classic, CSU will play Harvard and UTSA.

Series History: Colorado State – Denver
Overall: CSU leads, 23-9
In Fort Collins: 14-4
In Denver: 9-5
Neutral Sites: -
Current Streak: CSU, 8
Last Meeting: DU 61, CSU 79 in Denver (12/18/20)
Largest Margin of Victory: 72; DU 21, CSU 93 in FC (1/9/75)
Largest Defeat: 19; CSU 58, DU 77 in Denver (12/7/05)

A Colorado State Thursday Win Would Mean…
• The second time Ryun Williams has started a season 4-0 and second year in a row.

How to Follow Along
Attached: Game Notes.
Live Stats: http://csura.ms/WBBStats
Live Stream: http://csura.ms/30C9OcU (Pioneer All-Access, $$$)
Radio: KARS 102.9 FM | https://csura.ms/Listen
Gameday: http://csura.ms/WBBGameDay

For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball

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Players Mentioned

Upe Atosu

Cali Clark

McKenna Hofschild

Kendyll Kinzer

Sydney Mech

Karly Murphy

Anna Prim

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