Rams Return Home to Face Weber State

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Back home for its sixth game at Moby Arena, the Rams host Weber State Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. MT inside of Moby Arena.

The two-day break is on par with other games this season, but those didn't come from after back-to-back games and a plane trip that got the Rams back in Fort Collins in the wee hours of the morning this past Monday. Colorado State will look to battle lingering travel fatigue and the Wildcats come tipoff. The Rams took care of business, nonetheless, going 2-0 in the Arizona State Classic and improving to 7-1 on the season – the program's second such start in as many seasons and third in head coach Williams' era.

"The Arizona trip was successful and fun, but also long," head coach Ryun Williams said about the first extended road trip of the season. "Four days, three nights and two games packed into a trip. I'm proud of how we played defensively and how we closed out the games down the stretch. We look forward to getting back on track on some things offensively, but it is nice to be back at Moby Arena for the next two games."

Weber State (3-4, 1-1 Big Sky) is CSU's most played Big Sky opponent outside of nearby Northern Colorado. The Wildcats were picked to finish 10th in the 11-team conference per the coaches' poll. However, the 'Cats are fresh off an 82-57 thumping of conference foe Portland State. Jadyn Matthews is top five in the conference for scoring (14.6 points per game) and rebounds (8.9 rebound per game).

"Weber [St.] plays a very athletic style," Williams said. "They have a tall player that can shoot well from distance and some guards that can post up, so it will be an interesting matchup. If we aren't prepared, then they can give us some fits. We will dialed into practice this morning and will need to bring that Wednesday evening."

RAMS NOTEBOOK

Last Time Out
• the Rams defeated Harvard and UTSA in back-to-back days at the Arizona State Classic in Tempe, Ariz. for the program's first in-season tournament since 2016. Both games came down to stellar fourth quarters to seal the deal. The Rams outscored the Crimson 16-6, while keeping them to an abysmal 1-of-21 shooting in the final 10 minutes. Down three with 2:47 left against UTSA, the Rams scored the final seven points of the game to win. In the same stretch, the Roadrunners were 0-for-6 with a turnover. Neither game was pretty offensively with CSU shooting a collective 44 for 124 (.355) from the floor and 11 for 45 (.244) from distance.

What to Watch for vs. Weber State?
• CSU Scoring Defense (52.1; #1 in MW) vs. WSU Scoring Offense (62.7; #9 in Big Sky)
• CSU Rebounding Margin (-2.8; #7 in MW) vs. WSU Rebounding Margin (+9.7; #1 in Big Sky)
• CSU Fewest Fouls (89; #2 in MW) vs. WSU Free Throw Att. (110; #5 in Big Sky)
• CSU Turnovers Per Game (9.5; #1 in NCAA) vs. WSU TO/G (20.7; #317 in NCAA)

Early Defensive Trends
• Outside of the Louisville game, the Rams have held all their opponents to 60 points or less and under 35% shooting. CSU boasts the conference's No. 1 scoring defense (52.1 ppg) that checks in at No. 22 nationally. The Rams are No. 1 in field goal defense (33.2%) for the Mountain West that is No. 20 in NCAA. The 33 blocked shots are second best in the conference with Sydney Mech leading the efforts with 15 blocks that is second in the conference.

Fourth Quarter Clamps
• Specifically, the Ram defense is pinching their opponents in the final quarter. Opponents are 35-of-127 shooting in the final 10 minutes for a 27.6% clip. Harvard was just 1 for 21 last Saturday. Only three schools have made more than five shots in the quarter including; UTSA (6-17;35.3%), UoL (5-13; .385), and LU (9-17;.529).

Protecting the Rock Better than ALL
• The Rams lead the NCAA in turnovers per game at 9.5. CSU's assist to turnover ratio is also third in the country at 1.54. Last season, CSU finished second and fifth, respectively, in those two categories. This season the Rams have had the same or less turnovers than their opponent in seven of eight games. Also, CSU has only two games with double-digit turnovers (16 vs Oral Roberts; 10 vs. Harvard).

Murphy on the Glass
• Although CSU holds a negative rebounding margin and is eighth in rebounding defense, Karly Murphy is leading the Mountain West with 9.5 boards per game. Her 76 total rebounds are also most in the MW. She is on pace to have 276 rebounds, which would shatter her career best for a season. If she got close to that number she would be flirting with the program record. The top 10 list starts at 248.

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 75 for 95 (78.9%) from the charity strike thus far, ranking 15th in NCAA. Karly Murphy is a nearly perfect 18-of-20, while McKenna Hofschild and Upe Atosu have a collective 45 FTA with seven misses.

Karly Murphy Named Mountain West Player of the Week
• One thing constant at the Arizona State Classic was the play from Karly Murphy, which earned Mountain West Player of the Week honors. She notched her third double-double of the season against HU, tallying 12 points and 13 rebounds with the latter tying her season-high. Narrowly missing another double-double against UTSA, she had a team-high 16 points with nine rebounds. In both games, she shot an efficient 50% from the field and was 4-of-6 from the free throw line.

At the Helm
• A two-time Mountain West Coach of the Year and the winningest coach in program history, Ryun Williams enters his 10th season at the helm of the Colorado State women's basketball program in 2021-22. CSU's 5-0 start marked the first since the 2000-01 campaign. Now 7-1, it is CSU's second straight such start and third time overall under Williams, joining his best Ram squad – the 2015-16 team that went 31-2 overall, winning the MW outright and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

Series History: Colorado State – Weber State
Overall: CSU trails 10-12
In Fort Collins: CSU leads 8-4
In Ogden: CSU trails 2-7
Neutral Sites: CSU trails 0-1
Current Streak: CSU, 1
Last Meeting: CSU 59, WSU 54 (12/22/13) in Ogden, Utah

A Colorado State Weekend Sweep Would Mean…
• The second straight season that CSU has started off 8-1 and third time overall for Ryun Williams, counting the 2015-16 squad.

How to Follow Along
Attached: Game Notes.
Live Stats: http://csura.ms/WBBStats
Live Stream: http://csura.ms/Live
Radio: KARS 102.9 FM | https://csura.ms/Listen

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

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