Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, February 27
USAF Academy, CO
1 PM MT
Colorado State
at
Air Force
Playing Hiatus Ends Saturday for Rams at Air Force
2/25/2021 7:58:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Colorado State Returns to the Court at Air Force on Saturday and Monday
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Saturday's tip off against Air Force will end a three-week break for the Colorado State women's basketball program after back-to-back COVID-19 issues with their opponents.
The 1 p.m. MT contest is the first of two versus the Falcons with game two scheduled for Monday at 2:30 p.m. MT – both inside the Clune Arena on the campus of the Air Force Academy.
Despite occupying the second-to-last spot in standings, the Falcons (6-14, 3-11 MW) cannot be overlooked as they are coming off a 75-73 home win Wednesday evening to split against second-place New Mexico. Late season magic is not foreign to Air Force who went on a win streak last season of five of their last seven games, including defeating the Rams in the season-finale and the first round of the Mountain West Tournament. The Rams (14-2, 10-2 MW) also have little wiggle room at the top of the standings with New Mexico lurking at 7-3 along with Fresno State (12-4) and UNLV (11-5).
To make matters murkier in the standings, a new slate of rescheduled MW games presents a plethora of scenarios. The Rams and the Lobos will remake their series next week prior to the MW tourney on March 3rd and 5th. New Mexico finishes its Air Force series tonight prior to CSU's upcoming series at Air Force and then the Lobos have a two-game set with Utah State before the meeting with the Rams.
RAMS NOTEBOOK (Full Game Notes Attached)
Last Time Out
• Last time out, the Rams swept their fifth opponent and fourth MW team with two rivalry wins over Wyoming to now lead that all-time series 53-51. In game one, Lore Devos notched 21 points and 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Gaining the sweep was not easy as the Cowgirls led with just under three minutes left in the contest, but the Rams went on an 8-1 run to seal it. McKenna Hofschild had 21 points in the game with 19 in the second half.
Busy Brooms
• The Rams have swept San Diego State, Utah State, Boise State and Wyoming in the same season - a feat last done in 2015-16 when CSU went 31-2 overall and 18-0 in conference play. That year, Ryun Williams' Rams won the MW regular-season title and the MW tournament before advancing to the NCAA tournament. The 10-2 Mountain West start is the best since the 2016-17 season for the Rams, which was CSU's last MW regular-season championship.
More on the Falcons
• The Falcons were picked to finish 7th - one spot ahead of CSU- in the MW preseason coaches' poll.
• Air Force defeated CSU in the 2019-20 season finale and then ousted the Rams out of the conference tourney two days later. The Rams won the first game of the 2019-20 series however in Fort Collins, 60-40.
• The Falcons return all five starters from last season in addition to three players that started at least five games. The 2019-20 Falcons finished 10-21 overall but won four of its last five regular-season games. After defeating the Rams in the first round of the tournament, AF lost to eventual champions Boise State.
• This season, Air Force has split between San Diego State, Boise State, New Mexico and non-conference Denver.
• Similar to the Rams, the Falcons will have to turn around and face Nevada prior to the MW tourney.
Keep Up
• Pace and scoring is the biggest change for these Rams as they have scored over 70 points in 13 of 16 games, easily surpassing last year's six. The last time CSU started a season with 13 of 16 games over 70 points was 2001-02 - the ninth-highest scoring team (71.69 ppg) in CSU history. The current Rams are averaging 81.8 points per game for second in the MW and 13th in the nation. The 1998-99 team holds the scoring offense record at 80.87 ppg.
Under the Radar Defense
• The offense is getting a lot of attention, but Ryun WIlliams' staple defense is performing as well. The Rams' defense held the Broncos to eight CSU opponent-lows including total points and field goal percentage.
• The defense has kept its opponent under .400 shooting in nine games and under .400 3FG shooting in 14 games.
Yin & Yang
• Yin & Yang is what Tori Williams and McKenna Hofschild call each other. The opposite styles are meshing well in the backcourt. Hofschild leads the MW in assist-turnover ratio and apg, while Williams leads 3FGM, 3FG/G and 3FG%.
• McKenna Hofschild's 10 assists in the season opener was the most by a Ram since Grace Colaivalu in 2018. Within her 19 second-half points in game two of Wyoming, she scored 11 in the fourth quarter.
• Tori Williams has set new single-game career bests in points, rebounds, steals and minutes this season. Including her time at Utah, she has 158 total 3FGM, which would be eighth on CSU's all-time if all as a Ram.
Balance All Around
• The Rams do not have three players in the top-20 MW scorers, but Fresno State, New Mexico and UNLV all do.
• In game two against Utah State, six Rams scored in double digits, marking the first time that has occurred since Nov. 28, 2015 (Nystrom, Wharry, Arias, Austgulen, Patrick, Gustavsson).
• In game two against Boise State, CSU went +14 on the rebound margin with four Rams grabbing nine each.
Sharing the Rock
• The Rams are fifth in the nation in asst/turnover ratio (1.47), while leading the MW in the category. CSU's 241 assists and 15.1 apg are fourth and second in the MW, respectively. CSU has tied or outassisted all but two of their opponents. The Rams tallied a season-high 24 assists against Denver at home.
What to Watch For?
• CSU Scoring Offense (#2 in MW) vs. AF Scoring Defense (#2 in MW)
• CSU Scoring Defense (#5 in MW) vs. AF Scoring Offense (#11 in MW)
• CSU FG Percentage (#1 in MW) vs. AF FG Percentage Defense (#11 in MW)
• CSU Turnover Margin (#4 in MW) vs. AF Steals (#1 in MW)
Series History: Colorado State – Air Force
Overall: CSU leads, 50-14
In Fort Collins: 26-3
In USAFA: 23-8
Neutral Sites: 1-3
Current Streak: USAFA, 2
Last Meeting: CSU 48, AF 60 in Vegas (3/1/20)
Largest Margin of Victory: 65; CSU 97, AF 32 in FC (1/28/99)
Largest Defeat: 15; CSU 48, AF 63 in AF (1/9/19)
A Colorado State Saturday Win Would Mean…
• Ryun Williams' 100th conference victory in the Mountain West, joining a group of six head coaches. (See page 6 on game notes)
A Colorado State Saturday & Monday Win Would Mean…
• The fifth MW sweep of the season for the Rams and first against the Lobos since 2016-17.
• Colorado State's ninth win in a row for its longest win streak since 2016-17.
How to Follow Along
Attached: Game Notes.
Live Stats: https://csura.ms/3uvvmSw
Live Stream: http://csura.ms/Watch
Radio: The X 94.3 // KARS 102.9 FM | https://csura.ms/Listen
For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
The 1 p.m. MT contest is the first of two versus the Falcons with game two scheduled for Monday at 2:30 p.m. MT – both inside the Clune Arena on the campus of the Air Force Academy.
Despite occupying the second-to-last spot in standings, the Falcons (6-14, 3-11 MW) cannot be overlooked as they are coming off a 75-73 home win Wednesday evening to split against second-place New Mexico. Late season magic is not foreign to Air Force who went on a win streak last season of five of their last seven games, including defeating the Rams in the season-finale and the first round of the Mountain West Tournament. The Rams (14-2, 10-2 MW) also have little wiggle room at the top of the standings with New Mexico lurking at 7-3 along with Fresno State (12-4) and UNLV (11-5).
To make matters murkier in the standings, a new slate of rescheduled MW games presents a plethora of scenarios. The Rams and the Lobos will remake their series next week prior to the MW tourney on March 3rd and 5th. New Mexico finishes its Air Force series tonight prior to CSU's upcoming series at Air Force and then the Lobos have a two-game set with Utah State before the meeting with the Rams.
RAMS NOTEBOOK (Full Game Notes Attached)
Last Time Out
• Last time out, the Rams swept their fifth opponent and fourth MW team with two rivalry wins over Wyoming to now lead that all-time series 53-51. In game one, Lore Devos notched 21 points and 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Gaining the sweep was not easy as the Cowgirls led with just under three minutes left in the contest, but the Rams went on an 8-1 run to seal it. McKenna Hofschild had 21 points in the game with 19 in the second half.
Busy Brooms
• The Rams have swept San Diego State, Utah State, Boise State and Wyoming in the same season - a feat last done in 2015-16 when CSU went 31-2 overall and 18-0 in conference play. That year, Ryun Williams' Rams won the MW regular-season title and the MW tournament before advancing to the NCAA tournament. The 10-2 Mountain West start is the best since the 2016-17 season for the Rams, which was CSU's last MW regular-season championship.
More on the Falcons
• The Falcons were picked to finish 7th - one spot ahead of CSU- in the MW preseason coaches' poll.
• Air Force defeated CSU in the 2019-20 season finale and then ousted the Rams out of the conference tourney two days later. The Rams won the first game of the 2019-20 series however in Fort Collins, 60-40.
• The Falcons return all five starters from last season in addition to three players that started at least five games. The 2019-20 Falcons finished 10-21 overall but won four of its last five regular-season games. After defeating the Rams in the first round of the tournament, AF lost to eventual champions Boise State.
• This season, Air Force has split between San Diego State, Boise State, New Mexico and non-conference Denver.
• Similar to the Rams, the Falcons will have to turn around and face Nevada prior to the MW tourney.
Keep Up
• Pace and scoring is the biggest change for these Rams as they have scored over 70 points in 13 of 16 games, easily surpassing last year's six. The last time CSU started a season with 13 of 16 games over 70 points was 2001-02 - the ninth-highest scoring team (71.69 ppg) in CSU history. The current Rams are averaging 81.8 points per game for second in the MW and 13th in the nation. The 1998-99 team holds the scoring offense record at 80.87 ppg.
Under the Radar Defense
• The offense is getting a lot of attention, but Ryun WIlliams' staple defense is performing as well. The Rams' defense held the Broncos to eight CSU opponent-lows including total points and field goal percentage.
• The defense has kept its opponent under .400 shooting in nine games and under .400 3FG shooting in 14 games.
Yin & Yang
• Yin & Yang is what Tori Williams and McKenna Hofschild call each other. The opposite styles are meshing well in the backcourt. Hofschild leads the MW in assist-turnover ratio and apg, while Williams leads 3FGM, 3FG/G and 3FG%.
• McKenna Hofschild's 10 assists in the season opener was the most by a Ram since Grace Colaivalu in 2018. Within her 19 second-half points in game two of Wyoming, she scored 11 in the fourth quarter.
• Tori Williams has set new single-game career bests in points, rebounds, steals and minutes this season. Including her time at Utah, she has 158 total 3FGM, which would be eighth on CSU's all-time if all as a Ram.
Balance All Around
• The Rams do not have three players in the top-20 MW scorers, but Fresno State, New Mexico and UNLV all do.
• In game two against Utah State, six Rams scored in double digits, marking the first time that has occurred since Nov. 28, 2015 (Nystrom, Wharry, Arias, Austgulen, Patrick, Gustavsson).
• In game two against Boise State, CSU went +14 on the rebound margin with four Rams grabbing nine each.
Sharing the Rock
• The Rams are fifth in the nation in asst/turnover ratio (1.47), while leading the MW in the category. CSU's 241 assists and 15.1 apg are fourth and second in the MW, respectively. CSU has tied or outassisted all but two of their opponents. The Rams tallied a season-high 24 assists against Denver at home.
What to Watch For?
• CSU Scoring Offense (#2 in MW) vs. AF Scoring Defense (#2 in MW)
• CSU Scoring Defense (#5 in MW) vs. AF Scoring Offense (#11 in MW)
• CSU FG Percentage (#1 in MW) vs. AF FG Percentage Defense (#11 in MW)
• CSU Turnover Margin (#4 in MW) vs. AF Steals (#1 in MW)
Series History: Colorado State – Air Force
Overall: CSU leads, 50-14
In Fort Collins: 26-3
In USAFA: 23-8
Neutral Sites: 1-3
Current Streak: USAFA, 2
Last Meeting: CSU 48, AF 60 in Vegas (3/1/20)
Largest Margin of Victory: 65; CSU 97, AF 32 in FC (1/28/99)
Largest Defeat: 15; CSU 48, AF 63 in AF (1/9/19)
A Colorado State Saturday Win Would Mean…
• Ryun Williams' 100th conference victory in the Mountain West, joining a group of six head coaches. (See page 6 on game notes)
A Colorado State Saturday & Monday Win Would Mean…
• The fifth MW sweep of the season for the Rams and first against the Lobos since 2016-17.
• Colorado State's ninth win in a row for its longest win streak since 2016-17.
How to Follow Along
Attached: Game Notes.
Live Stats: https://csura.ms/3uvvmSw
Live Stream: http://csura.ms/Watch
Radio: The X 94.3 // 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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Players Mentioned
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