Colorado State University Athletics
Monday, November 17
Fort Collins, Colo.
6:30 pm
Colorado State
4-0,0-0Mountain West
71
vs
44
San Diego
1-4,0-0WCC
1
2
3
4
F
San Diego
12
4
15
13
44
Colorado St.
14
16
22
19
71
Rams Firm Up Play in Win over Toreros
11/17/2025 9:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Team learns much while remaining perfect
There was much to learn Monday night, beginning with Ryun Williams.
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For starters, the cupboard of Colorado State's women's basketball coach – now in his 14th season – is suited more for a child even though he's an empty nester. He'll eat cereal not just for breakfast, but he likes it just as much for dinner. His choices: Frosted Flakes, Fruity Pebbles (Halloween version) and Fruit Loops. There isn't much worse in his eyes than a bowl of soggy cereal, particularly Tony the Tiger's favorite.
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They are not great. Early on, neither were his Rams, so at halftime, in his own way, he asked his team to repour the bowl.
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"I think sometimes I love my team. They're wonderful kids," Williams said. "But sometimes we get in our feelings a little bit and just kind of, I don't know, throughout that locker room it was just a little too soggy cereal for me, you know. I didn't like it whatsoever. We had those phases in the game where it was kind of that way. And so, it's like, let's grow up here, ladies. "OK. This is big-girl basketball. You can't just play well in a big game.
Â
"They're all big. So that was kind of the message is we've got a standard at which we want to play at, and we surely didn't do that consistently tonight. All that will do is get you beat here down the road."
Â
The response was what he wanted as his Rams moved to 4-0 on the season with a decisive 71-44 victory at Moby Arena.
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In the moment, Williams didn't really care about their feelings, an attitude which at times is necessary, especially when you feel your team needs to develop one. So were the lessons of the game, where San Diego flustered the Rams at times with its defensive zone, lulling the Rams into slow motion at times.
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Lexus Bargesser led the charge out of the break, scoring nine of her team-leading 18 points in a 22-point frame, going perfect from the field (2-of-2) with a 3-pointer, as well as hitting all four of her attempts from the line. Against that zone, being invited to shoot from outside, Colorado State hit 3-of-4, starting with Hannah Ronsiek from the corner.
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A senior, she's been in the locker room plenty of times with an upset Williams, so what he said was what she expected to hear. And what she also felt needed to be said.
Â
"Especially if we're not executing the game plan and doing what we're supposed to do," Ronsiek said. "We're gonna miss shots sometimes but if we're not doing the little things and things that we can control he's gonna be upset with us at halftime.
Â
"I think that it was honestly necessary for us to kind of lock in and come out in the second half."
Â
The game was the third time in her career where she's pulled down double-digit rebounds, finishing with 12. It also turned into her third career double-double as she finished with 11 points, hitting 3-of-5 from behind the arc.
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In her career, she's always been a strong rebounder, and she's also been a bit of a sniper, her current mark of 38.9 percent ranking in the top 10 at CSU. Knowing who she is as a shooter, it makes it all the more impressive to see what teammate McKenna Murphy is doing this season.
Â
The redshirt freshman has a role where she comes off the bench and is asked to make 3s, spark the offense and loosen up a defense. Against the Toreros, she hit 4-of-6 for 12 points, and she made -of-18 from deep in four games.
Â
"I mean Murph coming in and being able to stretch the floor and like shoot it the way that she has has been huge for us," Ronsiek said. "It is a very big and important role because to be honest, we don't have as many shooters as we have had in the past. So, for her to come in and shoot with confidence and just do what she's been practicing, and we've been here all offseason and the summer just working on it … For her to translate that work that she's put in is big time."
Â
Williams has seen her accept the duties with confidence, even though she's just four games into her career. To him, her contributions have been far greater than her shooting, which was needed to keep San Diego from fully clogging the lane.
Â
She sees the floor and does so calmly. Defensively, she's been a bit of a surprise for him in multiple ways, either holding a 6-foot-2 post at Gonzaga scoreless and then switching to a quicker perimeter player on Monday.
Â
Murphy is rather awe-shucks about her start.
Â
"My teammates definitely helped with that, finding me the ball. So, definitely give the credit to them and then that's just what I practice, getting in the gym and shooting 3s," she said. "Thanks to my teammates for finding me to get me open and allowing me to make them."
Â
Colorado State was solid defensively all night, limiting the guests to just four points in the second quarter to open up a lead. Then the offense started to follow in the second half.
Â
The Rams have seen a lot in the early going, and they'll use it all somewhere down the road.
Â
"You're going to see multiple defenses early on in the season a lot of times, and that's been good for us. The zone, we didn't execute all that hot against it, to be honest with you," Williams said. "It was rather disappointing, to be honest with you. But we found enough, I think, at crucial times to allow us to go on a few runs.
Â
"Murphy shot it well, obviously. Hannah got going. But we kept defending, and that's how we got the separation."
Â
Because they'd rather not play a soggy half and have to deal with an upset Williams. Besides, he'd prefer to say his team is great, start to finish.
Â
Â
For starters, the cupboard of Colorado State's women's basketball coach – now in his 14th season – is suited more for a child even though he's an empty nester. He'll eat cereal not just for breakfast, but he likes it just as much for dinner. His choices: Frosted Flakes, Fruity Pebbles (Halloween version) and Fruit Loops. There isn't much worse in his eyes than a bowl of soggy cereal, particularly Tony the Tiger's favorite.
Â
They are not great. Early on, neither were his Rams, so at halftime, in his own way, he asked his team to repour the bowl.
Â
"I think sometimes I love my team. They're wonderful kids," Williams said. "But sometimes we get in our feelings a little bit and just kind of, I don't know, throughout that locker room it was just a little too soggy cereal for me, you know. I didn't like it whatsoever. We had those phases in the game where it was kind of that way. And so, it's like, let's grow up here, ladies. "OK. This is big-girl basketball. You can't just play well in a big game.
Â
"They're all big. So that was kind of the message is we've got a standard at which we want to play at, and we surely didn't do that consistently tonight. All that will do is get you beat here down the road."
Â
The response was what he wanted as his Rams moved to 4-0 on the season with a decisive 71-44 victory at Moby Arena.
Â
In the moment, Williams didn't really care about their feelings, an attitude which at times is necessary, especially when you feel your team needs to develop one. So were the lessons of the game, where San Diego flustered the Rams at times with its defensive zone, lulling the Rams into slow motion at times.
Â
Lexus Bargesser led the charge out of the break, scoring nine of her team-leading 18 points in a 22-point frame, going perfect from the field (2-of-2) with a 3-pointer, as well as hitting all four of her attempts from the line. Against that zone, being invited to shoot from outside, Colorado State hit 3-of-4, starting with Hannah Ronsiek from the corner.
Â
A senior, she's been in the locker room plenty of times with an upset Williams, so what he said was what she expected to hear. And what she also felt needed to be said.
Â
"Especially if we're not executing the game plan and doing what we're supposed to do," Ronsiek said. "We're gonna miss shots sometimes but if we're not doing the little things and things that we can control he's gonna be upset with us at halftime.
Â
"I think that it was honestly necessary for us to kind of lock in and come out in the second half."
Â
The game was the third time in her career where she's pulled down double-digit rebounds, finishing with 12. It also turned into her third career double-double as she finished with 11 points, hitting 3-of-5 from behind the arc.
Â
In her career, she's always been a strong rebounder, and she's also been a bit of a sniper, her current mark of 38.9 percent ranking in the top 10 at CSU. Knowing who she is as a shooter, it makes it all the more impressive to see what teammate McKenna Murphy is doing this season.
Â
The redshirt freshman has a role where she comes off the bench and is asked to make 3s, spark the offense and loosen up a defense. Against the Toreros, she hit 4-of-6 for 12 points, and she made -of-18 from deep in four games.
Â
"I mean Murph coming in and being able to stretch the floor and like shoot it the way that she has has been huge for us," Ronsiek said. "It is a very big and important role because to be honest, we don't have as many shooters as we have had in the past. So, for her to come in and shoot with confidence and just do what she's been practicing, and we've been here all offseason and the summer just working on it … For her to translate that work that she's put in is big time."
Â
Williams has seen her accept the duties with confidence, even though she's just four games into her career. To him, her contributions have been far greater than her shooting, which was needed to keep San Diego from fully clogging the lane.
Â
She sees the floor and does so calmly. Defensively, she's been a bit of a surprise for him in multiple ways, either holding a 6-foot-2 post at Gonzaga scoreless and then switching to a quicker perimeter player on Monday.
Â
Murphy is rather awe-shucks about her start.
Â
"My teammates definitely helped with that, finding me the ball. So, definitely give the credit to them and then that's just what I practice, getting in the gym and shooting 3s," she said. "Thanks to my teammates for finding me to get me open and allowing me to make them."
Â
Colorado State was solid defensively all night, limiting the guests to just four points in the second quarter to open up a lead. Then the offense started to follow in the second half.
Â
The Rams have seen a lot in the early going, and they'll use it all somewhere down the road.
Â
"You're going to see multiple defenses early on in the season a lot of times, and that's been good for us. The zone, we didn't execute all that hot against it, to be honest with you," Williams said. "It was rather disappointing, to be honest with you. But we found enough, I think, at crucial times to allow us to go on a few runs.
Â
"Murphy shot it well, obviously. Hannah got going. But we kept defending, and that's how we got the separation."
Â
Because they'd rather not play a soggy half and have to deal with an upset Williams. Besides, he'd prefer to say his team is great, start to finish.
Â
Team Stats
SD
CSU
FG%
.275
.519
3FG%
.214
.458
FT%
.684
.500
RB
39
29
TO
19
12
STL
8
10
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballCSU Basketball (W): Murphy (L) and Ronsiek (R) Postgame (San Diego 2025)
Monday, November 17
CSU Basketball (W): Ryun Williams Postgame (San Diego, 2025)
Monday, November 17
CSU Basketball (W): Ryun Williams Postgame (Gonzaga, 2025)
Thursday, November 13
Colorado State Basketball (W): 2026 Signing Day Elsie Larsen
Wednesday, November 12