Rams travel to Denver, host BYU in White Out game this week

Colorado State Rams (3-2) at Denver Pioneers (4-3)
Thursday, Nov. 30 | 7 p.m. MT
Hamilton Gym | Denver, Colo.
Coverage: Live Video (subscription required) | CSU Radio Network (KARS 102.9 FM) | Live Stats

Colorado State Rams (3-2) vs. BYU Cougars (3-2)
White Out
Saturday, Dec. 2 | 2 p.m. MT
Moby Arena | Fort Collins, Colo.
Live Video: CSURams.com/live (MW Network) | Stadium
Coverage: CSU Radio Network (KMAX 94.3 FM) | Live Stats

Colorado State Women's Basketball: Tickets | Twitter | Weekly Release

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State women's basketball team splits time on the road and at home this week for upcoming matchups with the Denver Pioneers and the BYU Cougars.

Colorado State's (3-2) contest at Denver (3-3) marks the Rams' first matchup on the road this season. Opening tip against the Pioneers is slated for 7 p.m. MT from Hamilton Gym. CSU returns home for its annual White Out game just two days later, as the Rams host BYU at 2 p.m. MT on Saturday. Fans are encouraged to wear white attire as part of the White Out festivities.

Each of Denver and BYU enter this week with records above the .500 mark, as the Pioneers are 4-3 and the Cougars sit at 3-2. The Pioneers are 1-2 at home this season (1-1 at Hamilton Gym), while the Cougars have split their two games on the road.

Tickets for all homes games are now available, and may be purchased at CSURams.com/tickets or through a call to 800-491-RAMS (7267). Parking is available for all home games in the Moby Arena parking lot. A new clear bag system is now in effect for all CSU women's and men's basketball games in an effort to increase the safety of all fans in attendance, and information on that system can be found here.

Live video will be made available by Denver on Thursday (subscription required), while Saturday's game can be found on Stadium (stadium.twitter.com) or at CSURams.com/live via the MW Network. Josh Hunter and Jay Weber will be on the call for Stadium's broadcast on Saturday. Matthew Wozniak will be on the call for the radio broadcast on KARS 102.9 FM on Thursday and KMAX 94.3 FM this Saturday. Live stats will also be made available by each host institution. Links to each are available above or on the women's basketball schedule page on CSURams.com.

A Colorado State Win on Thursday Would…
- Be the Rams' fifth consecutive victory over Denver.
- Be the Rams' 11th win against in-state opponents in their past 12 games.
- Improve the Rams' record against in-state opponents to 22-6 under sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams.
- Improve the Rams' record to 41-22 on the road during Williams' tenure.
- Be the Rams' first win on the road this season. The Rams had yet to play an away game thus far.

Game Day Storylines
- Colorado State is currently one of the nation's top teams in the turnovers column. CSU ranks 18th in the country in fewest turnovers (61) and fewest turnovers per game (12.2).
- The Rams once again ranks as one of the nation's top teams defensively. The Rams are 26th nationally as well as tops in the Mountain West in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to .337 shooting. In addition, the Rams are 26th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (30.0).
- Lore Devos leads the Rams in multiple statistical categories, including points per game (12.6), assists per game (2.6), blocks (four) and free throw percentage (.882, minimum 2.5 attempts per game).
- Devos paced the Rams with 25 points in her collegiate debut against Idaho. No other CSU player has scored as many points in her debut in the now-six-year Ryun Williams era.
- Callie Kaiser currently ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage with a .632 mark so far this season (minimum 75 percent of team's games played).
- In addition, Kaiser is one of two qualifying players in the conference (minimum 75 percent of team's games played) with a perfect 1.000 free throw percentage (9-for-9).
- Devos joins Kaiser in the MW's top five in that category, ranking fourth in the league in free throw percentage (.882, 15-for-17).
- Devos' 0.8 blocks per game is good for ninth in the conference.
- Sofie Tryggedsson places among the league's top three-point shooters so far this year, ranking sixth in three-point field goals made per game (2.4).
- Annie Brady and Veronika Mirkovic each rank among the conference's top rebounders. Each of them are tied for eighth in the league and for the team lead with 6.8 rebounds per game. Mirkovic also ranks seventh in the league in defensive rebounds per game (5.0), while Brady ranks eighth (4.8).

Early Season Storylines
- The Colorado State women's basketball team is fresh off its fourth consecutive regular-season Mountain West title, distinguishing the program as one of 12 teams in the nation – women's and men's basketball – to have an active streak at least that long.
- No other basketball team in Mountain West history – women's or men's – has won as many regular-season conference titles consecutively. In addition, the Rams have won all four of those outright. Of teams to win consecutive MW regular-season titles, no other team has won more than two outright.
- Colorado State was picked to finish third in the conference this season by league coaches and select media. The Rams received six first-place votes en route to 211 points and that third place projection. The Rams rank behind only Boise State (seven FPV, 221 points) and Wyoming (six FPV, 216 points).
- The Rams return three of five starters and seven letterwinners from last year's team. Hannah Tvrdy is the Rams' returning leader in each of points (8.3), rebounds (4.6) and assists (2.4) per game.
- CSU also looks to be solid from beyond the three-point arc this season. The Rams return 80 percent of their three-point production from last season, as 203 of 255 threes made last year were made by returning players.
- Mixing with that veteran core returning for Colorado State is a group of eight underclassmen, as sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams grooms one of the youngest CSU rosters over his tenure. In terms of what percentage of the roster is made up of freshmen and sophomores (53.3 percent), CSU ranks as the nation's 18th-youngest team.
- Although the Rams' roster is largely composed of youth, the Mountain West also looks to be one of the nation's youngest conferences. The Rams are the fifth-youngest team in the conference when measured by the same criteria above.

Scouting the Denver Pioneers
- The Denver Pioneers are 4-3 this season with wins over Air Force, Chadron State, Eastern Michigan and Cal State Fullerton. The Pioneers were in action against Cal State Fullerton on Monday night, defeating the Titans, 83-58.
- Along with Ari Force, Denver shares two other common opponents with Colorado State. The Pioneers dropped early-season contests to each of those two schools, Northern Colorado and Wyoming.
- One area of strength for Denver is three-point shooting. The Pioneers rank 56th nationally in three-point field goals made (46), and hold opponents to the nation's 53rd-lowest three-point field goal percentage (.265).
- Madison Nelson (12.6 points per game) and Claire Gritt (10.4 points per game) pace the Pioneers in scoring this season. Each of them are above .400 shooting from beyond the arc, as is Briana Johnson, who is 10-for-18 (.556) from three-point range and 23-for-45 (.511) from the floor this season. Johnson averages 9.4 points per game.

Scouting the BYU Cougars
- The BYU Cougars are off to a 3-2 start this season and have wins over Southern Utah, Eastern Washington and Utah Valley. Most recently, BYU was edged at home by Georgia, 79-63.
- BYU is one of the nation's leaders in blocking shots, as the Cougars rank 10th nationally in blocked shots per game (6.6). Leading the Cougars in that category are Sara Hamson (2.5 blocks per game), who ranks 29th in the nation individually, and Shalae Salmon, who places 82nd (1.8).
- In addition to ranking among the nation's leaders in blocks, Salmon also ranks 31st in the nation with 10.8 rebounds per game.
- Cassie Devashrayee, who is relied upon for the nation's sixth-most minutes per game (39.2), ranks 38th in the nation with 20.8 points per game. She averages a team-best 2.6 field goals per game for a Cougar squad that ranks 45th in the nation in three-point field goals made per game (8.4).

Rams' Four Consecutive Regular-Season Conference Titles Ranks Among Nation's Elite
- The Colorado State women's basketball team made history this past season by winning its fourth consecutive regular-season Mountain West championship. That feat had never been previously accomplished by any women's or men's basketball team in conference history.
- That active streak of four consecutive regular-season conference titles ranks the Rams among the nation's elite. Between both women's and men's NCAA Division I basketball, only 11 other programs in the nation have a current streak that is as long or better.
- On the women's side, the programs are Baylor, Chattanooga, Connecticut, DePaul, Green Bay, Notre Dame and defending national champion South Carolina.
- Only four men's teams have a streak at least as long at the CSU women: Gonzaga, Kansas, Villanova and Wichita State.

Rams Enter 2017-18 as One of Nation's Youngest Teams
- While the Rams' 2017-18 roster is largely made of a veteran group of seven upperclassmen, the bulk of the Rams' roster this season comes from the ranks of underclassmen. A combined eight freshmen and sophomores make up 53.3 percent (eight of 15) of the roster, while the six freshmen make up 40 percent.
- In terms of what percentage of the roster is comprised of underclassmen, Colorado State ranks as the nation's 18th-youngest team. If measured by percentage of freshman relative to the overall roster, CSU's 40 percent is the ninth-highest in the nation.
- However, the Mountain West also shapes up to be a very young conference this season. Each of San Jose State (80 percent), Utah State (76.9 percent), Air Force (76.5 percent) and Fresno State (69 percent) are younger than Colorado State by underclassmen on the roster.

Rams Projected to Finish Third in the Mountain West in 2017-18
- The Colorado State women's basketball team has been voted by league coaches and select media to finish third in the Mountain West in 2017-18, as announced by the conference on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
- Colorado State, which is coming off an unprecedented fourth consecutive regular-season Mountain West title, earned 211 points and six first-place votes en route to its third-place projection. The only team to earn more first-place votes was Boise State, which received a league-best 221 points and was picked to win the conference by seven voters. Wyoming (216 points, six first-place votes) narrowly edged CSU for second in the voting.
- New Mexico and UNLV, which were picked fourth and fifth respectively, were the only other schools to receive first-place votes. The Lobos received four first-place votes and 186 points, while the Lady Rebels received 185 points were picked No. 1 by two voters.
- The Rams had been picked to win the Mountain West in each of the past three preseason Mountain West polls and four times overall. Behind only those three first-place projections, this is the Rams' fourth-highest projection under sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams. The Rams were picked seventh before winning the conference in 2013-14 and fifth before Williams first season at CSU (2012-13).

Devos Makes Historic Debut for Rams
- Freshman guard Lore Devos made her first official appearance for Colorado State on Friday, Nov. 10 in the Rams' season-opener against Idaho. The Kortrijk, Belgium native opened her CSU career with 25 points, the most by any CSU freshman in her debut in head coach Ryun Williams' six-year tenure.
- Devos was the Rams' leading scorer against Idaho, scoring her 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the floor and 5-for-5 shooting from the free throw line.
- The only other player to score at least 20 points in her debut for Williams was two-time Mountain West Player of the Year Ellen Nystrom. The former CSU standout from Sweden scored 20 points in her first career game for CSU, a win over UCCS on Nov. 8, 2013.

Rams Look to be Strong from Three-Point Range
- Although the Rams lost substantial production in many categories with the departure of last year's senior class, one area the team did not lose much in is three-point shooting. As a team, the Rams return 80 percent of their three-point field goals made from last season.
- 203 of the 255 threes made by the Rams last year were made by returning players. Stine Austgulen led the Rams last season with 53 three-point field goals made.
- Austgulen and Hannah Tvrdy return as two of the top three-point shooters in the Mountain West, ranking No. 14 and No. 7 in three-point field goal percentage last season, respectively.
- Notably, junior Myanne Hamm ranked fifth in MW in three-point field goal percentage during conference play (.400), while junior Sofie Tryggedsson ranked 14th in the MW with 1.5 three-point field goals per game during conference play.

Williams Chasing CSU Al-Time Wins Record
- Sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams entered the 2016-17 with a record of 115-46 in his tenure thus far at Colorado State. That wins total ranks only behind Tom Collen (129 wins) for most all-time as CSU head coach.
- With the Rams' 70-67 overtime over San Jose State on Jan. 4, 2017, Williams earned his 100th win as CSU head coach, becoming third coach in program history to reach that milestone. Besides Ryun Williams and Tom Collen, the only other coach in school history to reach that mark was Greg Williams (108 wins).
- Ryun Williams already owns the most conference wins in program history, as his teams have gone 70-18 in Mountain West play over his tenure. The previous record was held by Collen, who won 56 games as CSU head coach from 1997-02.

Dropping Knowledge
- Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams has been selected as one of 32 voters for the USA TODAY Sports Women's Basketball Coaches Poll. The panel, which is chosen by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), votes weekly throughout the regular season.
- The voters are chosen based upon the 32 conferences that receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Each conference has one representative, and the names of the voters are published along with each week's poll.

The 2016-17 Season at a Glance
- Colorado State accomplished many feats in 2016-17, but none was greater than winning its historic fourth consecutive regular-season Mountain West championship. No other basketball team in Mountain West history – women's or men's – has won the conference in four consecutive seasons other than the CSU women.
- CSU reached the postseason for the fourth straight season under now-sixth-year head coach Ryun Williams with an automatic berth to the Postseason WNIT. The Rams defeated Saint Mary's at Moby Arena in the first round of the tournament, marking the Rams' first postseason win since 2003.
- On Dec. 18, 2016, CSU defeated Seattle, 66-62, to record the team's 22nd consecutive win at Moby Arena. That broke the previous record for consecutive wins at home, which was previously 21 straight from 1998-99.
- The Rams also set two different records for consecutive conference wins between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. The Rams had won 22 straight games against conference foes when including postseason games, and 25 games against conference opponents in regular-season contests.
- Overall, the CSU's 25 wins tie for the fourth-most in program history, while the Rams' 15 conference wins tie for the second-most in program history.
- Ryun Williams posted his fourth consecutive season with 15 Mountain West wins or more, bringing his career MW record to 70-18. His current MW win percentage of .795 ranks as the best of any coach in Mountain West history.
- Williams also became the third coach in program history to reach 100 wins at CSU, and has the second-most wins at CSU (115) in school history. Tom Collen owns the all-time record with 129 wins at CSU.
- Williams' 70 Mountain West wins also rank as by far the most conference wins in CSU history.
- Ellen Nystrom, who graduated after the 2016-17 season, repeated as Mountain West Player of the Year after earning that honor in 2015-16. The Rams have had the conference player of the year in three consecutive seasons, as Gritt Ryder earned honor as a senior in 2014-15.
- Nystrom and fellow 2016-17 senior Elin Gustavsson departed CSU as the winningest players in conference play in Mountain West history. The senior duo from Sweden won 63 MW games over their careers at CSU, which is by far the most of any athlete – women's or men's basketball – in conference history.

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