Rams host Eastern New Mexico in 2018-19 season opener on Tuesday

This Week
Colorado State Rams vs. Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds
Tuesday, Nov. 6 | 7 p.m. MT
Moby Arena | Fort Collins, Colo.
Coverage: CSURams.com/live (Mountain West Network) | | Live Stats
Live Audio: KARS 102.9 FM | TuneIn
Game Day: Tickets | Game Day Information

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State women's basketball team is set to begin its 2018-19 campaign this Tuesday with a home game against the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds.

Tip time for Colorado State's (21-12 in 2017-18) season opener vs. Eastern New Mexico (16-12 in 2017-18) is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT from Moby Arena. Tickets are available for all games in Moby Arena this season, and may be purchased at CSURams.com/tickets or through a call to 800-491-RAMS (7267). Parking is available for $10 for all home games in the Moby Arena parking lot and for free in the Lory Student Center parking lot.

CSU Athletics' clear bag system will be in effect for all CSU women's and men's basketball games in an effort to increase the safety of all fans in attendance, as is the use of metal detectors. Information on that clear bag system, along with other important game day information, can be found on the CSURams.com game day page here.

Tuesday's game will be streamed on CSURams.com/live via the Mountain West Network, while the live radio broadcast will be available on KARS 102.9 FM in Fort Collins. Matthew Wozniak will be on the call for each. Live stats are also available for Tuesday's action.

Scouting the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds

The Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds completed the 2017-18 season with a 16-12 overall record and 12-8 mark in the Lone Star Conference under now-sixth-year head coach Josh Prock.
Eastern New Mexico has been picked by conference head coaches, sports information directors and select media to finish fifth of 11 teams in the LSC in 2018-19.
Among NCAA Division II schools, Eastern New Mexico ranked 27th nationally in blocks per game (4.6) in 2017-18 as well as 29th in field goal percentage defense (.360) and 33rd in rebound margin (+5.9).
ENMU lost its top three scorers from its 2017-18 squad. Senior Shelby Jones returns as the Greyhounds scoring (7.5/game), rebounding (7.2/game) and blocks leader (16 in 2017-18).

Quick Hits

After finishing the 2017-18 season with its fifth straight 20-win season and fifth consecutive postseason appearance, Colorado State touts a new-look squad for 2018-19. The Rams return seven players from last year's roster, bust welcome as many newcomers to the team.
Among the returning players for Colorado State is talented sophomore guard Lore Devos, who was second on the team in scoring over the Rams' two exhibitions. Devos averaged 17.5 points per game against those two opponents, and posted a double-double against Colorado Christian (17 points, 10 rebounds).
Among the Rams' newcomers is junior guard Mollie Mounsey, who has been named the 2018-19 Mountain West Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Mounsey, who averaged 21.0 points per game over the Rams' two exhibitions, is a two-time NJCAA First-Team All-American and led the nation (Division I, II, III, NAIA or NJCAA) in threes (143) in 2016-17 at Seward Country CC.
Senior forward Tatum Neubert, another newcomer for the Rams, averaged a double-double for the Rams in exhibition play. Neubert was one of three Rams to average double-digit scoring in those exhibitions (13.5/game) and corralled an average of 10 rebounds per outing.
Sophomore guard Grace Colaivalu is also among the returners for the Rams after earning the program's first Mountain West All-Freshman selection since 2013-14 (Ellen Nystrom, Elin Gustavsson) last season. Colaivalu averaged 7.3 points and 2.8 assists per game last season, with a notable stretch of 22.0 points per game over her first four career conference games.
Colorado State's coaching staff has also been retooled heading to the 2018-19 season, as the Rams welcomed Rico Burkett and Kellie Lewis to the staff. With those two additions, CSU has four coaches with NCAA head coaching experience on its staff this season, the most of any women's basketball program in the nation.

A Colorado State Win Would…

Improve Colorado State's all-time record in season openers to 28-17.
Improve CSU's record in season openers to 4-3 under now-seventh-year head coach Ryun Williams.
Give the Rams a 1-0 start for the third time in the past four seasons.
Improve CSU's all-time record against Eastern New Mexico to 2-0. The two teams met for the first time last season, when the Rams defeated the Greyhounds, 75-35.
Move CSU to 82-19 (.812) in Moby Arena during Williams' tenure.
Be the Rams' third straight win at home, dating back to last season.
Be the Rams' sixth win in their last seven games played at Moby Arena, dating back to last season.

Mollie Mounsey Named Mountain West Preseason Newcomer of the Year

Junior guard Mollie Mounsey of the Colorado State women's basketball team was named the 2018-19 Mountain West Preseason Newcomer of the Year on Thursday, Nov. 1.
Among the credentials for Mounsey in her junior college career were NJCAA First-Team All-America honors in each of her freshman and sophomore seasons. In 2016-17, Mounsey made 143 three-point field goals, the most of any women's basketball player in the nation among all Division I, II, III, NAIA or NJCAA schools.
Mounsey, who joins the Rams from Seward County Community College, is the second CSU player to receive a superlative award from the Mountain West in the preseason in the past three seasons. Former CSU great Ellen Nystrom was named MW Preseason Player of the Year prior to the Rams' 2016-17 campaign.

Newcomers' Exhibition Play a Sign of Things to Come?

Colorado State cruised to a pair of exhibition victories prior to the 2018-19 season, and the impact of a pair of their newcomers was one reason why.
Mountain West Preseason Newcomer of the Year and junior guard Mollie Mounsey posted a 21.0 points per game average in the Rams' two exhibitions, a team high. Mounsey shot 10-for-14 (.714) from beyond the three-point arc over those two games.
Senior forward Tatum Neubert was one of three Rams to average double-digit points in those two exhibitions, joining Mounsey and sophomore guard Lore Devos (17.5/game) with 13.5 points per game. More notably, Neubert averaged a double-double over those two games, averaging exactly 10 rebounds per game.

CSU Coaching Staff Among the Nation's Most Experienced

Entering this season, Colorado State women's basketball has four coaches on its staff with NCAA head coaching experience. No other women's basketball program in the nation has more than three.
Along with current CSU head coach Ryun Williams, each of Kellie Lewis (Florida Atlantic), Rico Burkett (Wayne State) and Chad Lavin (South Dakota, Wyoming) have been head coaches at an NCAA institution in their careers.
No other school has as many coaches with NCAA head coaching experience. Baylor, Texas Tech and UNCW each have three coaches on their respective staffs with NCAA head coaching experience.

Rams Make Fifth Consecutive Postseason Appearance in 2017-18

Among the many accomplishments of the 2017-18 Colorado State women's basketball team was its fifth consecutive postseason appearance. The Rams received an at-large bid to the Postseason WNIT, and advanced to the second round for the second straight season.
Colorado State defeated Western Illinois, 67-64, last season, and took down Saint Mary's, 80-68, in overtime in the opening round two years ago for its most recent postseason victories. Before those two WNIT wins, CSU had not won in the postseason since 2003.
CSU will be looking to make its sixth consecutive postseason berth in 2018-19. The Rams have only had one longer streak of consecutive postseason appearances, reaching the NCAA Tournament or the WNIT in seven consecutive seasons from 1998-04.

Rams Win 20 Games for Fifth Straight Season

Colorado State women's basketball went 21-12 in 2017-18, clinching its fifth straight season with at least 20 wins under now-seventh-year head coach Ryun Williams.
Outside of those five seasons, Colorado State has only won 20 games or more in nine other seasons. That gives Williams 35.7 percent of the 20-plus-win seasons in program history.
Former CSU head coaches Greg Williams, Tom Collen and Chris Denker combined for the only stretch with more consecutive seasons of 20 victories or more from 1995-2003. Ann Matlock coached the only other CSU team with 20 wins or more in 1981-82.

Williams Ranks Among CSU, Mountain West Coaching Greats

Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams enters his seventh season at the helm of the program in 2018-19. Williams has won 136 games in his tenure to this point, making him the winningest coach in program history.
In addition to that, Williams has won 81 conference games, by far the most in program history. Former CSU head coach Tom Collen is the closest with 56 conference wins.
Williams also ranks as the third-winningest coach in Mountain West history in terms of win percentage in conference games (76.4 percent, 81-25). The only coaches with better records in conference play are former Utah head coach Elaine Elliott (.793, 130-34), as well as former Fresno State head coach and current TCU head coach Reagan Pebley (.778, 28-8).
Ryun Williams' seventh season as CSU basketball coach makes him one of the two longest-tenured head coaches in program history. Greg Williams also served as head coach for seven seasons from 1990-97.

Dropping Knowledge

Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams is 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.
Williams is in his second season as a voter after completing his first year voting in the coaches' poll in 2017-18.

Newcomers in the Lineup for the Rams

Among the storylines for Colorado State women's basketball this season will be the integration of seven newcomers into the 2018-19 lineup. The seven newcomers will mesh with the return of six letterwinners, along with one redshirt.
Of those newcomers, two are graduate transfers and are eligible to contribute immediately. Those players are guard Roichelle Marble (Wisconsin) and forward Tatum Neubert (LSU/Oregon).
Also among the newcomers are junior guard Mollie Mounsey (Seward County CC), a two-time NJCAA First-Team All-American, and freshman guard/forward Taylor Mole (Australia), who joins the Rams with international playing experience.
Jamie Bonnarens (Cameron), Megan Jacobs (Utah) and Tori Williams (Utah) will redshirt per NCAA transfer rules before playing for the Rams next season.

Rams Return Mountain West All-Freshman Selection

Among the returners for Colorado State in 2018-19 is sophomore guard Grace Colaivalu, who was named to the Mountain West All-Freshman Team last season.
Upon receiving that distinction last season, Colaivalu became the first Ram to earn an all-conference freshman team selection since 2013-14 and the third all-time. The only other two Rams to be named to the MW All-Freshman Team were Ellen Nystrom and Elin Gustavsson, each in 2013-14.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results