Colorado State University Athletics
Tuesday, November 5
Fort Collins, CO
11:00 AM MT
Colorado State
102
vs
51
Chadron State
Rams Answer the Bell with 102-51 Win
11/5/2019 3:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Most Points in a Season Opener for Ryun Williams Era
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Teams always want to play well in the opener. Make a lasting, impactful impression.
Truth is, Colorado State (1-0) had to play well on Tuesday, because had the women's basketball team been misfiring, it was highly unlikely they could have heard any shouts of correction from head coach Ryun Williams on the sideline, not with more than 1,000 screaming fans in the stands, courtesy of the Poudre School District.
"There were some miscommunications, there were some times when the kids could not hear me on the other end," Williams said with a smile. "That's probably when we played our best basketball, is when they weren't listening to me. They were loud."
The students came to Moby Arena on a field trip from multiple schools, and instead of seeing artifacts in a museum, they witnessed history being made in the Rams' 102-51 victory over Chadron State.
The scoring output matched the record for an opener (originally established in the 2001-02 season), was the most points scored by a Williams-led team, producing the largest margin of victory for one of Williams' squads, which hit the century mark for the third time in his tenure.
If the Rams actually needed one last punch to put last season to bed, that victory should do the trick.
"I definitely think it does. I don't think a lot of us really think about last year anymore, honestly, because this year has been here since last spring," senior Andrea Brady said. "It's been a whole new mindset, and it's fun to get out and start playing games now."
And get out to a fabulous start. The Rams scored 34 points in the first quarter, bridging the first two stanzas with a 27-0 run. They shot 56.6 percent in the first half, 54.5 percent for the game, made 12 of 25 3s and had all 13 players score in the contest.
Five of them reached double figures, led by 12 from the trio of Brady, Lore Devos and Liah Davis. They scored in the paint, behind the arc and it was all fashioned off tremendous ball movement.
"I thought we started really well. That start was as good a start as we've had in quite a while here," Williams said. "It was fun to see the kids loosen up and play good basketball today."
While that might be enough to win games on certain nights, what made it the blowout it became was the tenaciousness the Rams were displaying on defense. They created 18 turnovers, which they converted into 27 points. They ran when given a window, with the pace red-lined on both ends of the floor.
Williams pointed to the length the Rams can put on the floor at times to create chaos in passing lanes, and guard Katia Stamatelopoulos likes to take center stage in the role.
She came off the bench to score 10 points, but she also dished out five assists and led the team with three steals without a turnover. Williams said she's always asking if the team can deny on defense, and she plays as if she really doesn't wait for an answer.
"One hundred percent. Defense wins games, so I think that's really what got us over the line in the end," she said. "We just need to lock down a few things, and we'll be really good."
By the last buzzer, 12 of the 13 Rams had played at least 10 minutes, and as Lauren Brocke and Roichelle Marble worked their way into the scoring column, the players on the bench were acting like the kids in the stands.
The effort to put last year behind them has led to a very cohesive product with grand expectations.
"Everybody is just excited for each other," Brady said. "Everybody's been working really hard, and just to see people go in and everybody can score and contribute, one, that's a hard team to guard, and two, it's nice to see it pay off for your teammates."
The Rams travel across town for their next contest at Northern Colorado Friday at 6 p.m.
For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
Truth is, Colorado State (1-0) had to play well on Tuesday, because had the women's basketball team been misfiring, it was highly unlikely they could have heard any shouts of correction from head coach Ryun Williams on the sideline, not with more than 1,000 screaming fans in the stands, courtesy of the Poudre School District.
"There were some miscommunications, there were some times when the kids could not hear me on the other end," Williams said with a smile. "That's probably when we played our best basketball, is when they weren't listening to me. They were loud."
The students came to Moby Arena on a field trip from multiple schools, and instead of seeing artifacts in a museum, they witnessed history being made in the Rams' 102-51 victory over Chadron State.
The scoring output matched the record for an opener (originally established in the 2001-02 season), was the most points scored by a Williams-led team, producing the largest margin of victory for one of Williams' squads, which hit the century mark for the third time in his tenure.
If the Rams actually needed one last punch to put last season to bed, that victory should do the trick.
"I definitely think it does. I don't think a lot of us really think about last year anymore, honestly, because this year has been here since last spring," senior Andrea Brady said. "It's been a whole new mindset, and it's fun to get out and start playing games now."
And get out to a fabulous start. The Rams scored 34 points in the first quarter, bridging the first two stanzas with a 27-0 run. They shot 56.6 percent in the first half, 54.5 percent for the game, made 12 of 25 3s and had all 13 players score in the contest.
Five of them reached double figures, led by 12 from the trio of Brady, Lore Devos and Liah Davis. They scored in the paint, behind the arc and it was all fashioned off tremendous ball movement.
"I thought we started really well. That start was as good a start as we've had in quite a while here," Williams said. "It was fun to see the kids loosen up and play good basketball today."
While that might be enough to win games on certain nights, what made it the blowout it became was the tenaciousness the Rams were displaying on defense. They created 18 turnovers, which they converted into 27 points. They ran when given a window, with the pace red-lined on both ends of the floor.
Williams pointed to the length the Rams can put on the floor at times to create chaos in passing lanes, and guard Katia Stamatelopoulos likes to take center stage in the role.
She came off the bench to score 10 points, but she also dished out five assists and led the team with three steals without a turnover. Williams said she's always asking if the team can deny on defense, and she plays as if she really doesn't wait for an answer.
"One hundred percent. Defense wins games, so I think that's really what got us over the line in the end," she said. "We just need to lock down a few things, and we'll be really good."
By the last buzzer, 12 of the 13 Rams had played at least 10 minutes, and as Lauren Brocke and Roichelle Marble worked their way into the scoring column, the players on the bench were acting like the kids in the stands.
The effort to put last year behind them has led to a very cohesive product with grand expectations.
"Everybody is just excited for each other," Brady said. "Everybody's been working really hard, and just to see people go in and everybody can score and contribute, one, that's a hard team to guard, and two, it's nice to see it pay off for your teammates."
The Rams travel across town for their next contest at Northern Colorado Friday at 6 p.m.
For More on Colorado State Women's Basketball follow: Twitter – CSUWBasketball | Instagram – csuwbasketball | Facebook – @CSUWBasketball
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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