Rams Host Broncos, Pioneers in Moby Arena

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – It'll be a busy Saturday inside Moby Arena. Colorado State will host Western Michigan starting at 12:00 p.m., in the first game of the day. Saturday will feature a doubleheader with the men's basketball team hosting Northern Colorado at 2:30 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to attend both games, as women's basketball ticket holders may stay for the men's game, but will need to move to sections G, H, L or M rows 27 and higher. Men's basketball ticket holders may arrive early and watch the women's game but will need to sit in sections mentioned before moving to their ticketed seats.

Colorado State will continue action with a Tuesday game against Denver starting at 6:30 p.m.

THIS WEEK
Saturday, Dec. 3 – vs. Western Michigan / 12:00 PM
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Tuesday, Dec. 6 – vs. Denver / 6:30 PM
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RAMS NOTES

Out Of Breath
The Rams played three games over five days this last week, including a pair of back-to-back contests at the Las Vegas Invitational. CSU returned from Vegas and played at Northern Colorado just two days later, going into triple overtime for the first time since 2014. Colorado State trailed nearly the whole game in regulation before forcing the overtime periods.

Protect The Rock
Colorado State doesn't turn the ball over much at all, which is why it leads the nation in turnover per game with 7.3. The Rams have forked the ball over just 51 times, the lowest in the country. The next team in the turnovers per game is over two more than CSU at 10.0 (Villanova and Wyoming).

Free Baskets
Senior Destiny Thurman is making her free baskets count, as she is tied at No. 1 in free throw percentage. The guard is tied with seven other players in the country and has made all 15 free-throw attempts. In the top seven is conference foe San Diego State's Abby Prohaska. The Rams as a team are No. 9 in the nation in free-throw percentage with an 81 percent, which also leads the Mountain West.

Hot Hand
Senior Meghan Boyd continues to have hot hands, currently No. 23 the nation from behind the arc shooting 50 percent. The Rams as a whole are No. 2 among all teams shooting 42.5 percent from downtown – just behind Illinois at 44 percent and over five percent better than the next Mountain West team (Nevada).

Ratio'd
Colorado State takes care of the ball, while also moving it around to create assists. The Rams enter the week leading the country in assist/turnover radio at 2.22. McKenna Hofschild is No. 3 in the country with a 6.88 mark, having just eight turnovers in seven contests. Last season she finished the year at No. 5 in the nation with a 3.00 ratio.

Make It A Double
Senior McKenna Hofschild recorded her first double-double the season against Montana, dropping 18 points and dishing out 11 assists. She reached double-figures in scoring before the half and secured the double-double in the third quarter. It was her fifth double-double of her career and first of the season, even though she was close in the opener against BYU with 18 points and nine assists.

Junior Joseana Vaz recorded her first double-double in the Green and Gold at Northern Colorado. The forward added 10 points in the triple overtime game, while also pulling down 12 boards in 34 minutes of action.

Weekly Honors
After the season-opening week, McKenna Hofschild and Hannah Ronsiek earned Mountain West weekly honors. Hofschild earned her fifth award of her career after being named the Player of the Week, while Ronsiek was named Freshman of the Week for the first time.

Getting Benched – The Good Kind
Colorado State started the 2022-23 season against BYU, exploding in the second half outscoring the Cougars, 47-23, to cruise to an 82-62 win. The Rams' bench did a lot of the heavy lifting – scoring 40 points, nearly the total of BYU starters. CSU trailed at the half 39-35, but flipped a switch in the second, hitting 8-of-12 from three to break the opener wide open. Cailyn Crocker led the bench players scoring 17 points – second most on the team behind McKenna Hofschild with 18.

Watch Lists
McKenna Hofschild has been named to a pair of Preseason Watch Lists:
Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List
Recognizes the top player in women's NCAA Division I college basketball at a mid-major conference
Nancy Lieberman Award
Recognizes the top point guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball

Coming Back
The Rams return seven from the 2021-22 roster, including three starters with McKenna Hofschild, Kendyll Kinzer and Petra Farkas. Sydney Mech and Cali Clark also recorded a start a season ago. Hofschild returns for her senior season after leading the Rams and the Mountain West in scoring with 557 points. She also averaged 16.9 points per game and dished out 6.5 assists per game – No. 2 and No. 1 in the league, respectively.

New Faces
Colorado State welcomed five transfers and four freshmen to the team during the offseason, bringing its newcomers total to nine. Transfers include Kiya Dorroh (Mizzou), Destiny Thurman (UTEP), Joseana Vaz (Casper College), Cailyn Crocker (Cal) and Meghan Boyd (Denver).

2021-22 Review
Colorado State finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 21-12 overall record, including a 9-9 mark in Mountain West play. The Rams made a run in the conference tournament, advancing through the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds to reach the Championship game. CSU returned to the postseason, appearing in the WNIT and faced Portland State suffering a loss.

Opponents At A Glace
Northern Colorado will enter Tuesday's contest with a 4-2 overall record. The Bears picked up a 67-61 victory last weekend against Adams State. UNC also earned wins at Incarnate Word and Denver early this season. Hannah Simental leads the squad averaging 19.5 points, mostly coming from 3-point range as she is hitting 56 percent from downtown – No. 8 in the country.

Series History
Colorado State will face Western Michigan for just the third time, and the first in nearly 35 years. The Rams last played the Broncos in 1998 in Green Bay, Wis. The two teams have never played a game in Moby Arena, but CSU has suffered a loss in Kalamazoo, Mich., back in 1987 – the first game of the series.

The Rams will host Denver on Tuesday, holding a 24-9 overall mark in the series that started in 1975. Colorado State has won the last nine games in the series, including the last four in Moby Arena. CSU suffered is last loss in the series back in 2012 in Fort Collins. The Rams also held an 11-game winning streak against the Pioneers, running from 1980-2005.

UP NEXT

Tuesday, Dec. 6 – vs. Denver (Moby Arena) / 6:30 PM
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