Colorado State University Athletics
Feeling Set for the Conference Battle
12/17/2025 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Rams hit road to open Mountain West play
The schedule was set to be prepared. Sprinkle in some tough road games. Go to a tournament for some neutral-site challenges. Get the new kids accustomed to the home environment.
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Coming out of an 11-game non-conference slate, Ryun Williams' mind hasn't changed. In fact, he has a bit more resolve about what he expected. From his team. From the league.
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"Well, I would like to believe that we're gonna be in the hunt, you know. We've got a really competitive group," the Colorado State coach said as his women's team begins Mountain West play on Wednesday at Nevada (7:30 p.m.). "They've performed like they're really hungry to pursue something in the non-con. The looks of the Mountain West to me is it's pretty deep."
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The Rams head into conference play at 9-2, as does Boise State. Four other teams have winning records, with New Mexico leading that pack at 8-3. What Colorado State has earned is the best NET ranking out of the group, sitting at 52 with one quad one victory over Gonzaga. Additional road wins have come at Oregon State and most recently, San Francisco.
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That win is part of a current 10-game road win streak for the program, the third longest in the nation. To win a conference title in the regular season, it's imperative a team win on the road, and the Rams are confident with their bags packed.
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"I think those were great games for us to have under our belt," Kloe Frobe said. "You know going into The Pit, going into all these big arenas, it's just great to have those wins."
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The team does have a core going into the conference run which knows what the grind is like. Froebe and Brooke Carlson learned it as freshman a season ago. Hannah Ronsiek, Marta Leimane and Jadyn Fife are veterans of past battles.
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Lexus Bargesser is keen to find out about what they already know and is confident the Rams are not quite yet at their best.
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"I think there's a lot of teams that are either very similar or match up very differently, so that's going to be some tough games down the stretch and throughout the conference. I'm looking forward to that," she said. "The biggest thing I've noticed is that we have a team full of people who always want to improve. There are always areas that everyone's looking for to improve --improve their game for themselves, for the team -- and I think that that's going to be really helpful going into the season."
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Bargesser has proven her worth on both ends of the floor, but her offensive contributions have led the way to date, averaging a team-best 17.2 points per game, adding in 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists an outing while shooting 55.4 percent from the floor.
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Ronsiek has provided her normal offensive punch at 10.3 points, with four other Rams averaging at least 7.0 a night. One of them is redshirt freshman McKenna Murphy, who has combined with Ronsiek to hit 51 3-pointers on the season, the youngers knocking them down at a 45.5 percent clip off the bench.
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Projected to finish third at the start of the season, Colorado State has set the team target a bit higher. Having been consistent challengers nearly every season, the Rams want a return to a championship level, the last regular-season title for the program coming in 2017, the last of a four-year run. The last tournament title came in 2016.
Â
Williams entered the season with faith in his squad. All they've done in the lead up to Mountain West play is embolden his belief.
Â
"I think defensively we're probably a little farther along than I than I might have thought we would be with the newness. These kids … We knew we had a competitive bunch, but they seem to find a new level," he said. "At the most important times during these road games, we've made big plays in big moments, and that's the sign of some toughness right there. I knew we were a tough team, but this team has proven to be probably a little harder, have a little more edge."
Â
Looking at a stretch of 20 conference dates, the goal is to hold one at the end of the run.
Â
Â
Coming out of an 11-game non-conference slate, Ryun Williams' mind hasn't changed. In fact, he has a bit more resolve about what he expected. From his team. From the league.
Â
"Well, I would like to believe that we're gonna be in the hunt, you know. We've got a really competitive group," the Colorado State coach said as his women's team begins Mountain West play on Wednesday at Nevada (7:30 p.m.). "They've performed like they're really hungry to pursue something in the non-con. The looks of the Mountain West to me is it's pretty deep."
Â
The Rams head into conference play at 9-2, as does Boise State. Four other teams have winning records, with New Mexico leading that pack at 8-3. What Colorado State has earned is the best NET ranking out of the group, sitting at 52 with one quad one victory over Gonzaga. Additional road wins have come at Oregon State and most recently, San Francisco.
Â
That win is part of a current 10-game road win streak for the program, the third longest in the nation. To win a conference title in the regular season, it's imperative a team win on the road, and the Rams are confident with their bags packed.
Â
"I think those were great games for us to have under our belt," Kloe Frobe said. "You know going into The Pit, going into all these big arenas, it's just great to have those wins."
Â
The team does have a core going into the conference run which knows what the grind is like. Froebe and Brooke Carlson learned it as freshman a season ago. Hannah Ronsiek, Marta Leimane and Jadyn Fife are veterans of past battles.
Â
Lexus Bargesser is keen to find out about what they already know and is confident the Rams are not quite yet at their best.
Â
"I think there's a lot of teams that are either very similar or match up very differently, so that's going to be some tough games down the stretch and throughout the conference. I'm looking forward to that," she said. "The biggest thing I've noticed is that we have a team full of people who always want to improve. There are always areas that everyone's looking for to improve --improve their game for themselves, for the team -- and I think that that's going to be really helpful going into the season."
Â
Bargesser has proven her worth on both ends of the floor, but her offensive contributions have led the way to date, averaging a team-best 17.2 points per game, adding in 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists an outing while shooting 55.4 percent from the floor.
Â
Ronsiek has provided her normal offensive punch at 10.3 points, with four other Rams averaging at least 7.0 a night. One of them is redshirt freshman McKenna Murphy, who has combined with Ronsiek to hit 51 3-pointers on the season, the youngers knocking them down at a 45.5 percent clip off the bench.
Â
Projected to finish third at the start of the season, Colorado State has set the team target a bit higher. Having been consistent challengers nearly every season, the Rams want a return to a championship level, the last regular-season title for the program coming in 2017, the last of a four-year run. The last tournament title came in 2016.
Â
Williams entered the season with faith in his squad. All they've done in the lead up to Mountain West play is embolden his belief.
Â
"I think defensively we're probably a little farther along than I than I might have thought we would be with the newness. These kids … We knew we had a competitive bunch, but they seem to find a new level," he said. "At the most important times during these road games, we've made big plays in big moments, and that's the sign of some toughness right there. I knew we were a tough team, but this team has proven to be probably a little harder, have a little more edge."
Â
Looking at a stretch of 20 conference dates, the goal is to hold one at the end of the run.
Â
Players Mentioned
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