Colorado State (Women)

[89rabbit]

Here is a little info about the Jack's next opponent:

http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs....511230323/1006

Go State! ;D

[ldlbfn]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

New Mexico Lady Lobo fan here. Have had some great games against CSU over the years. As uou know, new coach Warden is taking over a team that had become fractured under Denker. Valerie Espinoza is a small, quick tough guard. Sara Hunter played a lot as a freshman last year, showed good handles and good range. Inside Melissa Dennett is a pretty athletic post, Lindsey Thomas is a very physical one. Sounds like they are liking each other better this year and chemistry sounds better(from what we are able to read). My guess is they will have a fairly good young bench. One of their freshman is highly touted Ashley Samuelson. Should be a good match up. A Ram fan site with a little bit of talk on their WBBall team is ramnation.com. I'll be watching for that score and reading up on it.

Good luck this year. I see a quite a bit of recruiting is done in Minnesota. UNM has Amy Beggin coming next year from Roseville-will be the first women's player from there to come to Albuquerque. I see North Dakota St. also moved up to D1-they play here at the Pit in a few weeks in a tourney.

[Jacks_NL]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

10:33
20-14 jacks

[Jacks_NL]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

44-27 jacks
half

[Dakota]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

SDSU 47
CSU 33
18:00 left

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

SDSU 57
CSU 48

Time out, 11:20-something to go. SDSU ball after the break.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

SDSU 61
CSU 56

7:28 left. CSU shooting free throws after the break. Yikes.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

SDSU 75
CSU 73

1 minute left. Jacks have the ball.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

SDSU 79
CSU 75

Vogel at the line with something like 10 seconds.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

SDSU 80
CSU 75

Vogel at the line again with 2 seconds left. Jacks will win. What a wild game!

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

Final score:

SDSU 82
CSU 75

That's a great win for the Jacks. Those young players, particularly Ashley Muckenhirn, are playing like veterans. It's going to be a very fun year.

[Walrus]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

I had to blow snow and only heard the last 25 seconds. I must have missed a good one. Way to go Jacks.

;D ;D ;D

[Dakota]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

This article show the respect the women are getting already.

[hr]
Friday, November 25, 2005
Rams' foe in tourney has proven dangerous
By TONY PHIFER
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs....511250350/1006
CSU Campus News
TonyPhifer@coloradoan.com

Next up: South Dakota St. at CSU, 7 tonight, Moby Arena.
Tickets: $8 adults, $6 general admission, $4 youths ages 3-18.
TV/radio: None/KCOL (AM 600).

Shortly after her team beat Concordia-St. Paul 83-69 Tuesday night to secure a win in her debut, Colorado State University women's basketball coach Jen Warden already was looking ahead to tonight's game against South Dakota State. And with good reason, too.

South Dakota State, in the transition to Division I after years as a Division II power, got Warden's attention in a big way last week, opening its season Saturday with a convincing 68-49 win over Big 12 Conference power Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb. The Jackrabbits nearly pulled another road upset the following night before falling 54-52 at Drake.

While many of the Rams likely don't know much about South Dakota State, Warden figures the win over Nebraska will get her players' attention going into the three-day Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational at Moby Arena.

"This is going to be an opportunity for us to make a statement on defense," Warden said. "South Dakota State runs a high-octane offense; they run and shoot. Clearly, that will be a challenge for us."

The Jackrabbits are led by a trio of double-figure scorers, led by guard Ashlea Muckenhirn at 12 points per game. Muckenhirn, who is hitting 71.4 percent of her 3-pointers through two games, gets help from Heather Sieler (11.5 points) and Megan Vogel (10.5 points, eight rebounds).

The Rams will counter with their own high-powered attack, which produced five double-figure scorers against Concordia. Starters Molly Nohr (career-best 14), Vanessa Espinoza (14), Sara Hunter (12) and Lindsay Thomas (11) all had big nights, while standout forward Melissa Dennett overcame a tough shooting night to finish with eight points and 10 rebounds.

The biggest surprise was CSU's bench play. Led by redshirt freshman forward Casie Shepherd, who had 14 points in her collegiate debut, the Rams' bench outscored Concordia 24-0.

Still, while Warden is pleased with her team's progress in her triangle offense, she said the Rams are lagging on defense. Concordia kept pace with the Rams deep into the second half before succumbing.

"We've still got to make some strides defensively," she said.

The Rams continue play in the three-team event at 5 p.m. Saturday, facing UC-Irvine. South Dakota State and UC-Irvine play each other at 2 p.m. Sunday at Moby.

Warden, who put her players through a light practice Thursday before letting them enjoy Thanksgiving, is eager to see if her team can continue to improve.

"We are going to be facing two quality opponents this weekend, and in many ways we all feel like this is our official debut," she said. "We just need to keep working and getting better."

Originally published November 25, 2005

[Dakota]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

Former Rider star impressive

Lindsay Thomas leaving mark on Colorado State hoops

Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com
Article Published: 11/25/05, 2:55 am
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...511250336/1002

While Lindsay Thomas was busy leading Roosevelt to four Class AA state basketball championships during an exemplary high school career, her college decision loomed large - stay close to home or head out into the larger world.

Thomas opted for Division I Colorado State, spurning South Dakota State and Division II. Today, the Colorado State senior gets a chance to play against the Jackrabbits in the first game of the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational in Fort Collins, Colo. Tipoff is 8 p.m. at Moby Arena.

"It definitely doesn't feel as long as it has been," said Thomas, the 2001 Argus Leader girls Player of the Year. " I can't believe I'm a senior again. It feels like I was just a freshman. Time goes by so fast."

It may seem like yesterday to her, but Thomas has already compiled a stellar resume with the Rams. The 6-foot-3 center, who averaged 12.6 points and 7.8 rebounds a game last season, is the school's active career scoring leader with 906 points, having scored in all but one of her 92 collegiate games. She should move into the top 10 sometime this season.

Thomas also has cemented her name in CSU's record books. She sits fourth all-time with 52.3 percent shooting from the field, 14th with 542 rebounds, seventh with 210 offensive boards and eighth with 66 blocks.

"What's important to me right now is that my team and I do well this year and get to the NCAA tournament and do well in the conference," Thomas said. "The records and stuff like that, I'll wait to think about that after the season."

First-year Colorado State coach Jen Warden has been impressed with Thomas' unselfish style of play in the post. The Rams opened their season with a 83-69 victory over Concordia-St. Paul on Tuesday with Thomas getting 11 points and five rebounds.

Thomas said SDSU women's coach Aaron Johnston heavily recruited her at Roosevelt, and the Jackrabbits nearly landed the state's top player for the 2002-03 season. She recalled that SDSU was one of her top choices, especially considering her father Mel and uncles John and Dave played there.

"I think we recruited Lindsay just like how we recruit any top player in South Dakota," Johnston said. "I even remember talking to her at the time, and she compared the schools she was looking at in Division I and Division II and said it's apples and oranges - that both were good, but different."

Thomas decided to follow the path to Fort Collins that was blazed by fellow South Dakotan Becky Hammon, now in the WNBA. Though SDSU won the D-II national title during her freshman year at CSU, Thomas has no regrets.

"I kind of wanted to leave the state anyway. But if (SDSU) would have been Division I, I really would have considered it strongly," Thomas said. "But I can't complain how things went."

One thing has escaped her, however - a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Rams haven't been to the Big Dance in Thomas' first three seasons. They made the Women's NIT in 2003-04 and missed the postseason entirely last year after going 15-13 and 6-8 in Mountain West Conference play.

Picked fifth in this season's preseason conference poll, CSU hopes to piggyback the leadership of Thomas and fellow seniors Vanessa Espinoza and Melissa Dennett back to a league title and NCAA berth.

"You can see in that group that they've got so much history behind them, and they want so much for their last year," Warden said. "There's a sense of urgency for their senior year that is trickling down into the younger classes."

Thomas does knows plenty about SDSU, citing the Jackrabbits' penchant to push the ball and play aggressive player-to-player defense. And she has kept an eye on her home-state school in its move into Division I.

The Jacks are coming off an opening weekend in which they pounded Nebraska 68-49 and lost a close one to Drake 54-52. SDSU will also play Cal Irvine in Sunday's tournament finale.

"(The Jackrabbits) have done really well the last couple years since they've been in Division I. I expect a really tough game," Thomas said. "I'm really excited about it. It's kind of my homecoming."

Reach Chris Solari at 977-3923.

[GoJacks]

Re: Colorado State (Women)

Nice win on the road against CSU Rams and the Mountain West Conference. This should boost the Jacks for the WNIT this season. I know it's early Does anyone know if Triple Crown Sports still runs the WNIT tournaments? If so, it is very important for SDSU to play strong in Fort Collins, CO because that is where the corporate head quarters is.