Rams optimistic for season opener

Thanksgiving break will be anything but a break for the CSU

women’s basketball team. Not only will Rams open their season

tonight against Texas Southern, but they will also play at Stephen

F. Austin in Nachogdoches, Texas, on Monday and host the Coors

Rocky Mountain Invitational Nov. 28 to 29.

The team, however, is anxious to play a meaningful game.

“Finally, we get sick of practicing and we are ready to play

games,” said sophomore point guard Vanessa Espinoza.

The Rams started the preseason with an 84-64 win over Sparta

Praha of the Czech Republic and ended it with a commanding 73-35

win over University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. After those two

exhibition wins, the Rams believe they are ready for the regular

season.

“We have been practicing hard and working on rebounding and

taking good shots,” senior forward Joy Jenkins said. “That is

something we did not do so well in our last game and we need to

work on knocking down some shots.”

The Rams will open the season against Texas Southern tonight for

the teams’ first meeting in school history. Texas Southern finished

last season with a 5-22 record, but like CSU began the preseason

with two exhibition wins.

“They are athletic and we are going to have to go out there and

play hard,” Jenkins said. “We have to play our style and not

theirs.”

CSU has victories in its last three season openers and has won

three straight home openers. With the game at Moby Arena, the Rams

will have the opportunity to extend their home winning streak to 17

games.

After the home opener, the Rams will head to Texas to play

Stephen F. Austin. The Ladyjacks ended last season with a 15-13

record and have a 1-1 record all-time against CSU. In their most

recent meeting, the Rams beat the Ladyjacks 85-62 at Moby Arena.

Stephen F. Austin has also won its first two exhibition games but

will play No. 12 Louisiana Tech tonight before facing the Rams.

CSU will wrap up the holiday break by hosting the Coors Rocky

Mountain Invitational. The Rams will play Long Beach State in the

first game on Nov. 28 and the championship and consolation games

will take place on Nov. 29. The Rams hope to start the season on

the right foot and expect to play well.

“We have really high expectations. We want to come out from

tip-off and set the tone,” Espinoza said. “We are going to play

pressure defense and take care of the ball, which I think we have

done really well so far. We also want to have good rebounding,

offensively and defensively. That wins games.”