Hot off a six-game win streak, Colorado State women’s basketball is preparing to battle familiar foes in the Mountain West tournament.

The Rams secured the No. 3 seed, placing them in the fourth quarterfinal match at 8:30 p.m. MST Sunday, March 8. Other opponents who snatched spots in the quarterfinals include No. 1 San Diego State (25-4, 19-1 MW); No. 2 UNLV (20-10, 15-5 MW); and No. 4 New Mexico (22-9, 14-6 MW).

Throughout their season, the Rams went 15-5 against MW opponents, preparing them for whoever may come their way.

Due to its quarterfinal placement, CSU will not know who their opponent is until 24 hours prior to the match. 

One potential foe is No. 6 Grand Canyon (12-18, 11-9 MW). The Rams contributed to two of those losses, beating the Antelopes by several possessions both times. 

If GCU manages to fend off No. 11 Utah State, it will have to face CSU — a bigger beast. Otherwise, the Rams will go up against the second lowest-ranked team in the conference in the Aggies. USU went 2-18 in the Mountain West this season and was handed a loss by the Rams back in December.

“Everybody in the conference is so familiar with each other,” head coach Ryun Williams said. “It’s about basketball players making basketball plays because there’s no secrets out there right now.”

These two potential opponents will be looking for any opportunity to exact revenge on the Rams.

And while Williams said everything is out in the open, the Rams still have the advantage. Between a high seed placement and a six-game win streak, they are on a roll.

This streak has been fueled by persistent defense and balanced scoring; CSU has won those past six games with scores higher than 62 and has kept their opponents at 59 or lower.

“(We have) great momentum going into the tournament,” Lexus Bargesser said. “I think we’re playing our best basketball right now, which is what we wanted. We are confident in each other; we trust each other, and that can go a long way.”

Or maybe the Rams’ secret is Bargesser herself.

She transferred to CSU from Indiana at the beginning of the season and has shown out since. She’s currently leading the team with 15.5 points per game; 479 total points, surpassing the next Ram by 145 points; 42% 3-point shooting; and 173 field goals made.

Coming into the tournament this year, Bargesser could be key in the final push the Rams need after falling to Fresno State last year by one possession.

The only opportunity for a rematch with the Bulldogs would be in a semifinal game. However, this requires No. 7 FSU (14-17, 8-12 MW) to take down No. 10 Nevada (10-20, 6-14 MW) and UNLV, plus CSU taking its quarterfinal game.

While chances may be slim, they’re never none.

There are 11 possible opponents and 36 potential matchup outcomes, one such being against the dreaded Aztecs.

This season, two of CSU’s five losses were delivered by SDSU and their own version of Bargesser in Naomi Panganiban, who racked up 402 total points off 331 shots.

“We learned that we can compete with them, and we have got it down to one-possession games each time,” Brooke Carlson said. “When we come together, we can really beat anyone that’s ahead of us.”

Carlson has been a major asset to the Rams as well, not only this season but also last.

She has the second-highest average on the team, tied with Kloe Froebe, at 10.8. She also has hit 43% of her FG, which has come in clutch against teams like No. 8 Wyoming (10-19, 7-13 MW), where she put up nine field goals.

While the Rams have many contributors, they can’t let past mistakes affect them going into the tournament, as the winner gets an automatic ticket to the NCAA tournament. CSU could earn an at-large bid despite tournament results, though.

But the Rams have made NCAA appearances six times in program history. Three occasions were in the late ’90s, thanks to CSU legend Becky Hammon, with the most recent in 2016. 

“It’s nice to go into the tournaments with that right level of belief and hunger,” Williams said. “I like where our kids’ minds are. They’ve approached winning in the right way, and obviously we’re going to have to do that in the tournament.”

Reach Sophia Schaller at sports@collegian.com or on social media @sophschaller.

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