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Seventy-five points and a 17-point win will work just fine.
That was the debut for the Colorado State women’s basketball team on the 2025-26 season as the Rams beat Weber State 75-58 on Nov. 4 at Moby Arena.
As opening games go, CSU had a bit of everything. The Rams were on fire early, shooting 70% from the floor in the first half. CSU had to fight through an ugly at times third quarter.
The Rams worked through it all and started 1-0.
Here are takeaways from the game.
CSU senior Lexus Bargesser was playing her first game since transferring from Indiana. The 5-foot-9 guard played 90 games at Indiana, including six in the NCAA Tournament.
She has a lot of college experience, but this role is new. At Indiana she was a mostly bench player to come in and defend and run the offense, but not be a main part of it.
At CSU? Attack time. Early and often Bargesser was the focal point of the offense, attacking the basket and getting shots off.
She scored a career-high 22 points (her previous best was 15 at Indiana), while also adding four rebounds and three assists.
“When she can get to her spot, she’s pretty hard to handle,” CSU coach Ryun Williams said.
There will also be room to grow. Bargesser was a 24-point-per-game scorer as a top-75 recruit in high school but that role was taken away at Indiana.
So, she’ll be doing some re-learning of how to be an offensive focal point now.
“This is such unfamiliar territory for her at this level. I think it takes a while. Her role was totally different at Indiana,” Williams said.
“I think when she gets even more comfortable on the floor, she’s going to be really difficult to handle. We need to be patient. I feel we’re being fairly patient with her. And she needs to be patient with herself and show herself some grace.”
Bargesser shot career-high 20 attempts (11-20 shooting) to get her 22 points and was 0-4 on 3-pointers, forcing a bit late to try and hit one. She also had four turnovers. That’s OK, though. It’s part of the process and Bargesser was recruited with the promise that it was her time to get to let it fly.
This felt like just another step.
“Coach Williams and all the coaches have put so much confidence in me and I just felt like this was no different day, it was just like practice and I can go out there and be me,” Bargesser said.
CSU senior guard Marta Leimane has played 79 career games at CSU, starting 38 of them (including 27 last season).
She came off the bench in this one and it worked perfectly.
Leimane hit three of five 3-point attempts and scored 17 points. It was a good sign after offensive struggles last season, including shooting 25% from 3-point range.
The move also helps CSU spread out its talent and build depth. The Rams scored 31 bench points and no one played more than 35 minutes (CSU’s minutes leader last season was Emma Ronsiek at 37 per game).
“I like bringing arguably your best guard off the bench. That just balances out. We shouldn’t have a letdown,” Williams said.
The Rams scored 75 or more seven times last season, so the earliest sign is CSU has added scoring power.
CSU had two freshmen shine last season in guards Brooke Carlson and Kloe Froebe.
But the next step for young stars is not only to maintain their level, but grow their game.
Froebe showed off a potential new weapon. She averaged 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game as a freshman but the 3-pointer was not part of the arsenal.
Froebe was just 5-33 (15%) last season. In the opener? She hit three of four attempts from deep and scored 11 points.
“My heart was smiling on those because that young lady has really, really worked on it,” Williams said, also noting that the 3’s were all in rhythm of the offense and not forced.
Froebe also had a career-high six assists.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Lexus Bargesser shines as CSU women's basketball wins opener
Continue reading...
That was the debut for the Colorado State women’s basketball team on the 2025-26 season as the Rams beat Weber State 75-58 on Nov. 4 at Moby Arena.
As opening games go, CSU had a bit of everything. The Rams were on fire early, shooting 70% from the floor in the first half. CSU had to fight through an ugly at times third quarter.
The Rams worked through it all and started 1-0.
Here are takeaways from the game.
Lexus Bargesser shows off her new role
CSU senior Lexus Bargesser was playing her first game since transferring from Indiana. The 5-foot-9 guard played 90 games at Indiana, including six in the NCAA Tournament.
She has a lot of college experience, but this role is new. At Indiana she was a mostly bench player to come in and defend and run the offense, but not be a main part of it.
At CSU? Attack time. Early and often Bargesser was the focal point of the offense, attacking the basket and getting shots off.
She scored a career-high 22 points (her previous best was 15 at Indiana), while also adding four rebounds and three assists.
“When she can get to her spot, she’s pretty hard to handle,” CSU coach Ryun Williams said.
There will also be room to grow. Bargesser was a 24-point-per-game scorer as a top-75 recruit in high school but that role was taken away at Indiana.
So, she’ll be doing some re-learning of how to be an offensive focal point now.
“This is such unfamiliar territory for her at this level. I think it takes a while. Her role was totally different at Indiana,” Williams said.
“I think when she gets even more comfortable on the floor, she’s going to be really difficult to handle. We need to be patient. I feel we’re being fairly patient with her. And she needs to be patient with herself and show herself some grace.”
Bargesser shot career-high 20 attempts (11-20 shooting) to get her 22 points and was 0-4 on 3-pointers, forcing a bit late to try and hit one. She also had four turnovers. That’s OK, though. It’s part of the process and Bargesser was recruited with the promise that it was her time to get to let it fly.
This felt like just another step.
“Coach Williams and all the coaches have put so much confidence in me and I just felt like this was no different day, it was just like practice and I can go out there and be me,” Bargesser said.
Marta Leimane’s shift a move to more depth
CSU senior guard Marta Leimane has played 79 career games at CSU, starting 38 of them (including 27 last season).
She came off the bench in this one and it worked perfectly.
Leimane hit three of five 3-point attempts and scored 17 points. It was a good sign after offensive struggles last season, including shooting 25% from 3-point range.
The move also helps CSU spread out its talent and build depth. The Rams scored 31 bench points and no one played more than 35 minutes (CSU’s minutes leader last season was Emma Ronsiek at 37 per game).
“I like bringing arguably your best guard off the bench. That just balances out. We shouldn’t have a letdown,” Williams said.
The Rams scored 75 or more seven times last season, so the earliest sign is CSU has added scoring power.
Kloe Froebe shows potential new weapon
CSU had two freshmen shine last season in guards Brooke Carlson and Kloe Froebe.
But the next step for young stars is not only to maintain their level, but grow their game.
Froebe showed off a potential new weapon. She averaged 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game as a freshman but the 3-pointer was not part of the arsenal.
Froebe was just 5-33 (15%) last season. In the opener? She hit three of four attempts from deep and scored 11 points.
“My heart was smiling on those because that young lady has really, really worked on it,” Williams said, also noting that the 3’s were all in rhythm of the offense and not forced.
Froebe also had a career-high six assists.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Lexus Bargesser shines as CSU women's basketball wins opener
Continue reading...
