February 1, 2026
How Lexus Bargesser is making Colorado State a Mountain West threat
Williams: 'She's just an elite athlete that plays with a tremendous amount of force'
After a heated minute of back and forth play on Saturday, the University of Nevada Las Vegas Lady Rebels and Colorado State Rams were still scoreless. It was time for Lexus Bargesser to make her presence known in the paint. She grabbed the ball, took the jump shot and secured the first two points of the game.
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The Rams ultimately lost 64-51, but Bargesser still had herself an afternoon. The Colorado State leading scorer had 26 points in the matchup, as well as five rebounds, two assists and only one foul.
Bargesser spent the last three seasons with the Indiana Hoosiers but made the move to the Rocky Mountain state for her senior year. Emerging as the team’s leading scorer, it’s clear the Rams and Bargesser are the perfect match.
Bargesser currently averages 15.4 points a game and has amassed 365 points on the season. Before the match, Bargesser had 339 total points. When asked, she told The IX Basketball that her goal for the day was to reach 340, if she had to aspire to earn a number of points at all.
“I honestly haven’t even thought about that,” Bargesser admitted to The IX. “If I could get 340 at least, that would be great.”
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Aside from her scoring, Bargesser has been a critical leader for the Rams. Last season, the Rams went 22-10, losing in the quarterfinal of the Mountain West tournament. Now, the Rams sit fourth in the Mountain West with a 17-6 record overall, and 8-4 in the conference. Bargesser’s Big Ten experience and leadership could lead Colorado State to a strong tournament run.
“She’s increased her ability to play-make for us,” head coach Ryun Williams told The IX. “She scores in a variety of different ways, from her pull up to her physicality around the basket. She’s made some big threes for us this year. She’s grown her perimeter game, and then she’s just an elite athlete that plays with a tremendous amount of force.”
As Williams looked through the 2025 transfer portal, he identified Bargesser as a critical player with a unique skill set. While her experience with the Indiana Hoosiers and the Big Ten helped her stand out, her skill caught Williams’s eye.
“[She’s] very athletic, very tough,” Williams told The IX Basketball. “I thought she could be a matchup, mismatch type of player for us, and we just saw a good player that probably needed an opportunity to shine, and she’s done that.”
When Bargesser looked into Colorado State, she also saw a good match. She saw that Williams created a strong and positive team environment where fun and hard work would balance each other out.
”I’d say what stood out to me most was just [the] coaching staff and personalities,” Bargesser told The IX Basketball. “You could tell that they were good people and they really cared and had a passion for what they were doing. I really just wanted to make sure I was at a place that everyone took it serious, worked hard, but also could be light off the court and build relationships.”
Williams reciprocated that energy to Bargesser, allowing her to take on the leadership role and have fun at the same time.
“You’ve wanted responsibility and you’ve earned that here,” Williams told Bargesser, as she explained to The IX Basketball. “Just free it up and go have some fun.”
Bargesser’s been able to do just that. In addition to her 365 points, she also has 131 rebounds (23 offensive and 108 defensive). She’s managed 69 assists, 35 steals and 15 blocks on the season as well. Her abilities on both ends of the court are making the Colorado State Rams a truly dangerous team as the regular season winds down and playoffs loom around the corner.
“We’re at the top of the league too,” Bargesser told The IX. “Every team has to compete with us.”
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