Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Host Annual Omni Classic Friday and Saturday
November 27, 2015 | Women's Basketball
THE GAME: The University of Colorado hosts the 29th Annual Omni Hotels Classic, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27-28, at the Coors Events Center.
Friday, Nov. 27
Ball State vs. Florida, 5 p.m.
UMass at Colorado, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 28
Consolation, 5 p.m.
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
BROADCAST: Colorado's games of the Omni Classic will air live on KKZN 760 AM. Cory Lopez will have the call with Carol Callan of USA Basketball providing the color commentary. A free live video stream will be available through Colorado's Pac-12.com video player. All CU women's basketball home games that are not televised will be available through Pac-12.com at this link:
http://pac-12.com/videos/university-colorado
ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado opened the season with two straight wins and then fell in a tough road game against then-No. 13 Kentucky last weekend by an 86-61 final score. The Buffaloes will look to rebound and get back in the win column this weekend as they host the two-day Omni Classic.
Freshman Kennedy Leonard has made quite the impact for the Buffaloes in such a short amount of time. She enters the weekend as Colorado's leading scoring, averaging 13.7 points per game and has also dished out a team-leading 22 assists over three games at the starting point-guard position.
In her final year playing in a Buffs' uniform, senior Jamee Swan has been consistent with her play over the firs tthree games of the season. Swan is averaging a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game, while averaging 13 points in each game. She also has a team-leading six blocks on the season.
Junior Zoe Beard-Fails is coming off what head coach Linda Lappe described as her “best peformance” of her collegiate career when CU was playing at Kentucky. Beard-Fails shot 5-of-6 from the floor and had 12 points paired with five rebounds. She is second on the team in rebounds, averaging 6.3 in each game.
Junior Haley Smith has started each of the first three games and is averaging 9.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. Smith has shot an impressive .571 on 21 field goal attempts.
The Buffaloes have also received high-energy play from their bench.Junior Lauren Huggins, sophomores Zoe Correal and Brecca Thomas, and freshman Alexis Robinson where they have combined to shoot .419 (26-of-62).
ABOUT UMASS: The Minutewomen travel to Boulder with a 1-2 record on the season. After opening their 2015-16 campaign with a win against Holy Cross, UMass has since dropped two straight contests.
Guard Bria Stallworth leads the team on the offensive end, averaging 17 points in each contest and has recorded 11 total assists, second -most on the team.
Forward Rashida Timbilla is strong on the glass, collecting 12 rebounds per game, the only one on her team to be averaging in double-digits for rebounding. Throgh three games she already has 36 total.
As a squad, the Minutewomen are averaging just over 62 points per game while allowing 61 to opponents.
THE SERIES: This will be the second meeting between Colorado and UMass. The Minutewomen won the prior meeting 70-62 in the first round of the 2008 Omni Classic. Colorado has only played one of Saturday's potential opponents. The Buffs are 1-1 all-time against Florida, including a 1-0 record when hosting the Gators at the Coors Events Center. Colorado has never faced Ball State.
WHAT'S NEXT?: After this weekend, Colorado is on the road for its next two contests. The Buffaloes play in-state rival Colorado State on Wed., Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. in Fort Collins and then travel to California to face Long Beach State on Sun., Dec. 2 at 3 p.m.
THE CLASSIC: This is the 29th edition of Colorado's Thanksgiving holiday tournament, known as the Omni Hotels Classic for the seventh year. Colorado has won 18 of 27 Omni Classic titles and has played in every championship game but three. The Buffaloes are 46-10 all-time in the classic. This will be the first appearance for Ball State and Florida, and second for UMass
