Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Host Utah In Rematch Sunday
February 06, 2016 | Women's Basketball
THE GAME: The University of Colorado concludes its home-and-home series with the Utah Utes on Sunday, Feb. 7 at the Coors Events Center. Tip off is set for 12 p.m. MT.
BROADCAST: Sunday's game is scheduled to air live on Pac-12 Mountain. Kate Scott will have the call alongside Mary Murphy. The game will also be available on KKZN 760 AM with Cory Lopez and Carol Callan of USA Basketball.
ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado is 6-16 overall and 1-10 in Pac-12 play. The Buffaloes earned their first Pac-12 win of the season a week ago (Jan. 31), defeating Southern California, 66-63 at home then had a setback at Utah on Thursday (Feb. 4) as the Utes topped Colorado 71-55 in Salt Lake City.
On the offensive end, the Buffaloes are averaging 62.5 points per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the field. Colorado is shooting 73.3
percent at the free throw line, which ranks fourth in the Pac-12 Conference. The team has also been solid from long distance as CU ranks fourth among Pac-12 teams in 3-point field goal percentage, connecting on 34.7 percent of its shots behind the arc.
Defensively, Colorado has allowed 68.5 points per game on 40.9 percent from the field. The Buffaloes average 37.2 total rebounds, and are fourth in the Pac-12 with 4.4 blocked shots per game.
Senior Jamee Swan has been the team's top scorer and rebounder throughout the season, averaging 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds while hitting 43.8 percent from the field and 66.3 percent from the free throw line. Swan has also recorded a team-leading 36 blocks on the season and three double-doubles.
Swan ranks 14th in the Pac-12 in scoring, ninth in field goal percentage, 13th in overall rebounding, 10th in free throw percentage, is 11th with 5.3 defensive rebounds per game and is fourth in blocked shots (1.8 bpg).
Freshman Kennedy Leonard has made a significant impact for the Buffaloes in her debut season as the team's starting point guard and continues to grow into a leadership role on the floor. She enters the game as Colorado's second highest scorer, averaging 11.7 points per game and has also dished out a team-leading 99 assists, averaging 4.5 in each contest.
On the Pac-12 leaderboard, Leonard is 19th in scoring, seventh in assists, 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.4) and tied for 11th in steals (1.5 spg).
Junior guard Haley Smith is having a strong 2015-16 campaign on both defense and offense. She's averaging 10.5 points per game and is second on the team with 5.7 rebounds. She has been one of Colorado's most accurate shooters from the field at 47.0 percent and at the free throw line where she has gone 33-of-37 (.892).
Smith ranks 24th overall in the conference in scoring and 18th in rebounding.
Junior wing Lauren Huggins is averaging 8.4 points per game and is third on the team in 3-point shooting, connecting on 41-of-106 of her shots for a 38.7 field goal percentage from behind the arc. In eight Pac-12 games this season, Huggins has shot 40.5 percent from the 3-point line. She tied a career-high with five treys against Arizona. The Littleton, Colo. native is fourth in the conference in 3-point field goals made as she averages 2.2 per game and ninth in 3-point field goal percentage. She has missed the last three games due to concussion protocol.
Freshman Alexis Robinson has earned a place in the starting line up since the Buffs' second Pac-12 game of the season (vs. Washington State) after providing a nice spark off the bench during non-conference action. The Ashland, Ky. native is averaging 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. She is shooting 36.8 percent from the 3-point line, third-best on the team and has connected on 34.5 percent of her shots from the field. Robinson had one of her best offensive performances of her young career against UMass when she scored a personal-best 21 points and her best defensive performance came in the Buffs' Pac-12 opener when she held Washington's Kelsey Plum to a season low 18 points, 10 below her nation leading average of 28.1 per game at the time.
Junior Zoe Beard-Fails leads the team in scoring and rebounding off the bench. She is averaging 4.8 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 71.1 percent at the free throw line.
Sophomore center Zoe Correal is averaging 2.1 points and 3.5 rebounds and is second on the team in blocked shots with 16 total. All 13 of her career starts have come this season.
Sophomore Brecca Thomas and freshman Makenzie Ellis have also contributed in various ways off the bench. Collectively, the duo is averaging 6.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this season.
ABOUT UTAH: The Utah Utes are 13-9 overall and 5-6 in the Pac-12, already surpassing their win total from last year. After opening conference play with a 4-1 record, the Utes have gone 1-5 since then. The Utes defeated the Buffs, 71-55 on Thursday, Feb. 4 in Salt Lake City. Utah is averaging 68.4 points a game on 41.8 percent shooting from the field. Utah ranks third in the conference in free throw accuracy, connecting on 73.5 percent of its attempts at the line. Defensively, Utah allows 67.1 points per game on 38.1 percent shooting, which ranks fifth in the Pac-12. They are one of the league's top rebounding squads, averaging 43.0 boards and own the second-best rebounding margin at plus-8.2 per game.
Forward Emily Potter leads the Utes as she is averaging a double-double on 16.1 points and 11.0 rebounds. Potter is eighth in the conference in scoring and second in rebounding. She also ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage, shooting 50.7 percent from the floor. Wing Paige Crozon also averages double-figures in scoring, recording 12.3 points per game while pulling down 8.2 rebounds. Guard Danielle Rodriguez leads the team with 4.6 assists per game.
Head coach Lynne Roberts is in her first season with Utah.
THE SERIES: This will be the 28th meeting between Colorado and Utah with the Buffaloes owning a 14-13 series lead. Colorado has won 8-of-110 since the two teams joined the Pac-12 for the 2011-12 season and the Buffs have won 14 of the last 21 overall, which dates back to 1980.
Linda Lappe is 7-3 against Utah as a head coach. Lynne Roberts is 1-0 against Colorado as a head coach.
WHAT'S NEXT?: The Buffaloes are on the road next weekend, traveling to play the Oregon schools. Colorado faces Oregon State on Friday, Feb. 12 and then battles Oregon on Sunday, Feb. 14. Both contests will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
