Colorado Turns Attention to North Carolina

BOULDER—The Colorado women's basketball team closes out its season-opening three-game homestand on with North Carolina on Sunday.

The game is a rematch from last season. Colorado traveled to Chapel Hill and took the Tar Heels to overtime. The two teams finished regulation tied at 74. UNC shot 5-of-9 in overtime and outscored Colorado, 13-6, on its way to the 87-80 win.

Kennedy Leonard led Colorado with 24 points and seven assists. Alexis Robinson totaled 16 points and Annika Jank added 15 in the loss. North Carolina's Paris Kea led all scorers with 28.

Sunday will be the third ever meeting between the Buffaloes and Tar Heels. The two schools first met in Boulder for the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. Colorado got 34 points from Tera Bjorklund in the Buffs' 86-67 win.

North Carolina is the second Atlantic Coast Conference team to visit the CU Events Center in the past two seasons. The Buffs beat Miami (Fla.) last season, 67-61. Sunday will be the Tar Heels' first game west of the Mississippi River since 2015.

"It is kind of crazy we have only had two games," head coach JR Payne said following the win over CSU. "It seems like some other teams have played three or four games already. This week of practice was really good. We had some great practices. The great thing is now we can shift all our focus to North Carolina. We were pouring everything into Colorado State and now these guys have to flush that really quickly. Everything has to be about UNC. They are a great team. They are also undefeated. We are excited for them to come play us here at the Events Center."

Colorado has been aggressive on the glass in its first two games. The Buffs are averaging 46.0 rebounds per game and rank 11th in the NCAA with 20 offensive boards per game. Freshman Peanut Tuitele is averaging 9.0 rebounds per game, ranking eighth in the Pac-12.

The Buffs also rank second in the Pac-12 with 91 forced turnovers in two games. Leonard leads the conference with 4.0 swipes per game. Colorado has scored 23.0 points per game off of turnovers this season.

Sunday's tip is set for 1 p.m. MT. Fans can listen to the Buffs all season long on AM 630 (KHOW).

Promotions: #SundayFunday. There will be pregame inflatables, face painting, games and crafts in Chip's Corral. Kids 12 and under are free. Fans with a ticket from Saturday's football game against Utah will receive $5 tickets.

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Players Mentioned

Annika Jank

Kennedy Leonard

Alexis Robinson

Peanut Tuitele