Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Utah
Buffs Back at Home Against the Utes
January 05, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Colorado plays its first home game of 2023
BOULDER – Colorado women's basketball will be back in action at the CU Events Center on Friday (7 p.m. MT), hosting No. 8 Utah in the Buffaloes' first home game since Dec. 16.
Colorado (12-3, 2-1 Pac-12) has played eight road games and a total of nine games away from Boulder this season. The Buffs have had success away from their home court, boasting five wins in six wins in those nine games.
"It's wonderful to be home," head coach JR Payne expressed. "We played so many road games this year, even though we're only halfway through the season. It's wonderful for all of us to be able to stay home. I think the biggest thing is just being able to get into a routine. We haven't started back with classes yet so we can just focus on rest, recovery and training. I think all our players and coaches can enjoy that."
The Buffs fresh off a Pac-12 sweep at Washington and Washington State have won their last four games. CU has had three players average double-figure points in the current stretch, led by sophomore Aaronette Vonleh. The Arizona transfer scored a career-high 20 points at Washington State and is averaging a team-best 15.0 ppg in the last four games. Quay Miller (14.3) and Frida Formann (12.5) have also been key-offensive contributors. Â
Defensively, Miller is averaging 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Tameiya Sadler has been big on the defensive end, notching 12 steals.
"I think the goal is to just play great basketball every time we play," Payne added. "We want to play good, clean basketball. Play hard. Be together. Be organized. I think if we can continue to do that and continue to build off of last weekend's success, then we can continue to be successful."
CU's last loss came at the start of Pac-12 play in Salt Lake City. The Buffs stumbled against the undefeated Utes (14-0, 3-0 Pac-12) who have gotten off to their best start since the 1997-98 season.
"They're a really good team," Payne continued. "It's a tough matchup no matter what. We went back and watched the film again and there were a lot of things that felt out of sorts for us. We didn't feel very organized. The execution wasn't great on either side of the floor. We are really trying to prioritize making sure we're all on the same page, organized in what we're doing and just try to play better basketball."
Friday is the Buffaloes' annual Pride game. Fans will receive free CU Pride buttons to display throughout the game.
Cory Lopez and Carol Callan will have the call on the Colorado Radio Network, the Varsity App and CUBuffs.com/Listen. Pregame coverage will start a half-hour before tip.
Thad Anderson and former Buff Kami Carmann Snyder will team up for the Pac-12 Network broadcast. Â
