Colorado University Athletics
CU Returns Home To Host Iowa State
THE GAME: The University of Colorado (6-11, 1-4 Big 12) returns home to host Iowa State University (11-4, 2-2 Big 12) on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Coors Events/Conference Center.
BROADCAST: SaturdayGÇÖs game will be broadcast live on KKZN 760 AM, BoulderGÇÖs Progressive Talk Station. Tim Smile will handle play by play duties and is joined by USA BasketballGÇÖs Carol Callan with the color commentary. Internet audio streaming of the game will be available through Yahoo! Sports. Live video streaming of SaturdayGÇÖs battle will be available to Stampede Online subscribers at CUBuffs.com.
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is returning from a two-game road trip and will be looking for its second win in its last seven contests when Iowa State comes to Boulder on Saturday. The Buffaloes are 5-4 at the Coors Events/Conference Center this season and have won four of their last six. CUGÇÖs numbers at home arenGÇÖt drastically different than its overall totals. The Buffaloes are averaging 70.7 points per game, outrebounding their opponents by four and shooting 41 percent from the field. The largest home advantage for CU is its opponents are shooting only 39 percent from the floor as opposed to 41 percent for the entire season.
Sophomore Jackie McFarland leads Colorado in rebounding (9.8 rpg) and ranks second in scoring (17.5 ppg), just dipping under a season-long double-double during the loss to Missouri. McFarland has four games of 15-plus rebounds this season including the latest -- a 15-board performance against Kansas. Junior Jasmina Ilic holds the team lead in scoring (17.9 ppg), and much like last season has upped her average during the Big 12 schedule. Ilic, who led the Buffs in conference scoring last winter (11.4 ppg), is currently at 18.8 points through five league games including a Big 12 season-best 36 against Nebraska. Junior Anna Nedovic has started all 17 games for the Buffaloes averaging 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Overall, Nedovic is hitting 42 percent from the floor, but that number has climbed to 49 percent over the last 14 games.
When they havenGÇÖt been fighting injuries, CUGÇÖs back-court trio of senior Whitney Law and sophomores Lauren Lubin and Yari Escalera have put up some impressive numbers. Law has ranked among the Big 12GÇÖs top 10 in assists and assist/turnover ratio all season. Escalera, the fourth-best foul shooter in the Big 12 at 84.9 percent, had a career-high seven assists and scored 14 second-half points against South Dakota State. Lubin, who started 11-straight games before being sidelined with a mild concussion, is hitting nearly 50 percent from the field as a starter (18x39) and is second on the team in assists and third in rebounding. Escalera (.849), Lubin (.842), McFarland (.780) and Ilic (.776) each rank in among the top 11 free-throw shooters in the Big 12.
NOT JUST FRESHMAN ANYMORE: Now that the Big 12 season is well underway, ColoradoGÇÖs freshman duo of forward Caley Dow and guard Hannah Skildum are seeing their roles increase as well as their productivity. Despite being shut out at Missouri, Skildum is averaging 6.6 points through five Big 12 games, up from a 4.6 season average. She has started the last three games in place of Lauren Lubin, who missed two games with an injury, and has registered a personal best 12 points at Oklahoma and at Kansas State. Dow is averaging 7.4 points through five Big 12 games, hitting 53 percent from the field, and is the teamGÇÖs second leading rebounder (4.8 rpg). Dow is averaging 10.3 points and 5.7 rebounds over the last three games.
SCHEDULE CHANGES: Colorado has announced a time change for its home game with Kansas State and a change to its television schedule with Fox Sports Net-Rocky Mountain.
ColoradoGÇÖs game against Kansas State on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Coors Events/Conference Center will now be played at 7 p.m. MST and will still air live as planned on FSN-Rocky Mountain. The game will immediately follow the CU-Texas A&M menGÇÖs contest scheduled to air live from College Station, Texas, on FSN-Rocky Mountain at 5 p.m. MST. The KSU game was originally scheduled for 8 p.m.
Additionally, FSN-Rocky Mountain has opted to televise the CU womenGÇÖs home game against Texas A&M on Tuesday, Jan. 24, and will no longer air the home contest against Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 18. The change was made due to a scheduling conflict with FSN-Rocky Mountain on Feb. 18. Game time for both contests will remain at 7 p.m.
RICHARDS WILL REDSHIRT: Sophomore center Kara Richards, who has not played in a regular season game this season due to a broken foot, will miss the remainder of the year and use this as her redshirt season CU head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller announced on Tuesday.
Richards suffered a Jones fracture ? a fracture to the fifth meta-tarsal ? in her left foot on Nov. 15, just three dayGÇÖs before CUGÇÖs season opening win over Cal State University-Fullerton. She underwent surgery on Nov. 16 and the initial diagnosis had her missing anywhere from four to eight weeks. Richards was in a cast until Dec. 28, and returned to light practice last week, but was not making the progress needed to return to the line up in the near future as soreness from her injury continues.
Richards will be a sophomore in eligibility for the 2006-07 campaign. She did appear in CUGÇÖs two exhibition games in November averaging 12 points and 6.5 rebounds.
A native of Graham, Texas, Richards started in 26 of 28 games for the Buffaloes as a true freshman last winter, averaging nine points, 5.3 rebounds and one block per game. She earned a spot on the Waco Tribune-HeraldGÇÖs All-Big 12 Conference Freshman team in 2004-05 and was named the BuffsGÇÖ Rookie of the Year.
LAST TIME OUT: Missouri had four players score in double digits and won the battle of rebounds and turnovers to claim a 69-49 Big 12 Conference triumph over Colorado on Jan. 18 at Mizzou Arena.
The Buffaloes, who dropped their 11th straight on the road, fall to 6-11 overall, 1-4 in the Big 12. MU improves to 14-3, 4-1 in league play.
The Tigers, winners of 10-straight at home this season, out-rebounded CU 42-31 for the game and had 17 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second-chance points. Missouri forced 15 CU turnovers, which was actually lower than the BuffsGÇÖ season average, but more than took advantage with 19 points off those turnovers.
Colorado hit 41 percent for the game and scored its lowest point total of the season.
Jasmina Ilic led CU with 15 points. Caley Dow had 11 points, all in the second half, and six rebounds. Jackie McFarland had 11 points and was held to just four rebounds, six lower than her season average.
MissouriGÇÖs Christelle NGÇÖGarsanet and LaToya Bond each had 15 points while Carlynn Savant and EeTisha Riddle had 14. Savant, who hit 3-of-6 from 3-point range, notched a double-double grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.
Missouri sprinted out to a 26-10 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game shooting 11-of-21 from the field (52 percent). Riddle had 10 of her 12 first half points during the Tiger run including a pair of old fashioned 3-point plays. Foul trouble plagued the Buffs early as McFarland, Whitney Law and Anna Nedovic each two fouls in the gameGÇÖs first 10 minutes.
The Buffs reeled the Tigers back in, cutting the lead to eight at 29-21, but only scored one point ? on a Law free throw ? in the final 6:12 of the first period as Missouri built its lead back up to 19 (41-22) at the break.
ABOUT THE CYCLONES: Iowa State is 11-4 overall, 2-2 in the Big 12, and will play its first game in a week on Saturday. The Cyclones are coming off a 79-57 home win over Nebraska on Jan. 14. Junior guard Lyndsey Medders has proven to be a dangerous offensive weapon for Iowa State. Medders is averaging 16.2 points per game and leads the nation with 8.5 assists per contests. She also ranks in the top 15 nationally in free-throw percentage at 89.1 percent. Senior center Brittany Wilkins is averaging a team-best 9.3 rebounds per game and her 14.3 points per game is more than double her career average coming into the season. Iowa State continues to be one of the best 3-point field goal shooting teams in the Big 12, making nearly eight per game. Freshman guard Heather Ezell is the latest in ISUGÇÖs long line of sharp shooters from down town, sporting a club-best 40 3-pointers in her first 15 collegiate games. Ezell has the thrid-best scoring mark for the Cyclones at 12.1 points per game and is second to Medders in assists (49).
SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 55th meeting between Colorado and Iowa State with the Buffaloes holding a 35-19 series lead. The Cyclones won all three meetings last season, putting and end to a four-game Buffs win streak in the series from 2003-04. Iowa State took a 76-64 decision in Boulder last January, a 103-76 win in Ames last February, and a last-second 64-62 win in the first round of the 2005 Big 12 Tournament. ColoradoGÇÖs last win over ISU came in Boulder, 72-67, on Feb. 11, 2004.
CUGÇÖS LAST 10 GAMES AGAINST IOWA STATE IN BOULDER
Date Result Date Result
1/8/05 L, 64-76 1/8/00 L, 68-83
2/11/04 W, 72-67 1/13/99 L, 84-90
1/8/03 W, 64-63 1/14/98 L, 67-76
1/23/02 W, 86-73 3/1/97 W, 64-55
2/14/01 W, 73-66 1/19/96 W, 78-66
Kathy McConnell-Miller is has never faced Iowa State as a head coach.
VAST IMPROVEMENTS: With just over half the regular season in the books, a few Colorado players have already surpassed last year totals in several different categories. Whitney Law has a team-best 61 assists this season compared to 48 in 27 games in 2004-05. Jasmina Ilic has a team-high 304 points which has passed her 2004-05 total of 280, and has four more steals (18) than she did in 28 games last year. Yari Escalera has nine more points (114) than she did all of last year and has also passed her rebouding output rom her freshman campaign. Jackie McFarland has 27 more points, nine more steals and four more blocks through 17 games than she did in 27 games as a freshman.
FIRST 17/5: Comparing statistics from ColoradoGÇÖs first 17 games last year, and the first 17 games this year, the most significant improvements for the Buffaloes are in scoring, rebounding and free-throw shooting. CU is averaging 6.4 more points per game than at the same time last year. The Buffs have scored 80 or more points five times this season as opposed to once in the entire 2004-05 campaign. Many of those points are coming off free throws. Colorado is getting to the line seven more times per game and making good on 6.7 more per game reflecting a solid .735 free-throw percentage -- currently second in the Big 12 -- as opposed to .649 last season. Colorado is also averaging nearly three more rebounds than this time last year and enjoying an even greater rebounding margin. CUGÇÖs averaging 3.8 more rebounds per game than its opponent this year while the Buffs were -0.6 through 17 games in 2004-05.
CU has fallen off on its 3-point field-goal shooting, down 3.3 percent from last year. The Buffs are actually giving up fewer turnovers from last year (+2.0) and have a better assist/turnover ratio (+0.12) but their turnover margin is 1.9 higher than this time last year.
Comparing the first five Big 12 games to last yearGÇÖs first five league contests, Colorado is scoring 3.8 more points per game, shooting 4.1 percent better from the floor, making 4.8 more free throws per game and hitting 3.2 percent better from the foul line.
Colorado Statistics Through 17/5 Games
17 Overall 5 Big 12
2004-05 2005-06 2004-05 2005-06
Record 8-9 6-11 1-4 1-4
Points 64.1 70.5 58.6 62.4
Points Allowed 68.1 70.0 74.8 76.6
Scoring Margin -4.1 +0.5 -16.2 -14.2
Field Goals 23.6 23.8 22.4 22.6
Field Goal Att. 56.9 56.6 58.4 53.2
Field Goal Pct. .415 .420 .384 .425
3-pt Field Goals 4.8 4.4 4.6 3.2
3-pt Field Goal Att. 14.6 14.7 15.0 12.8
3-pt Field Goal Pct. .329 .296 .307 .250
Free Throws 11.9 18.6 9.2 14.0
Free Throw Att. 18.4 25.4 14.8 21.4
Free Throw Pct. .649 .735 .622 .654
Offensive Rebounds 11.9 13.8 12.2 10.8
Defensive Rebounds 25.6 26.2 24.4 23.0
Total Rebounds 37.5 39.9 36.6 33.8
Rebounding Margin -0.6 +3.8 -3.4 -3.2
Fouls 16.4 17.6 18.4 15.4
Assists 12.5 13.4 12.0 10.6
Turnovers 19.6 17.6 23.4 18.2
Assist/TO Ratio 0.64 0.76 0.51 0.58
Turnover Margin -1.5 -3.4 -3.0 -4.8
Blocks 3.2 3.2 2.2 2.6
Steals 7.5 7.1 7.6 5.8
ILIC HITS 30 TWICE: Jasmina IlicGÇÖs 36 point performance against Nebraska is the best individual total in the Big 12 Conference this year and third on CUGÇÖs all-time single game list just behind co-record holders Susan Horner who had 38 against Weber State on Mar. 10, 1979, and Tracy Tripp who also had 38 at Oklahoma State on Feb. 4, 1987. Ilic is the first player in team history to score 33 or more points twice in the same season as she had 34 points in CUGÇÖs season-opening win over Cal State-Fullerton.
McFARLAND 20-10: Jackie McFarland is the first player in CU womenGÇÖs basketball history to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds over the first seven games of a season, in fact, she was the first to do it in the first four games of a season. McFarland dipped below the 20-10 numbers at the San Juan Shootout, and is nearly averaging a double-double with 17.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
ILIC, McFARLAND TOP SCORING DUO: Jasmina Ilic and Jackie McFarland are 1-2 in team scoring and are on pace to become the highest scoring duo in team history over an entire season. Ilic currently holds CUGÇÖs sixth best point total through 17 games while McFarland is right behind in seventh. Lisa Van Goor and Diane Hiemstra hold the title of CUGÇÖs highest scoring pair. Van Goor averaged 17 points and Hiemstra 16.7 per game in 1982-83.
POINTS AVERAGE FIRST 17 GAMES
Name (Season) PPG Total
1. Tera Bjorklund (2003-04) 19.8 336
2. Jamillah Lang (1993-94) 19.6 334
3. Lisa Van Goor (1981-82) 18.6 316
4. Lisa Van Goor (1980-81) 18.5 315
5. Diane Hiemstra (1983-84) 17.9 305
6. Jasmina Ilic (2005-06) 17.9 304
7. Jackie McFarland (2005-06) 17.5 298
LUBIN BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLES: With her performances against Utah State and Colorado State sophomore guard Lauren Lubin became just the fifth true guard in team history to record two or more points-rebounds double-doubles in a career and only the second to do it back-to-back games. Former Big Eight Conference MVP Bridget Turner did it in back-to-back games during the 1988-89 season and leads all CU guards with nine total points-rebounds double-doubles. Lubin joins three other guards with two points-rebounds double-doubles and included in that list is teammate Whitney Law who had a pair last season. Lubin had 13 points and 13 rebounds against Utah State and had 15 points and 10 rebounds at CSU.
CLIMBING THE ?3GÇÖ LADDER: Jasmina Ilic hit one 3-point field goal at Missouri to move into a ninth place tie on the schoolGÇÖs 3-pointer list with Sabrina Scott (1999-03) at 74.
Junior Anna Nedovic is tied with Shelley Garcia (1994-99) for 14th on the all-time list with 44.
BLOCK PARTY: Sophomore Jackie McFarland is 11th on CUGÇÖs all time list for blocked shots with 52. She has 28 this season -- four more than her freshman season total -- including a school-record tying eight in one game against South Dakota State on Dec. 28. McFarland needs seven blocks to move into the career top 10.
MILESTONES GALORE IN SEASON OPENER: Several milestones were reached in ColoradoGÇÖs season-opening 100-71 win over Cal State-Fullerton.
Junior Jasmina Ilic and sophomore Jackie McFarland each had 34 points, both career highs, marking the first time in team history two players hit the 30-point mark in the same game. McFarland recorded her sixth career double-double, grabbing a personal-high 15 rebounds. Ilic also had a personal-best 12 field goals and tied a career mark with 10 rebounds.
Senior Whitney Law dished out a school record 15 assists, breaking the previous record of 14, which was done twice, last by La Shena Graham vs. Missouri in 1998. She also had nine assists in the first half, breaking a 26-year old school record. Sandy Bean recorded eight assists in a half against Northern Colorado on Feb. 1, 1979.
Colorado recorded its first 100 point game since a 114-52 win over St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 28, 1994. CUGÇÖs 58 first-half points tied for the sixth-most in team history, a feat also achieved against TCU on Dec. 7, 1993 and vs. St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 28, 1994.
CLASSIC IN REVIEW: Colorado placed third in the 19th Annual Coors Classic Tournament Nov. 25-26 at the Coors Events Conference Center. The Buffaloes fell to Northern Iowa, 74-65, in overtime marking the first time in Coors Classic history that CU lost a first round match up. Colorado rebounded to take the consolation game from Utah State, 73-56. Northern Iowa would go on to take the tournament title by defeating Illinois 71-47.
Jackie McFarland was named to the All-Tournament team as she averaged 18 points, 8.5 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Northern Iowa senior center Cassie Hager, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks against CU, was the tournament MVP.
WALLACE ACTIVATED: Junior forward Courtney Wallace has waited more than a year to put on the Buffaloes uniform and now laces them up with the rest of the squad. Wallace, a walk-on transfer from CU-Colorado Springs, was officially added to the active roster on Nov. 17. Wallace practiced with the Buffs for most of last season as she sat out her NCAA mandated redshirted year after transferring from the Springs campus. She has been practicing and conditioning with the Buffaloes since the start of the school year. Wallace played two years for the Mountain Lions and was a two-year letterwinner for Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs, graduating in 2004.
McCONNELL-MILLER 100 IN DEBUT: Kathy McConnell-Miller led Colorado to the century mark in her first game as head coach, by far the best total of any current Big 12 Conference coach in their debut at their school. Bill Fennelly of Iowa State was the closest as he led the Cyclones to an 82-55 win over Idaho State in his debut in 1995. Ironically, McConnell-Miller is not the first Colorado womenGÇÖs coach to debut with a 100-point performance. Sox Walseth led the Buffs to a 107-73 win over Colorado WomenGÇÖs College in his first game as womenGÇÖs head coach on Nov. 18, 1980. Here is the list of current Big 12 coaches and their first games:
Coach, School Opponent Date W/L Result
Kathy McConnell-Miller, Colorado Cal State Fullerton 11/18/05 W 100-71
Bill Fennelly, Iowa State Idaho State 11/24/95 W 82-55
Marsha Sharp, Texas Tech Abilene Christian 11/19/82 W 78-64
Kim Mulkey-Robertson, Baylor Miami (Ohio) 11/18/00 W 75-62
Cindy Stein, Missouri Bradley 11/19/98 W 73-57
Jody Conradt, Texas McLennan CC 11/22/76 W 72-58
Kurt Budke, Oklahoma State Texas State 11/19/05 L 69-77
Deb Patterson, Kansas State Memphis 11/22/96 W 68-60
Connie Yori, Nebraska Grambling State 11/22/02 W 63-40
Sherri Coale, Oklahoma Oral Roberts 11/22/96 W 62-50
Gary Blair, Texas A&M La Salle 11/22/03 L 62-67
Bonnie Henrickson Texas-Arlington 11/21/04 L 49-53
BUFFS IN OPENERS: With its win over Cal State-Fullerton, Colorado moved to 27-5 (.844) all-time in season openers and a whopping 31-1 (.969) all-time in home openers. CU has won six straight season debuts and 19 of its last 20 with the lone loss in that span coming at Denver on Nov. 19, 1999.
BUFFS IN PRESEASON: After its loss to Oregon, Colorado dropped to 5-7 overall meaning the Buffaloes string of five straight seasons of .500 or better during non conference action will end. It will be only the third time CU has finished below .500 during the nonconference schedule in the Big 8/Big 12 era going 5-6 in 1999-2000 and 4-9 in 1984-85.
BUFFS PICKED 12TH: Colorado was picked to finish 12th in the annual Big 12 Conference Coaches Preseason Poll. CU received 14 points meaning no less than eight Big 12 coaches picked the Buffaloes to finish in the 12th spot (coaches do not vote for their own teams). It is the first time the Buffaloes have been picked lower than eighth since the coaches poll began in 1997. Defending NCAA champion Baylor was picked to win its second consecutive Big 12 title, landing six first place votes and 113 total points to edge out second place Texas with two first place nods and 110 points. Texas Tech was a close third with the four remaining first place votes and 108 points. Oklahoma was fourth (91), followed by Nebraska (70), Kansas (66), Texas A&M (59), Kansas State (56), Iowa State (45), Missouri (37), Oklahoma State (23) and Colorado.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: Colorado once again faces a tough schedule, featuring at least 14 games against 2005 NCAA or WNIT tournament teams. Defending national champion Baylor, who the Buffs will face in Waco on Feb. 22, is the highest ranked team on the schedule, checking in at No. 8 in the most recent Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN coaches polls. Oklahoma is 17th both polls.
Missouri, Texas A&M and Texas are receiving votes in both polls. Kansas State and Texas Tech are receiving votes in the AP poll while Kansas appears in the receiving votes column in the coachesGÇÖ poll.
HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 294-82 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.782). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CECC in 18 of the previous 27 years including five undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94). Colorado had a rare sub-.500 season last winter at 5-9, marking just the second time the Buffs have been below .500 for a season in the 27-year history of the CECC.
BUFFS ON TV: ColoradoGÇÖs schedule features seven games that will be televised either regionally or nationally by Fox Sports Net. All but one of the FSN games is in Boulder, with the lone exception at Colorado State on Nov. 30. Buffs fans will see a familiar face on their TV sets during those games as longtime CU coach Ceal Barry is scheduled to provide the color commentary on a majority of the broadcasts.
UP NEXT: Colorado will continue Big 12 action on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. against Texas A&M in the Coors Events Conference Center. The game will air live on Fox Sports Net-Rocky Mountain.
For the complete release, statistics and player notes click on the link below.