Colorado University Athletics
Buffaloes Host Kansas State Wednesday
THE GAME: The University of Colorado (7-15, 2-8 Big 12) continues its Big 12 Conference schedule by hosting Kansas State University (16-5, 6-4 Big 12) on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. MST, at the Coors Events/Conference Center.
BROADCAST: WednesdayGÇÖs game will air live on Fox Sports Net-Rocky Mountain. Dave Benz will provide the play by play with former CU head coach Ceal Barry giving the color commentary. WednesdayGÇÖs game will also 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.
OPENING TIP: ColoradoGÇÖs has matched its Big 12 win total from a year ago and will be looking to stop a three-game slide at home. Kansas State has won five of its last seven with both losses coming by one point in overtime.
THE BUFFALOES: Colorado, which currently resides in 11th place in the Big 12, will be looking for its third win in its last 12 games when the Wildcats come to Boulder on Wednesday. The Buffaloes are coming off a 69-64 setback at home against Texas on Feb. 4 and are 5-7 overall at home this season.
The thin air in Boulder has apparently affected the shooterGÇÖs touch this season -- for both CU and its opponents. Colorado is shooting just under 40 percent at home in 2005-06 as opposed to 44 percent on the road and its opponentGÇÖs margin is even greater. While CU opponents are enjoying a solid 47 percent field-goal percentage at home, in Boulder the BuffsGÇÖ field-goal percentage defense tightens, allowing just 39 percent from the field at Coors.
Sophomore Jackie McFarland leads Colorado in scoring (17.3 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg), just under a season-long double-double. McFarland has 11 games of 10-plus rebounds, the ninth-best single-season performance in team history. Junior Jasmina Ilic is second in scoring (15.8 ppg) and leads CU with 40 3-point field goals, two better than her total from 28 games last season. Ilic has seven games of 20-plus points including a Big 12 season-best 36 against Nebraska on Jan. 4. Junior Anna Nedovic has started all 22 games for the Buffaloes averaging 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Overall, Nedovic is hitting 43 percent from the floor, but that number has climbed to 47 percent over the last 17 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, who hit the 20-point mark for the third time this season in the win at Kansas, has ranked among the Big 12GÇÖs top 10 in assists and assist/turnover ratio all season. Escalera, the third-best foul shooter in the Big 12 at 83.3 percent, has scored in double digits in three of the last four games and has 11 3-pointers in the last five. 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 fourth on the team in assists. Escalera (.833), McFarland (.796), Ilic (.789) and Law (.732) each rank among the top 15 free-throw shooters in the Big 12 for the leagueGÇÖs best free-throw shooting team (.748). Lubin is right there as well at .842, but has dipped under the minimum number of attempts to qualify for the Big 12 rankings.
NOT JUST FRESHMAN ANYMORE: In ColoradoGÇÖs 77-71 win over Kansas the freshman duo of forward Caley Dow and guard Hannah Skildum played pivotal roles in helping the Buffaloes break their 12-game road losing streak. The duo combined for 22 points on 9-of-12 from the field and 16 rebounds. Dow recorded her first collegiate double-double with 11 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. She is ColoradoGÇÖs second-leading rebounder at five per game, reaching the 100 mark for the season against KU. Skildum, coming off the bench for the first time in seven games, had 11 points on 5-of-7 from the floor and five rebounds. Skildum has three games of double-digit points this season, all of them on the road against Big 12 teams.
SCHEDULE CHANGES: ColoradoGÇÖs game against Kansas State on Wednesday 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 opted to televise the CU womenGÇÖs home game against Texas A&M on 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 against Missouri on Feb. 18 remains 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 Jan. 10.
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 the next 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: ColoradoGÇÖs Jasmina Ilic had a game-high 20 points but a late Texas rally allowed the Longhorns to escape with a 69-64 Big 12 Conference win Saturday afternoon at the Coors Events/Conference Center.
Colorado (7-15, 2-8 Big 12) led by six at 62-58 with 3:49 remaining in the game, but the Longhorns (12-8, 6-4 Big 12) closed the contest on a 13-2 run. UT freshman Erika Arriaran scored eight of her team-high 14 points in the final six minutes and reserve post Mariana Mergerson scored five of her seven in the final minutes to spark Texas.
Texas was able to rally despite losing All-Big 12 forward and leading scorer Tiffany Jackson who left the game with an injured ankle with six minutes remaining in the game.
A Mergerson jumper with 40 seconds remaining capped a 9-0 run and gave the Longhorns a 65-62 lead. A turnover gave Texas the ball back, but the Longhorns couldnGÇÖt take advantage as Arriaran was fouled but missed the front end of a one-and-one. CU senior Whitney Law hustled the ball down the court and hit a short jumper of her own with 0:16 left, cutting the lead to 65-64.
Arriaran was fouled again, but this time made both free throws. Colorado had a chance for overtime, but IlicGÇÖs 3-point attempt from the left wing sailed long as the Buffaloes dropped their 11th straight game against a Big 12 Southern Division opponent.
Texas led by as many as 10 early in the second half, but the Buffaloes fought their way back into the game by getting to the foul line. Colorado, the Big 12GÇÖs top free-throw shooting team, hit 17-of-18 from the charity stripe in the second half (94.4 percent). The Buffaloes hit eight consecutive free throws ? four from Ilic and two each from Law and Jackie McFarland ? during an 11-0 run to take a 43-42 lead with 12:03 remaining in the game.
Texas briefly regained a three point lead at the 10 minute mark, but a pair of jumpers by Ilic sparked a 9-0 run that gave CU its largest lead at 56-50.
McFarland had 17 points and 11 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season, the fifth best total in team history. Law finished with 11 points seven rebounds and five assists. Colorado out-rebounded the Longhorns 43-34 and finished 23-of-26 from the line, but committed 21 turnovers.
BUFFS END ROAD LOSING STREAK: Colorado broke a school-record tying 12-game road losing streak with a 77-71 at Kansas on Feb. 1. The last time the Buffs had won on the road was on Jan. 18, 2005, when they beat Missouri 56-51 in Columbia, Mo.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Kansas State is 16-5 overall and tied with Texas for fifth place in the Big 12 at 6-4. The Wildcats feature a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging 10 points or more per game. Junior forward Claire Coggins tops KSU at 13.5 points per game and also sports a team-best 45 3-point field goals. Freshman point guard Shalee Lehning is KSUGÇÖs second-best rebounder at 5.9 per game and is fifth in the Big 12 in assists at 5.3 per contest. Kansas StateGÇÖs top rebounder is also a freshman, forward Marlies Gipson at 6.2 per game. Guard Twiggy McIntyre, who has come off the bench in half of the WildcatsGÇÖ games, is second on the squad in scoring at 10.4 per game. Boulder native Kimberly Dietz and first-year center JoAnn Hamlin are each averaging 10 points per contest. Kansas State is one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the Big 12, making 6.5 per game, trailing only Iowa State on the league charts. KSU also sports the third-best field-goal percentage (.447) and third-best field-goal percentage defense (.376) in the Big. 12.
SERIES RECORDS: This will be 57th meeting between Colorado and Kansas State with the Buffaloes holding a 29-27 series lead. The Wildcats have owned the series as of late riding a seven-game win streak and having claimed 12 of the last 16 overall. Colorado is 14-9 all-time against the Wildcats in Boulder, but KSU has held the upper edge in the last three games at the CECC. CUGÇÖs last win over Kansas State was a 79-58 decision in Boulder on Feb. 23, 2002.
CUGÇÖS LAST 10 GAMES AGAINST KANSAS STATE IN BOULDER
Date Result Date Result
1/29/05 L, 70-81 2/16/00 L, 54-62
1/10/04 L, 68-76 2/6/99 L, 57-59
3/1/03 L, 59-67 1/31/98 W, 56-52
2/23/02 W, 79-58 1/29/97 W, 71-58
2/24/01 W, 74-56 2/4/96 W, 54-50
Kathy McConnell-Miller is 0-1 against Kansas State as a head coach.
McFARLAND vs. McFARLAND IV: Colorado sophomore forward Jackie McFarland will line up against older sister Jessica, a senior center for Kansas State, for the fourth, and possibly final time in their collegiate careers on Wednesday. Jackie has had the upper hand in the statistical battle between the two Derby, Kan., siblings but JessicaGÇÖs Wildcats have won all three previous meetings
No. 16 Kansas State 81, Colorado 70, 1/29/05, Boulder
FG-A FT-A Reb Ast Bk St Pts
Jackie 4-8 3-4 7 2 2 1 11
Jessica 2-6 0-0 7 2 0 1 4
No. 18/17 Kansas State 73, Colorado 51, 2/19/05, Manhattan
FG-A FT-A Reb Ast Bk St Pts
Jackie 1-5 2-2 5 0 0 0 4
Jessica 4-5 0-1 3 4 1 0 8
Kansas State 85, Colorado 66, 1/14/06, Manhattan
FG-A FT-A Reb Ast Bk St Pts
Jackie 4-8 3-3 10 4 3 3 11
Jessica 4-9 2-4 3 3 2 0 10
RECORD NIGHT FROM ?3GÇÖ: Colorado entered its game at Kansas shooting just 30 percent from 3-point range for the season, but on a night when everything seemed to go right, the Buffaloes set a single-game team percentage record (minimum eight attempts) from downtown by hitting 6-of-8 (.750) against the Jayhawks. The previous best was a 69.2 percent performance (9-of-13) against Oklahoma on Mar. 8, 2001.
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 17.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
ILIC, McFARLAND TOP SCORING DUO: Jackie McFarland and Jasmina Ilic are 1-2 in team scoring and can threaten to become the highest scoring duo in team history over an entire season. McFarland currently holds CUGÇÖs seventh best point total through 22 games while Ilic is ninth. 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 22 GAMES
Name (Season) PPG Total
1. Jamillah Lang (1993-94) 20.0 440
2. Tera Bjorklund (2003-04) 19.7 433
3. Lisa Van Goor (1980-81) 18.4 405
4. Lisa Van Goor (1981-82) 18.0 395
5. Diane Hiemstra (1983-84) 17.6 388
6. Lisa Van Goor (1982-83) 17.4 382
7. Jackie McFarland (2005-06) 17.3 380
8. Tera Bjorklund (2002-03) 16.4 360
9. Jasmina Ilic (2005-06) 15.8 347
10. Diane Hiemstra (1982-83) 15.7 346
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.
McFARLAND DOUBLES: Sophomore forward Jackie McFarland has 11 double-doubles this season, the fifth-best single-season mark in team history. She is just the third individual to achieve the feat as Lisa Van Goor (three times) and Erin Scholz hold the other four instances. McFarland, who currently ranks third in the Big 12 in double-doubles, has 16 for her career, tying for sixth on CUGÇÖs all-time list.
CLIMBING THE ?3GÇÖ LADDER: Jasmina Ilic hit two 3-point field goals against Texas and is in ninth place on CUGÇÖs all-time list with 79. She needs six more 3-pointers to pass La Shena Graham (1994-98) who currently resides in eighth place with 84.
Junior Anna Nedovic had a pair of 3-pointers against Iowa State to move into sole possession of 14th place on CUGÇÖs all-time list with 47. Sophomore Yari Escalera is tied with Nicky Anderson (1989-91) for 16th with 41 while senior Whitney Law is 19th with 33.
BLOCK PARTY: Sophomore Jackie McFarland is 11th on CUGÇÖs all time list for blocked shots with 56. She has 32 this season -- eight more than her freshman season total -- including a school-record tying eight in one game against South Dakota State on Dec. 28. Her 32 blocks are 18th on CUGÇÖs single-season list and fourth-best single-season performance by a sophomore on the team charts.
GETTING TO THE LINE: Jackie McFarland has 117 free-throws made this season, ranking 11th on CUGÇÖs single-season list. At her current pace of 5.3 free-throws made per game, she would break the school single-season record of 154 set by Bridget Turner in 1988-89. McFarland, shooting 79.6 from the line this season, has hit 22-of-24 (.917) over the last three games.
Colorado is the top free-throw shooting team in the Big 12 at 74.8 percent, a mark that ranks 20th in the nation. CU has five players with 30 or more free throws made hitting 70 percent or better. Lauren Lubin leads the way at 84.2 percent followed by Yari Escalera (.833), McFarland (.796), Jasmina Ilic (.789) and Whitney Law (.732).
ColoradoGÇÖs season mark of 74.8 percent would rank the seventh-best in team history if the season ended today.
FREE THROWS MADE SINGLE SEASON:
Player (Season) FTM
1. Bridget Turner (1988-89) 154
2. Bridget Turner (1987-88) 153
3. Mandy Nightingale (2000-01) 150
4. Erin Scholz (1995-96) 148
5. Tera Bjorklund (2002-03) 134
6. Debbie Descano (1979-80) 128
7. Shelley Sheetz (1992-93) 123
8. Tera Bjorklund (2003-04) 120
9. Mandy Nightingale (2001-02) 119
10. Mandy Nightingale (1999-00) 118
11. Jackie McFarland (2005-06) 117
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, checks in at No. 10 in the coaches poll and No. 12 in the AP poll. Oklahoma is No. 9 in the AP poll and 13th in the coaches poll. Texas A&M made its debut in teh AP poll this week, tied with Lousiana Tech at No. 24. Missouri is receiving votes in both polls while Kansas State, Texas A&M and South Florida are also receiving votes in the coaches poll.
HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 294-85 all-time record at the Coors Events/Conference Center (.776). 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 make its first appearance in the state of Texas this season as the Buffaloes play at Texas Tech University on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m. MST, in Lubbock.
For the complete release, statistics and player notes click the link below.