Undefeated Buffaloes Host Weber State Saturday - University of Colorado Athletics

THE GAME: The University of Colorado closes out its season-long six-game home stand by hosting Weber State University on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 4 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.

BROADCAST: Saturday's game will air on KKZN AM 760 with Mike Rice handling the play-by-play and Carol Callan of USA Basketball with the color commentary. Live video of Saturday's game can be seen on BuffsTV, a subscription service through CUBuffs.com. Live audio is also available through BuffsTV through the BuffsRadio free subscription.

OPENING TIP: Colorado and Weber State played the first varsity women's basketball game in each program's history on Jan. 17, 1975, a 57-54 overtime win by Colorado at the Balch Fieldhouse in Boulder.

ABOUT THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 8-0 and off to its best start since the 1992-93 squad won a school record 15 games to begin the season. Colorado will play its final nonconference home game of the season at the Coors Events Center where the Buffaloes are a perfect 6-0 and outscoring their opponents by 20 points per game (70.8 to 50.2).

Colorado has shown balance with four players averaging between eight and 19 points per game and seven averaging at least five per contest. The Buffaloes are averaging 71.0 points per game and shooting 46 percent from the field. CU's defense has held its opponents to 51.5 points per game, ranking second best in the Pac-12, and 23rd in the nation through games of Dec. 11. The Buffaloes lead the Pac-12 in free-throw percentage (.724) and rank third in rebounding defense (31.3 rpg), scoring margin (+19.5), rebound margin (+11.6) and field-goal percentage defense (.331).

After shooting just 61.5 percent from the free-throw line over the first two games (24-of-39) CU is 77.9 percent over the last six (60-of-77). After being out-rebounded in the season-opening win over Northern Arizona, Colorado has won the battle of the boards the last seven games, including an impressive plus-33 margin against San Francisco (53-20).

Junior guard Chucky Jeffery is on a tear. She is averaging 25.3 points over the last three games and has shot 71 percent (29-of-41) during that span including 8-of-10 from 3-point range (.800). Jeffery's 9-of-10 performance from the field against Denver was the best by a CU player on a minimum 10 attempts since Jackie McFarland was 9-of-10 against CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 28, 2007.

Overall Jeffery leads the Buffaloes at 18.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. She is fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring and ranks second in defensive rebounds (7.3 drpg), third in 3-point percentage (.474), fifth in assists, seventh in rebounding, eighth in blocked shots (1.3 bpg), free-throw percentage (.793) and minutes (33.0 mpg), ninth in field-goal percentage (.574) and 13th in steals (1.8 spg).

Freshman guard Lexy Kresl is second on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game and leads the Buffaloes in both 3-point field goals (18) and free-throw percentage at 94.1 percent. She has made 15-straight free throws dating back to the Colorado State game and her percentage leads the Pac-12. She also ranks third in 3-pointers made (2.3 3mpg), 11th in 3-point percentage (.391) and 17th in scoring.

Sophomore guard Brittany Wilson is third on the team in scoring at 10 points per game and is second on the team with 10 steals. She has been a distributor of late, dishing out an average of 4.3 assists over the last three games, and overall is second on the team with 19 on the season. On the Pac-12 charts, Wilson ranks 12th in 3-pointers (1.5 3mpg).

Brittany's twin sister Ashley Wilson was her starting back court mate for the season's first two games, the first two starts of her career. She is hitting 52 percent from the floor (11-of-21) and is coming off a season-best nine points against Denver in which she was perfect from the field (3-of-3) and free-throw line (2-of-2).

Junior Meagan Malcolm-Peck has played well defensively, averaging six points and five rebounds per game. She leads Colorado with 18 offensive rebounds and her 2.6 per game average ranks 12th in the Pac-12.

Colorado's front court duo of senior Julie Seabrook and sophomore Rachel Hargis are the only two players to start all eight games. Seabrook leads Colorado in field-goal percentage at 62 percent (23-of-37) and has averaged 11 points and 7.3 rebounds over the past three games. She recorded a personal-best 18 points on 8-of-13 from the field in the win over San Francisco. Hargis, who averages 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest, tied career highs with three assists and two steals in the win over Denver.

Colorado's bench has been outstanding, accounting for 35 percent of the team's scoring (24.6 ppg) and 44 percent of its rebounding (18.9 rpg). The Wilson twins and Kresl have been consistent in scoring whether coming off the bench or starting (Kresl and Brittany Wilson have four starts while Ashley has three), combining for 22.3 points in a reserve role. Freshman Jen Reese has also been a major producer off the bench. Reese is averaging 8.3 points per contest and shooting 44 percent from the field (24-of-54). Reese has also been hitting the boards, ranking second on the team at 5.9 per game. Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi the Buffaloes had a season-high 43 bench points (Jeffery 19, Reese 13, Kresl 11).

HISTORIC START: Colorado is 8-0 for just the third time in team history and first since the 1992-93 squad won a school record 15 games to begin the season. The only other 8-0 team was in 1980-81 when the Buffaloes started 12-0. Here is a break down of CU's best starts:

Year Start Final Record Other
1992-93 15-0 27-4 NCAA Elite 8
1980-81 12-0 28-5 *AIAW National Tourn. First Round
2011-12 8-0 ?? Best Start Since 1992-93
1993-94 7-0 27-5 NCAA Sweet 16
1982-83 7-0 21-8 #Big Eight Semifinals
1988-89 6-0 27-4 NCAA First Round

*-CU's first national tournament appearance; #-First year of Big Eight Conference round-robin play.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Weber State, a member of the Big Sky Conference, is 2-9 overall and coming off a 76-68 overtime loss to Wyoming at home on Dec. 15. The Wildcats dropped their first seven games of the season, but have rebounded to win two of four since. Weber State averages 66 points per game, but also gives up 76 an outing. The Wildcats shoot 40 percent from the field and 55 percent from the free-throw line. WSU features a balanced scoring attack with six players averaging between 7.5 and 11 points per game.

The Wildcats are led by junior forward Amanda Hughes who averages 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Senior center Mikell Woodfield is Weber State's top rebounder at 7.5 per game and most accurate shooter at 49.5 percent. She is the second leading scorer at 10.3 per outing. Senior guard Caela Mohre tops the Wildcats in assists with 35 and averages 8.5 points per game.

SERIES RECORDS: This will be the 18th meeting between Colorado and Weber State, and the first since an 84-53 CU win on Nov. 26, 1993. The Buffaloes hold a 10-7 edge over the Wildcats with all but three of those games being played between 1975-82, when the two teams competed together in the Intermountain Conference, prior to CU joining the Big Eight for women's basketball. The Buffaloes are 8-2 against the Wildcats in Boulder. Weber State will be searching for its first win in the series since an 81-79 decision on Dec. 19, 1983.

Colorado head coach Linda Lappe has never faced Weber State as a head coach. Weber State head coach Bethann Ord has never faced Colorado.

CONNECTIONS: Weber State head coach Bethann Ord was a Colorado assistant coach under Kathy McConnell-Miller from 2005-07. Ord also coached four years at Louisville (2007-11) where she helped the Cardinal reach the 2009 NCAA title game. Weber State assistant coach Heath Alexander is familiar with the Buffaloes having been assistant for Kristen Holt at Colorado State the previous two seasons. Wildcat assistant coach Margaret Richards was a four-year letterwinner at Nebraska (2000-04), playing against CU head coach Linda Lappe for three of those seasons. The Wildcats have three Colorado natives on their roster. Junior forward Amanda Hughes is a graduate of Aurora's Gateway High School. Freshman Carlee Lough is a graduate of Boulder's Fairview High School. Sophomore guard Laura Palmere is from Lakewood and a transfer from the University of Denver where she played in 2009-10. Palmere played against CU in the Buffaloes' 84-57 win over DU on Dec. 2, 2009.

CU ASSISTANTS RETURNING: Bethann Ord returns to Boulder as the head coach of Weber State. She's the latest of several former CU assistants in recent years to face the Buffaloes as an opposing head coach. Most recently Jim Jabir, a former Ceal Barry assistant (2002-03), led Dayton to a 70-50 win over CU last winter in Los Angeles. Other Barry assistants to face Colorado have been Tanya Haave (2001-05) with San Francisco in 2006 & 2007, Jen (Tubergen) Warden with Colorado State from 2005-08 and Beth Burnes (1983-87) with San Diego State in 1994-95

REBOUNDING WOWS: Colorado has outrebounded its opponent in six straight games and overall by a margin of plus-11.6 on the season, ranking third in the Pac-12 and 11th in the nation (through games of Dec. 11). CU had a big night on the glass against San Francisco, ending with a margin of plus-33 (53-20). That plus-33 margin overall is tied for the ninth best margin in team history and tied for the fourth best since the NCAA/Big Eight Conference era began with the 1982-83 season. It's also the widest margin since the Buffaloes put up a similar plus-33 margin against Bowling Green (59-26) on Nov. 23, 2001. Those two games are the best since CU outrebounded Northern Arizona by 34 (56-22) on Dec. 18, 1993.

Additionally, CU's 20 rebounds allowed to San Francisco tied for the second-lowest in team history. The Buffaloes held a team at 20 on three other occasions, most recently against Loyola Chicago in a 65-34 win on Nov. 27, 2010. The record low is 19, set against Northern Arizona on Feb. 7, 1981.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chucky Jeffery earned Colorado's first ever Pac-12 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week honor on Dec. 4. Her award was the fourth overall for the Buffaloes in their inaugural Pac-12 season, joining three football winners from earlier this fall. The league Player of the Week honor is also the first for women's basketball since Brittany Spears was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 23, 2009. For Jeffery, it's her second similar honor, as she was the Big 12 Freshman of the Week winner on Jan. 11, 2010.

Jeffery averaged 28 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 64.5 percent from the floor, leading the Buffaloes to wins over San Francisco (84-66) and Idaho (68-59).

CHUCKY DOUBLES: Chucky Jeffery has four double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the Pac-12, including a string of three-straight (Wisconsin-San Francisco-Idaho). It was the first time a CU player has had double-doubles in three-straight games since Jackie McFarland had two separate strings of three during the 2006-07 season. She joins Bridget Turner as the only other guard in team history with three-straight double-doubles. Turner pulled the trifecta during the 1988-89 season, with one of her doubles the points-assists variety.

Overall she is the seventh player to achieve three straight double-doubles. CU Athletic Hall of Famer Lisa Van Goor holds the consecutive mark of six during the 1980-81 season.

LEXY AMONG ELITE COMPANY: Freshman guard Lexy Kresl scored in double-digits in the first six games of her career, tying CU Athletic Hall of Fame member and All-American Shelley Sheetz for the second-most in team history. Current CU Director of Basketball Operations Tracy Tripp holds the mark of 10, set during the 1985-86 season.

CHUCKY REBOUNDS: Junior guard Chucky Jeffery had a career night on the glass at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, grabbing 16 rebounds in the win over the Islanders. Her total surpassed her previous personal best of 13, which she had achieved three other times, most recently in the win over CSU last year in Boulder. Her 16 rebounds were the most by a CU player since Jackie McFarland recorded 18 at Kansas on Feb. 6, 2007.

LEXY'S RECORD NIGHT: Freshman guard Lexy Kresl had a memorable collegiate debut making 5-of-6 3-point attempts in the first half of CU's 84-60 win over Northern Arizona. She tied a school record for 3-pointers made in one half, a feat that had happened five previous times by three players. Bianca Smith, who was the last person to hit five in one half (vs. Nebraska on Jan. 31, 2009), did it three times. Kate Fagan and CU Athletic Hall of Famer and All-American Shelly Sheetz are the other two.

STEALING THE SHOW: Colorado recorded 16 steals against Northern Arizona in the season opener, its most in a single game since swiping 18 against Texas Southern on Dec. 14, 2007. It's just the third time since the 2003-04 season that the Buffaloes have had 16 or more steals in one contest (16 vs. Pacific on Dec. 8, 2005).

Seven different Buffaloes registered steals against Northern Arizona, led by sophomore Brittany Wilson who had a career high with five. Freshmen Jasmine Sborov and Jen Reese each had three in their collegiate debuts.

MALCOLM-PECK AMONG BEST FROM 3-POINT RANGE: Junior Meagan Malcolm-Peck was 2-of-3 from 3-point range against Denver, moving in to sole possession of 13th on CU's all-time list with 67.
Her career .325 average (67-of-206) would rank 18th in school history.

JEFFERY MOVING UP IN STEALS, ASSISTS: Junior guard Chucky Jeffery had two steals against Denver, moving into a tie with Jamillah Lang (1990-94) for 13th on CU's all-time list with 148. Jeffery is 19th on CU's all-time list for assists at 261, seven behind Annan Wilson (1986-90) for 18th place.