Colorado University Athletics
Three CU Seniors Savor Final Regular-Season Home 'W'
On a snowy Sunday afternoon, the three University of Colorado seniors savored the CEC atmosphere for the last time in regular season play.
Jeffery earned her 29th career double-double Sunday with 13 points and 11 rebounds, helping the CU women's basketball team defeat Washington 68-61 for its seventh straight Pac-12 Conference win.
Brenna and Meagan, though both injured, suited up and entered the game for its final 11 seconds.
Sunday's matchup won't likely be the last time the seniors hit the Coors court; CU will host the first two rounds of the Women's NCAA Tournament from March 23-25.
If the No. 20 Buffs keep up their current momentum for the rest of the season and into the Pac-12 Tournament (March 7-10, Seattle), they expect to be a part of the NCAA action and play at home. But nothing is set in stone yet.
The Buffs' three seniors have had a turbulent four years, having undergone both a coaching change in 2010 from Kathy McConnell-Miller to current head coach Linda Lappe as well as a conference change in 2011 from the Big 12 to the Pac-12.
While all three Buffs have been integral team members over the past four years, each senior has had a very different collegiate career.
Jeffery, a 5-10 guard from Colorado Springs, will finish her outstanding CU career as the first player in program history to reach 1,500 points, 800 rebounds and 400 assists. She has recorded 29 career double-doubles, including nine in her senior season, and two of only three triple-doubles in the program's history.
Jeffery's name fills the CU record books: she ranks fourth all-time in steals and assists, sixth in rebounds, 10th in scoring and field goals made, 12th in free throws made, 13th in blocks and 16th in three-pointers made.
Jeffery's toughness showed Sunday afternoon when she rolled her ankle seconds into the second half. She left the game for just four minutes, re-entering to score seven points and grab five rebounds in the second half.
"I already knew she was going to be okay; I'm around this kid every day," teammate and junior guard Brittany Wilson said. "It took us a while to shake it off, but after that I got the girls and said, 'She'll be fine, she'll be back, I know her and it's okay."
Brenna Malcolm-Peck, a 6-2 forward from Boulder, has spent much of her Colorado career sidelined with injury, but has been a presence on the team since her true freshman season. Brenna recorded 16 points, six rebounds and five assists over 14 games as a true freshman, but hyperextended her knee during her sophomore preseason workouts and redshirted.
Brenna then underwent left knee surgery during her junior season (2011-12), missing the final 19 games. This season, while still recovering from offseason knee surgery, Brenna has played a constant support role from the sidelines.
"My team's success has been my own. It's been awesome to watch them grow so much and just become such a successful program," Brenna said. "It went by so fast . . . it's definitely emotional, but it's amazing that we have a probability of getting into the NCAA Tournament. We still have a lot of games left."
Twin sister Meagan was this season's team captain, showing leadership both on the court and from the sidelines. Like Brenna, she has spent much of her senior season on the bench, having missed five straight games with a shoulder injury before appearing in the final minute of a 59-45 win over Washington State Friday night.
Meagan said being the vocal leader of the team this season, whether playing or watching from the bench, is a role she's taken seriously.
"(Being injured) has been frustrating, of course, but the relationships that I've built with everybody are what's been special, so I can continue to bring what I bring," Meagan said. "You kind of keep developing your leadership based off of different people that you've seen play before you, so it's always a work in progress, learning and doing what you can to help the team out."
In 11 of the 19 games she has been able to play this season, Meagan has recorded at least two rebounds. Career highlights from previous seasons include 34 blocks as a true freshman, fifth-place in the Big 12 in three-point percentage in conference games as a sophomore, and three career double-doubles. Meagan ranked third on her team in offensive rebounds and assists as a junior and ranks 13th on CU's all-time list in both three-pointers (87) and blocked shots (68).
"(Brenna and Meagan) have meant so much to our program, things a lot of people can't see because they haven't been on the floor," said CU coach Linda Lappe. "Meagan, just the way she's led us throughout the year . . . she's a huge reason why we've had the success that we've had. You don't have that without leadership."
As for Brenna, Lappe said her enthusiasm for the game has always been strong, whether on the court or off.
"Brenna has obviously had her career cut pretty short with injuries, but as soon as I told her that she was going to put on her uniform and get in the game (Sunday), she was extremely excited," Lappe said. "I'm glad that we had enough to be able to do that at the very end."
While the Buffs are finished at Coors for the regular season, they hit the road next weekend to take on Oregon (Fri., 8 p.m. MST) and Oregon State (Sun., 1 p.m. MST).