Colorado University Athletics
Buffaloes Set For Road Test At No. 22/19 Iowa Sunday
THE GAME: The University of Colorado travels to its first out-of-state opponent as the Buffaloes face the University of Iowa on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 1 p.m. MST, at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
BROADCAST: SundayGÇÖs game will air live on KKZN 760 AM. Cory Lopez will have the call with Carol Callan of USA Basketball providing the color commentary. The game will be televised locally in Iowa City and available online through the BTN Plus subscription service.
OPENING TIP: Colorado has featured the same starting lineup for the first seven games matching the number of the most used lineup for all of last season. The Buffaloes had 10 different starting lineups for various reasons throughout the 2013-14 season.
ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado improved to 6-1 after defeating San Jose State, 97-89, in overtime on Dec. 6. The Buffaloes have won five straight. Colorado began the season by participating in the 2014 Preseason WNIT, making a quarterfinal appearance and finishing 2-1.
Colorado has been clicking on offense early averaging 82 points per game and over 90 in its last three. Colorado is shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 73.0 percent from the free throw line. The 97 points Colorado scored against San Jose State are the most in the Linda Lappe era and most since scoring 100 against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 18, 2005.
Defensively, Colorado has allowed 69.3 points per game on 34.6 percent from the field. The Buffaloes are the Pac-12GÇÖs top rebounding team, pulling down 50 per game, and also top the league in blocked shots (6.3 bpg). Colorado is second in free throw percentage (.730), field goal percentage defense (.346), 3-point percentage defense (.225) and rebound margin (+9.1).
Senior forward Jen Reese is off to a fantastic start. She leads Colorado by averaging 16.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while hitting 45 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free throw line. Reese scored a career and team-season high 26 points in the win over Colorado State. She also matched a personal-best with 14 rebounds for her sixth career double-double and third of the season. Her 26-point performance also marked the third time this season sheGÇÖs hit the 20-point mark and sixth of her career. Reese was named to the Omni Hotels Classic All-Tournament team.
On the Pac-12 leaderboard, Reese is sixth in overall rebounding and defensive boards, seventh in free throw percentage, 10th in scoring, 12th in offensive rebounds.
Senior guard Lexy Kresl is averaging 11.0 points per game and leads Colorado in assists (6.1 apg) and steals (1.3 spg) and is second in 3-pointers with 15. She is coming off one of the more memorable weeks in recent memory averaging 13 points, 8.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals against Denver and in the Omni Hotels Classic. She was MVP of the Omni Classic averaging 14.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the two-game classic. During that stretch, not only did she record her first career double-double, she topped that with just the fourth triple-double in program history in the win over Colorado State (12 points-11 rebounds-11 assists).
Kresl is second in the Pac-12 in assists and also ranks 12th in 3-pointers made and defensive rebounds, 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio and 15th in free throw percentage.
Junior forward Jamee Swan is averaging 15.3 points and 7.9 rebounds while hitting an 53 percent from the field, ranking second in the team in all three categories. She scored a career best, and matched a team season high with 26 points in the win over San Jose State. Swan also had 11 rebounds to record her third career double-double and first of the season.
Swan tops Colorado and ranks third in the Pac-12 in blocked shots while ranking fifth in offensive rebounds, ninth in overall rebounding, 10th in scoring and 13th in field goal percentage.
Sophomore guard Haley Smith leads Colorado in field-goal accuracy at 59.1 percent while averaging 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. She recorded her first career double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds against San Jose State; both numbers marking personal bests. During ColoradoGÇÖs current five-game winning streak Smith has made a whopping 65 percent from the floor (34-of-52). She hit 10-of-14 from the field during her career-best day against the Spartans.
On the Pac-12 leaderboard Smith ranks fourth in free throw percentage, sixth in field goal percentage, 10th in rebounding, 13th in defensive rebounds, 14th in offensive rebounds, and 17th in scoring.
Senior guard Jasmine Sborov is averaging 5.7 points and 4.7 rebounds and ranks second on the team in assists with 23. She was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field against Colorado State scoring a season-best 10 points. Sborov also dished out a career-high nine assists against San Jose State. On the Pac-12 charts she is ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio, 14th in blocked shots and 15th in assists.
Sophomore wing Lauren Huggins is averaging 8.0 points per game and leads the team in 3-point shooting, connecting on 18-of-38 from long range for an impressive 47.4 percent. She has hit eight of her last 14 (.571) recording back-to-back 4-for-7 games. Huggins hit three of her four 3-pointers against CSU in the overtime sessions. Two of those came in the final minute of the first overtime, including one with 1.7 seconds remaining to send the game into the second extra period. Huggins ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in 3-pointers made, sixth in 3-point percentage and 14th in blocks.
Forward Zoe Beard-Fails has provided a nice spark off the bench averaging 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds. She has shown the knack of getting to the foul line and succeeding. Beard-Fails is shooting 72.2 percent from the charity stripe and is fourth on the team in attempts, hitting 13-of-18. She had a career-high seven rebounds in the win at Denver. Freshman Zoe Correal is giving the Buffaloes some quality minutes as well. She had a career-high eight rebounds against Missouri State and grabbed four more against San Jose State. Correal is averaging 2.8 boards per game and has hit six of her first eight collegiate field goal attempts.
ABOUT THE HAWKEYES: Iowa, 6-2 overall, entered the week ranked No. 19 in the USA Today Sports/WBCA Poll and No. 22 in the Associated Press Poll. The Hawkeyes are coming off an 82-56 setback at No. 7/7 Louisville. Iowa has dropped two of its last three after winning its first five, but is a perfect 5-0 at home. The Hawkeyes average 81.2 points per game, hitting 45 percent from the floor and 69 percent from the foul line. Iowa makes eight 3-pointers per game, hitting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc. Opponents average 68.6 points against the Hawkeyes on 40 percent shooting. Iowa enjoys a plus-5.8 turnover margin, but allows opponents an edge on the boards by three per game.
IowaGÇÖs balanced attack features four players averaging double-figures. Sophomore guard Ally Disterhoft paces the Hawkeyes at 15.1 points while grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game. Senior guard Melissa Dixon averages 12.3 points with a team-best 26 3-point field goals. All-America candidate Samantha Logic leads Iowa in assists (6.4 apg) and rebounds (7.0 rpg) while averaging 11.3 points. Senior post Bethany Doolittle averages 10.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Lisa Bluder is in her 15th year as head coach at Iowa with a record of 284-168. She is in her 31st year as a collegiate head coach with an overall record of 640-310.
THE SERIES: This will be the fifth meeting between Colorado and Iowa with the Buffaloes holding a 3-1 edge. Colorado and Iowa met for the first time in 12 years last season as the Buffaloes held off the Hawkeyes 90-87 in Boulder. IowaGÇÖs win in the series is also the only game played in Iowa City, 92-66, on Dec. 10, 2000. Colorado has played a Big Ten team in each of the past five years. The Buffaloes are 51-44 all-time against teams that currently make up the Big Ten, but 10-16 if one removes CUGÇÖs 41-28 record against former Big Eight/Big 12 foe Nebraska.
ColoradoGÇÖs Linda Lappe is 1-0 against Iowa as a head coach. IowaGÇÖs Lisa Bluder is 2-2 against Colorado, 1-2 with Iowa and 1-0 as the head coach at Drake.
BACK TO THE BOARDS: Colorado has outrebounded each of its seven opponents this season by an average of 9.1 per game. During its five-game winning streak that margin has increased to 11.8 an outing. The Buffaloes lead the Pac-12 in overall rebounds (50.0 rpg) and also in offensive (15.7) and defensive (34.3) boards.
Colorado recorded 60 rebounds in the San Jose State game hitting that mark for the first time since pulling down 60 against Marquette in the first round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament.
The Buffaloes have three players ranking in the top 10 in rebounding in the Pac-12 while no other team has more than one. Jen Reese leads the effort in sixth at 9.1 per game. Jamee Swan is ninth (7.9 rpg) and Haley Smith is 10th (7.7 rpg).
KRESLGÇÖS DISH: Lexy Kresl recorded the fourth triple-double in team history by scoring 12 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 11 assists in the double overtime win over Colorado State on Nov. 29.
Her triple-double was the teamGÇÖs first since Chucky Jeffery recorded the second of her two triple-doubles at Oklahoma State on Mar. 25, 2012 during the Postseason WNIT. Sandy Bean achieved the programGÇÖs first triple-double against Utah State on Feb. 16, 1979.
For Kresl, both the rebounds and assists figures were career-highs. It was actually her second GÇ£doubleGÇ¥ of the week. Kresl put together her first career double-double in the win over Denver with 10 points and 10 assists.
Nine of her assists in the Denver game came in the first 20 minutes, tying a school record for assists in one half originally set by Whitney Law against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 18, 2005.
Counting ColoradoGÇÖs prior three triple-doubles, KreslGÇÖs points-assists double-double was the 14th in team history and first since JefferyGÇÖs triple at OSU (12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists).
WORKING OVERTIME: Colorado has played overtime in three of its first seven games. The Buffaloes have won the last two, defeating San Jose State 97-89 on Dec. 5 and Colorado State 87-81 in double overtime on Nov. 29, after dropping a 79-78 decision to Western Kentucky on Nov. 17.
Colorado played back-to-back overtime games for the first time in team history with the San Jose State and CSU contests. The Buffaloes had two overtimes in a three-game span in February 1988.
The double overtime game with CSU was just the sixth in team history and first since an 84-77 setback to Iowa State on Jan. 13, 2008. Lexy Kresl set a school single game record by playing in 49 minutes against Colorado State.
ColoradoGÇÖs win over San Jose State improved its all-time record to 23-23 all-time in overtime. The Buffaloes are 3-3 in double overtime games.
ItGÇÖs the fifth time Colorado has played three overtime games in one season and first since 1995-96; the most in any one campaign. This is the first instance where all three games have happened during the nonconference schedule. Overall itGÇÖs the 14 time Colorado has played multiple overtime games in one season.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: Colorado has a record of 50-23 since the beginning of the 2012-13 season. Of those 23 losses, 12 have been to ranked teams and 11 of those ranked higher than Colorado at the time the game was played. The Buffaloes have won 47 of their last 58 games against unranked opponents.
The Buffaloes have been dominant in regular season nonconference games under Linda Lappe. Colorado is 47-6 in that stretch since the beginning of the 2010-11 season. The Buffaloes have won 40 of their last 42 regular season nonconference contests. The Buffaloes put together 33 straight nonconference wins from Dec. 30, 2010 through Dec. 12, 2013.
REESEGÇÖS PIECES: Senior forward Jen Reese has joined one elite group in Colorado history and is well on her way to join another. Reese became the 21st player to reach 500 career rebounds during the Missouri State game. She is currently 19th on ColoradoGÇÖs all-time list with 528.
The 6-2 shooter is also ColoradoGÇÖs active leading scorer with 901 career points, putting her well within range to become the 26th player in team history to reach 1,000.
Hitting both marks would make her just the 15th player in team history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
KRESL SOLID FROM ARC, LINE: Senior guard Lexy Kresl ranks seventh in career 3-pointers attempted (457) and is 10th in 3-pointers made (139)
She has made a 3-pointer in 76 of 102 career games and has 37 contests with two or more buckets from long range.
Kresl has also been one of ColoradoGÇÖs most reliable free throw shooters over the past three seasons. Her career percentage of 83.0 (142-of-171) would rank fourth on the BuffsGÇÖ all-time list (minimum of 100 attempts).
Kresl hit 84.1 percent from the line in 2013-14 (69-of-82) ranking third in the Pac-12 Conference. Her mark was also good for 19th on ColoradoGÇÖs single-season list.
Kresl has a shot at reaching 1,000 career points entering SundayGÇÖs game at 815.
HUGGINS SHOOTS UP LIST: With 11 3-pointers over the last three games, sophomore Lauren Huggins has put herself among the BuffaloesGÇÖ career leaders. She is currently 18th on the all-time list with 58.
SWANGÇÖS SWATS: Junior forward Jamee Swan ranks third in the Pac-12 in blocked shots at 1.7 per game. She has 16 blocks over the last nine games dating back to last season.
Swan has 76 career blocks which ranks 13th on ColoradoGÇÖs career chart and needs just two to join the Buffaloes Top 10.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado faces a ranked opponent for the first time this season. No. 22/19 Iowa is one of four teams on the BuffaloesGÇÖ schedule ranked in the Top 25 joining Stanford, California and Oregon State.
The Buffaloes have dropped their last 12 against ranked opponents. ColoradoGÇÖs last road win over a ranked team was a 62-51 decision at No. 20/17 Vanderbilt on Dec. 9, 2007.
Colorado is 62-154 all-time against ranked opponents.
OMNI HOTELS CHAMPS: Colorado won its Omni Hotels Classic championship for the 18th time by defeating Missouri State and Colorado State. The Buffaloes improved to 46-10 all-time in their home holiday classic and won their sixth straight title.
CHALLENGING START: Colorado opened a season with two teams that made the NCAA Tournament the previous year (North Dakota & Western Kentucky) for the first time since 2003-04 when the Buffaloes hosted Old Dominion and Notre Dame in the WBCA Classic. Only twice since then had the Buffaloes even played one team in their first two coming off a trip to the big dance, Loyola-Marymount in 2004-05 (Game 1) and Vanderbilt in 2006-07 (Game 2).
Two of ColoradoGÇÖs three opening opponents, North Dakota and Arkansas State, are their respective conferenceGÇÖs top preseason pick and Western Kentucky was selected second. The Buffaloes have also faced two conference preseason players of the year in Western KentuckyGÇÖs Chastity Gooch and Arkansas StateGÇÖs Aundrea Gamble.
WRAPPING UP THE WNIT: Colorado was 2-1 in the Preseason WNIT advancing to the quarterfinals and picking up a consolation round win. The Buffaloes competed in the season-opening event for the third time and moved to 8-2 all-time in the tournament.
The Buffaloes won the championship in 1995 and also advanced to the semifinals of the 2001 event.
Mississippi State defeated Western Kentucky 88-77 in the championship game. The 2014 Preseason WNIT featured five NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago along with four Postseason WNIT participants, including Colorado.
SBOROV GOOD WORKS: Senior guard Jasmine Sborov is one of 93 WomenGÇÖs Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) nominees for the 2015 AllState WBCA Good Works Team.
This prestigious community service award recognizes a distinguished group of student-athletes who have demonstrated a commitment to enriching the lives of others and contributing to the greater good in their communities.
From the 93 WBCA nominees distinguished voting panels will select two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA Division I level and five student-athletes from NCAA Divisions II, III and the NAIA. The final roster of 20 award recipients will be unveiled in February.
Sborov, a native of Round Rock, Texas, has been a vital part of Colorado womenGÇÖs basketballGÇÖs community service efforts during her career and has participated in a wide variety of events. During the Boulder floods of Sept. 2013, Sborov helped with relief efforts around campus, including serving food to displaced members of the community. It was part of a global effort in which the Pac-12 Conference awarded the entire athletic department its GÇ£Sportsmanship AwardGÇ¥ for the 2013-14 academic season.
Many of her good works efforts have focused on the children of the community. She has participated in National Girls and Women In Sports Day and Healthy Kids Day a pair of separate events that promote health and fitness to youth in the community. Last winter, Sborov participated in a fitness activity with Imagine!GÇÖs Out and About group. The mission of Imagine! is to create and offer innovative supports to people of all ages with cognitive, developmental, physical, and health related needs so they may live fulfilling lives of independence and quality in their homes and communities. This past summer she dove into the coaching arena, helping with a local AAU girls basketball team.
For more information visit: http://buffs.me/1AgMSYb
HARRIS LEAVES TEAM: Sophomore guard Desiree Harris has left the Colorado womenGÇÖs basketball program citing personal reasons.
Harris, who did not appear in a game this year, played in 15 contests as a freshman averaging just a little under five minutes per game. She intends on remaining at the university as a student.
FOR OPENERS: Colorado improved to 36-5 (.878) in all-time season openers and has won the last 15. The Buffaloes started the season with a home game for the 28th time in 41 seasons. Colorado is an outstanding 39-2 (.951) all-time in home openers and has never lost its overall season opener when played at home (28-0).
RETURN TO GÇÿDGÇÖ: Defense has been a staple to the Colorado program under Linda Lappe and for the Buffaloes to be successful in 2014-15, toughness on that side of the court will once again be paramount.
Three of ColoradoGÇÖs top four single-season field goal percentage defense totals have come under LappeGÇÖs direction. The 2012-13 NCAA Tournament team set the bar with a school-record effort at .350. Last yearGÇÖs squad came in with the third-best total at .369. ColoradoGÇÖs 2013-14 total ranked third on the Pac-12 leaderboard and 34th in the nation.
Two of ColoradoGÇÖs top 10 scoring defense totals have come under LappeGÇÖs reign including a school-best 54.5 ppg in 2012-13. Three of CUGÇÖs top 10 rebounding margins have also come in that time frame, including last yearGÇÖs mark of plus-5.0, the eighth best in team history.
HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 399-136 all-time record at the Coors Events Center (.746). The Buffaloes have won 10 or more games in a season at the CEC in 25 of 36 years. The Buffaloes have enjoyed five undefeated seasons (1980-83, 1992-94) at the CEC.
Colorado was 12-6 at Coors in 2013-14 and has won 23 of its last 31 and 34 of its last 45 at home.