Buffs Face Cal In Final Pac-12 Regular Season Road Game

THE GAME: The University of Colorado plays its final Pac-12 Conference regular season road contest against the University of California on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 3 p.m. MST at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.

BROADCAST: Saturday's game will be broadcast on AM 760 KKZN with Mike Rice handling play by play duties. Live audio is available at CUBuffs.com through BuffsTV and the BuffsRadio free subscription.

OPENING TIP: Colorado will be out to win its sixth road game of the season and also sixth overall Pac-12 contest. Six road wins would be the most for the Buffaloes since the 2003-04 team won seven.

ABOUT THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 16-10 overall and resides in 10th place in the Pac-12 at 5-9, just one game out of seventh. Colorado has won four of 14 games since beginning the season 12-0.

Colorado has shown balance with five players averaging between eight and 15 points per game. Overall the Buffaloes are averaging 61.6 points per game and shooting 40.4 percent from the field. The Buffaloes rank third in the Pac-12 in rebounding defense (34.8), fourth in rebounding margin (+5.2) and fifth in field-goal percentage, scoring defense (58.7 ppg) and offensive rebounds.

Junior guard Chucky Jeffery leads the Buffaloes at 15.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. She is prominent on the Pac-12 leader board, ranking third in steals (2.6 spg), fourth in assists, sixth in defensive rebounds (5.6 drpg), seventh in scoring, 10th in free-throw percentage (.711), overall rebounding and blocked shots (1.0 bpg), 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.8) and 13th in field-goal percentage (.446).

Jeffery has scored in double-figures in 22 of Colorado's 26 games and has reached the 20-point mark on six occasions. She has led or shared the team lead in scoring in 17 contests this season. Jeffery became the 24th player in team history to reach 1,000 points during her 18-point performance against Oregon. She has a team-best six double-doubles on the season, tied for 10th in the Pac-12. She was the MVP of CU's Omni Hotels Classic and was named Pac-12 Women's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 4.

Senior forward Julie Seabrook leads Colorado in field goal accuracy at 53.5 percent while also ranking 14th in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds (2.2 orpg). Seabrook has shot 50 percent or better in 18 of 26 games, 10 of 15 in Pac-12 play. She has made 84 percent from the line (16-of-19) during conference play, tops among the Buffaloes.

Sophomore guard Brittany Wilson is second on the team in assists (52), steals (34) and 3-point field goals (31) and third in scoring at 8.7 points per contest. During Pac-12 play, she is Colorado's second leading scorer, slightly below her overall season average at 8.3 points per game. On the Pac-12 charts Wilson ranks 15th in 3-pointers made (1.2 3mpg).

Brittany's twin sister Ashley Wilson is hitting 51 percent from the floor while averaging 3.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Wilson hit all four of her shots in the Arizona State game, matching a league personal best with nine points against the Sun Devils.

Freshman guard Lexy Kresl averages 9.2 points per game and leads the Buffaloes in both 3-point field goals (45) and free-throw accuracy at 88.2 percent. Kresl scored a career-high 17 points in the loss to Oregon, matching a personal best and her own team season-high with five 3-point field goals. Kresl has hit at least one 3-pointer in 23 of 26 games. She ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in 3-pointers made (1.7 3mpg).

Junior forward Meagan Malcolm-Peck is averaging 4.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. She second on the team in offensive rebounds (47) and fourth in assists (30) and 3-point field goals (15). Sophomore Rachel Hargis, who averages 4.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest, is second on the team in blocked shots at 21.

Freshman guard Jasmine Sborov has seen extended minutes over the last 11 games, scoring 47 of her 57 season points. She filled up the box score nicely against Arizona, scoring a career high 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. Sborov has hit 63.2 percent from the field over the last five games (12-of-19).

Colorado's bench has been outstanding, accounting for 34 percent of the team's scoring (20.7 ppg) and 40 percent of its rebounding (16.1 rpg). Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi the Buffaloes had a season-high 43 bench points (Jeffery 19, Reese 13, Kresl 11).

REESE OUT WITH EYE INJURY: Freshman forward Jen Reese suffered a broken orbital bone under her left eye while playing defense in the opening minutes of the Stanford game. She is expected to miss the next 4-to-6 weeks. Reese played in the first 25 games, starting the last nine. She ranked second on the team in rebounding at 6.0 per game and is fourth in scoring at 7.8 an outing. She had four total games rebounding in double figures, including a career high 14 against UCLA. Reese led the Buffaloes, or shared the lead, in rebounding nine times, including six of nine games before her injury. On the Pac-12 charts she is 12th in field-goal accuracy at 44.6 percent. She recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the win at Washington State. Reese earned UTSA Holiday Classic All-Tournament honors by averaging 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 66.7 percent over the two games (10-of-15).

ABOUT THE GOLDEN BEARS: California is 21-7 overall and guaranteed itself at least a share of second place in the Pac-12 with a 12-4 record. The Golden Bears have won six of their last seven and 12 of 14 since starting the league season with a pair of road losses. Both of those losses during that span have come in overtime. California leads the Pac-12 and ranks third in the nation in rebounding margin at plus-13.9 per game. The Golden Bears are also one of the better scoring teams in the Pac-12, averaging 70.9 points per game.

Junior guard Layshia Clarendon leads Cal in scoring at 12.6 points per game and is shooting 34 percent from 3-point range. Freshman forward Reshanda Gray is second on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game. Sophomore forward Gennifer Brandon leads the Golden Bears and ranks second in the Pac-12 in rebounding at 10.1 per outing. Freshman guard Brittany Boyd is among the Pac-12's leaders in assists (4.7 apg) and steals (2.5 spg).

SERIES RECORDS: This will be the seventh meeting between Colorado and California with the Buffaloes holding a 5-1 lead. California won the first Pac-12 meeting, a 68-55 decision in Boulder on Jan. 12.

Colorado head coach Linda Lappe is 1-1 against California as a head coach. California head coach Lindsay Gottlieb is 1-0 against Colorado.