Buffs Set To Host Alumni, Bruins On Sunday

THE GAME: The University of Colorado hosts UCLA in a Pac-12 Conference game on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 2 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.

BROADCAST: Sunday's game is scheduled to air live on the Pac-12 Network Mountain and Los Angeles Channels. Krista Blunk will have the play-by-play with Mary Murphy with the color commentary. Sunday's game will air live on KKZN 760 AM. Cory Lopez will have the call with Carol Callan of USA Basketball providing the color commentary. 

COLORADO SET TO HONOR ALUMNI: Former Colorado women's basketball players and staff will be on hand at Sunday's game as part of Alumni weekend.

CU women's basketball alumni will be honored at halftime of Sunday's game with special recognition to two teams; the Buffaloes' inaugural team from 1974-75 and 1994-95 team celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 30-3 record, No. 2 final ranking, undefeated Big Eight championship and NCAA Elite Eight appearance.

Also at halftime there will be a special presentation. CU will present the second Jane Wahl Legacy Award given to GÇ£a member of the CU women's basketball community, who through their achievements bring honor and recognition to the university and CU Athletics.GÇ¥

Wahl was Colorado's first women's Athletic Director when the program first introduced varsity competition in 1974-75 and oversaw women's athletics through the 1978-79 season.

The 2015 Jane Wahl Legacy Award will be presented to Carol Callan whose involvement in Colorado women's basketball has touched 37 of its 41 seasons. Initially a graduate assistant with the program in 1976-77, Callan would help start Colorado radio broadcasts in 1978-79 and has been a staple on air for the Buffaloes; currently in her 36th season.

NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY: Colorado's annual celebration of National Girls & Women In Sports Day is set for Sunday. Beginning at 12 p.m., CU is inviting all girls in 8th grade and under, and all boys in 6th grade and under, to be a part of the celebration and then stay to watch the women's basketball game for free.

National Girls & Women In Sports Day was chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1986 to honor female athletic achievement and recognize the importance of sports and fitness participation for all girls and women.

CU will host skills and fitness stations run by female student-athletes and coaches. The skills and fitness stations will be held on the concourse starting at 12 p.m. followed by an autograph session with female student-athletes from 1-1:45 p.m.

All activities, including the women's basketball game are FREE for kids participating in the skills stations and accompanying adults.  To receive free general admission you must enter the Coors Events Center through the northwest entrance between 12-12:45 p.m.   After 12:45 p.m. fans can purchase tickets at regular prices at the Coors Events Center ticket window

OPENING TIP: Senior forward Jen Reese is just 17 points away from becoming the 26th player in team history to reach 1,000.

ABOUT THE BUFFS: Colorado is 7-7 overall and 0-3 in the Pac-12 after falling 81-61 to USC on Jan. 9. The Buffaloes have dropped their last four and six of their last seven, four of those contests on the road and two of them to ranked teams. Colorado's four-game skid is their longest since a similar streak in January 2014. The Buffaloes are 0-3 in the Pac-12 for the first time and is off to their slowest conference start since losing the first four games of the 2009 Big 12 season.

Colorado is averaging 71.0 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting. The Buffaloes have been held to 57.8 points during their current four-game skid. Colorado has hit 80 points four times this season and the 97 points scored against San Jose State are the most in the coach Linda Lappe era and most since scoring 100 against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 18, 2005.

Defensively, Colorado has allowed 69.1 points per game on 37.0 percent from the field. The Buffaloes are the Pac-12's top rebounding team, pulling down 46.4 per game and also top the conference in blocked shots at 5.6 per contest. The Buffaloes rank second in rebounding margin (+7.8) and fourth in 3-point percentage (.360).

Junior forward Jamee Swan tops Colorado at 14.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 48 percent from the field. Swan has led the Buffaloes in scoring the last five contests including a 14-point effort in Friday's loss at USC where she also tied a career and team season best with five blocked shots. She scored 21 at Cal, hitting 20 points for the third time this season and the fifth time in her career. She led Colorado against Stanford with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The double-double was her third of the season and fifth of her career.

In the Pac-12 Swan ranks third in blocks and offensive rebounds (3.4 orpg), seventh in overall rebounding, 11th in scoring,13th in defensive rebounds (4.7 drpg) and 14th in field goal percentage.

Jen Reese trails Swan by just one total point on the season coming in at 14 per game while hitting 46 percent from the field and ranking second on the team in rebounding at 7.9 an outing. Reese has scored in double figures in 11 of 14 games including 13 points against USC. She 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 she's hit the 20-point mark and sixth of her career.

On the Pac-12 leaderboard, Reese is sixth in free throw percentage (.810), eighth in overall rebounding, ninth in defensive boards (5.6 drpg), 12th in scoring and 13th in offensive rebounding (2.3 orpg).

Senior guard Lexy Kresl is averaging 9.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while ranking second in steals (12) and 3-pointers made (20). She returned to the lineup for the Stanford game after missing the previous two. In her first action in a little over three weeks, Kresl knocked the rust off early with eight points, six rebounds and five assists against the Cardinal. 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 third in the Pac-12 in assists and also ranks 11th in 3-pointers made (1.7 3mpg), 12th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4) and  15th defensive rebounds (4.8 drpg).

Sophomore guard Haley Smith is third on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg) while ranking second in field goal accuracy at 48 percent. She recorded her first career double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds against San Jose State; both numbers marking personal bests. She hit 10-of-14 from the field during her career-best day against the Spartans. On the Pac-12 leaderboard Smith ranks 15th in field goal percentage, 19th in rebounding and 29th in scoring.

Senior guard Jasmine Sborov is averaging 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds and ranks second on the team in assists with 35. She scored in double figures for the fourth time this season with 10 points against USC on 5-of-10 from the field. Her 10 points marked just her third Pac-12 game scoring in double-digits and just one off her league best of 11 set at UCLA last season. Her five field goals made were a Pac-12 best. Against Iowa, Sborov led Colorado with career-highs in points (17) and rebounds (12) for her second career double-double. Sborov also dished out a career-high nine assists against San Jose State.

Sophomore forward Zoe Beard-Fails has picked up her play and earned a starting role for the Buffaloes front court the last five games. Overall on the season she has averaged 4.9 points and 3.9 rebounds. Against Long Beach State she had career highs in points (14), rebounds (8) and field goals made and attempted (7-of-13).

Sophomore wing Lauren Huggins leads the team in 3-point shooting, connecting on 21-of-55 from long range (.382). She ended a personal four-game scoring drought by nailing a 3-pointer against USC. Huggins was 4-of-7 from long range against Colorado State, hitting three of her four 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. She ranks 15th in the Pac-12 in 3-point percentage.

Freshmen Brecca Thomas and Alina Hartmann have been increasing their productivity. Thomas started two games while Kresl was absent from the lineup scoring a career-best nine points in the win over Wyoming. Hartmann has nine points over the last two games. Classmate Zoe Correal had a personal best six points on 3-of-6 shooting at Stanford.

ABOUT UCLA: UCLA is 6-9 overall and 2-2 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Bruins climbed back to even in the Pac-12 by defeating Utah 49-46 in Salt Lake City on Jan. 9. Freshman Jordin Canada bounced back from a broken nose suffered a week ago to record 16 points, six rebounds and four assists against the Utes. UCLA's schedule has been a who's-who of college women's basketball, facing six ranked teams including three in the Top 10 in Texas, Notre Dame and UConn. The Bruins average 63.8 points per game on 38 percent from the field. Opponents average 68.3 points per game on 38 percent from the field.

All Pac-12 guard Nirra Fields leads UCLA at 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game, but missed the Utah game with an injury. Canada averages 10.3 points per game, ranking second on the squad in scoring and steals (25). Sophomore backcourt mate Kari Korver is UCLA's top 3-point shooter with 25 on the season and at 39 percent. She averages 10.0 points and 4.2 rebounds an outing. Freshman guard Reece' Caldwell tops UCLA with 42 assists and averages 6.7 points per contest.

Cori Close is in her fourth year as head coach at UCLA with a record of 59-51.

THE SERIES: This will be the 10th meeting between Colorado and UCLA with the Buffaloes holding a 5-4 series lead. Colorado pulled off the rare three-game sweep over the Bruins in 2013-14. CU claimed its first Pac-12 win over UCLA with a 61-59 win at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 5, 2014. The Buffaloes then handily won the rematch in Boulder, 62-42, on Feb. 28, and six days later completed the sweep with a 76-65 triumph in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament. Colorado is 3-2 against UCLA as a member of the Pac-12 and the all-time series is tied 2-2 in Boulder.

Linda Lappe is 3-2 against UCLA as a head coach. Cori Close is 2-3 against Colorado as a head coach.

CONNECTIONS: UCLA assistant coach Jenny (Roulier) Huth was a three-time All-Big 12 performer for Colorado (1998-02) and teammate of current CU head coach Linda Lappe. Roulier scored 1,399 points in her CU career, helping the Buffaloes to two NCAA Tournaments, including the 2002 Elite Eight.

BACK TO THE BOARDS: Colorado has outrebounded, or been even, with 12 of its 14 opponents this season by an average of 7.8 per game ranking second in the Pac-12. The Buffaloes lead the Pac-12 in overall rebounds (46.4 rpg), defensive rebounds (31.6 drpg) and offensive boards (14.8 orpg).

Colorado has five games with 50 or more rebounds, including the Long Beach State contest where the Buffaloes dominated the 49ers 50-26, the largest margin of the season and biggest since holding a plus-25 margin against Arizona (51-26) on Jan. 20, 2013. All five of Colorado's 50-plus rebounding games came over an eight-game span including a season-high 60 against San Jose State the program's most since pulling down 60 against Marquette in the first round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament.

Colorado sports two of the top eight rebounders in the Pac-12. Junior Jamee Swan ranks seventh at 8.1 rpg while senior Jen Reese is eighth at 7.9 rpg.

KRESL'S 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 team's 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 program's 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 "double" 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 Colorado's prior three triple-doubles, Kresl's points-assists double-double was the 14th in team history and first since Jeffery's triple at OSU (12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists).

WORKING OVERTIME: Colorado played in overtime in three of its first seven games. The Buffaloes 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.

Colorado's 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.

It's 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 it's the 14 time Colorado has played multiple overtime games in one season.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: Colorado has a record of 51-29 since the beginning of the 2012-13 season. Of those 29 losses, 14 have been to ranked teams and 13 of those ranked higher than Colorado at the time the game was played. The Buffaloes have won 48 of their last 63 games against unranked opponents.

The Buffaloes have been dominant in regular season nonconference games under Linda Lappe. Colorado is 48-9 in that stretch since the beginning of the 2010-11 season. The Buffaloes have won 41 of their last 46 regular season nonconference contests. The Buffaloes  put together 33 straight nonconference wins from Dec. 30, 2010 through Dec. 12, 2013.

REESE'S 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 16th on Colorado's all-time list with 574.

The 6-2 shooter is also Colorado's active leading scorer with 983 career points, putting her 17 points from becoming 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 (479) and is eighth in 3-pointers made (144)

She has made a 3-pointer in 77 of 107 career games and has 38 contests with two or more buckets from long range. Kresl hit five against Missouri, tying a season high and also marking her sixth career game with five or more 3-pointers.

Kresl has also been one of Colorado's most reliable free throw shooters over the past three seasons. Her career percentage of 83.2 (144-of-173) would rank fourth on the Buffs' 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 Colorado's single-season list.

Kresl has a shot at reaching 1,000 career points entering Friday's game at 846.

HUGGINS SHOOTS UP LIST: With 14 3-pointers over the last 10 games, sophomore Lauren Huggins has put herself among  the Buffaloes' career leaders. She is currently 18th in career 3-pointers made with 61 and 19th in attempts at 165.

SWAN'S SWATS: Junior forward Jamee Swan ranks third in the Pac-12 in blocked shots at 1.9 per game. She has 31 blocks over the last 16 games dating back to last season.

Swan has 91 career blocks ranking ninth CU's all-time list.

AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado is 0-2 against ranked teams this season after dropping a 62-55 decision at No. 15/15 Stanford on Jan. 3. The Buffaloes have dropped their last 14 against ranked opponents. Colorado is 62-156 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 Colorado's three opening opponents, North Dakota and Arkansas State, are their respective conference's top preseason pick and Western Kentucky was selected second. The Buffaloes have also faced two conference preseason players of the year in Western Kentucky's Chastity Gooch and Arkansas State's Aundrea Gamble.

HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 400-138 all-time record at the Coors Events Center (.743). 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 24 of its last 34 and 35 of its last 48 at home.

BUFFS ON TV: Colorado women's basketball will be televised to a regional or national audience at least 13 times during the regular season, including 12 games on the Pac-12 Networks during league play. This marks the third consecutive year the Buffaloes will have double-digit regional or national television appearances.

Colorado made its television debut on ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain on Nov. 25, defeating Denver 77-49.  Colorado's first eight Pac-12 games will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks as will five of the Buffaloes' nine home conference games. All remaining home games, and conference road games, that aren't televised will be scheduled to be streamed live through Colorado's Pac-12.com video portal. In addition, CU's game at Missouri on Friday, Dec. 12, aired on SEC Network +, the SEC's online video streaming option.

Entering this season, Colorado has tipped off on 127 national or regional telecasts since the fall of 2001, and 28 since the advent of the Pac-12 Networks in 2012.