Colorado Set To Honor Three Seniors Sunday Against Oregon
THE GAME: The University of Colorado hosts the University of Oregon in its final regular season home game on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.
BROADCAST: Sunday's game will air live on KKZN 760 AM. Cory Lopez will have the call and will be joined by USA Basketball's Carol Callan with the color commentary. A free live video stream will be available through Colorado's Pac-12.com video player. All CU women's basketball home games that are not televised will be available through Pac-12.com at this link:
http://pac-12.com/videos/university-colorado
OPENING TIP: Sunday marks the final home game for three Colorado seniors. Forward Jen Reese and guards Lexy Kresl and Jasmine Sborov. The trio will be honored with family during pregame ceremonies and then address the crowd following the contest. Colorado is 26-14 all time in its final regular season home game, or Senior Day, winning 10 of its last 15.
ABOUT THE BUFFALOES: Colorado is 11-15 overall and resides in 10th place in the Pac-12 Conference at 4-11. The Buffaloes are just one game out of ninth and two out of seventh with three regular season games remaining. Colorado faces the team directly above them on Sunday as Oregon comes to Boulder at 5-10. CU dropped its second straight contest as No. 7/8 Oregon State took a 66-44 decision on Friday at the Coors Events Center.
Colorado is averaging 69.9 points per game on 42.3 percent shooting. The Buffaloes' scoring has dipped slightly during Pac-12 play, as is the norm with stiffer competition, but still checks in at a solid 66.6 points per game. CU has shot 41.6 percent during Pac-12 play, including 36.8 percent from 3-point range.
Defensively, Colorado has allowed 69.7 points per game on 38.1 percent from the field. Colorado is second in the Pac-12 in free throw percentage (.747), rebounding (42.8 rpg), defensive rebounds (29.4 drpg), rebounding margin (+5.7), blocked shots (4.8 bpg) and 3-point defense (.290) while ranking third in 3-point percentage (.371) and fourth in offensive rebounds (13.4 orpg) and assists (15.2 apg).
Junior forward Jamee Swan paces Colorado at 13.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field. She had 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks against Oregon State, her ninth game with at least three blocked shots on the season. Swan had 13 points and 12 rebounds against Washington for her team-best seventh double-double of the season, and the ninth of her career. She recorded her ninth double-figure rebounding effort of the season against the Huskies and four of those have come in the last nine games. During that span she is averaging 9.0 rebounds per outing.
In the Pac-12 Swan ranks second in blocks, third in offensive rebounds (3.3 orpg), sixth in overall rebounding, 11th in scoring and 13th in defensive rebounds (4.7 drpg).
Senior guard Lexy Kresl is third on the team in overall scoring at 12.3 points per game and leads the Buffaloes during conference play at 13.3 per contest. She paces Colorado at 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game, and is also the team's top 3-point shooter at 39.7 percent (50-of-126). Kresl had nine points against Washington ending her career-best string of double-figure scoring games at 10. She is averaging 15.5 points over the last 12 games and has made 30 of her last 66 from 3-point range (.455).
On the overall Pac-12 charts Kresl ranks fourth in assists, fifth in 3-pointers made (2.1 3mpg), seventh in 3-point percentage and free throw percentage (.800), 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2) and 19th in scoring.
Senior forward Jen Reese is second on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg), free throw percentage (.865) and field goal percentage (.464). Reese led Colorado against Oregon State with 19 points and eight rebounds. She was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line, tying her career best performance for free throws without a miss. Reese has made her last 19 free throw attempts and his hitting 92.5 percent from the line during Pac-12 play (37-of-40) the best mark in the league during that span. Reese has Colorado's top scoring game of the season putting in a career-best 30 in the home game against UCLA, which also put her over the career 1,000 point mark. She made 14-of-19 from the field and also dished out five assists, all career-highs.
Reese has scored in double figures in 17 of 26 games - scoring nine in three others - and has three double-doubles. She has four games of 20 or more points this season. On the Pac-12 leaderboard, Reese is second in free throw percentage, seventh in defensive boards (5.5 drpg), ninth in overall rebounding and 15th in scoring.
Sophomore guard Haley Smith leads the team in free throw percentage (.880) while ranking second in field goal percentage (.461), third in rebounding (5.9 rpg) and fourth in scoring (9.3 ppg). She has made 27-of-29 (.931) from the free throw line during league play. Smith has also been one of Colorado's most consistent rebounders, registering at least five rebounds in 14 of the last 17 games.
Senior guard Jasmine Sborov is averaging 6.3 points and 4.8 rebounds and ranks second on the team in assists with 65. She's upped her scoring to 7.5 points over the last six contests while hitting 47 percent (16-of-34) from the field during that same time frame. At UCLA, she scored 11 points and had five rebounds, recording her first consecutive double-digit scoring efforts of the season and first ever in Pac-12 play. She had one of her best all-around games of her career scoring 14 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists against Arizona. It was her third career double-double, the second this season and first ever against a conference opponent. In fact all three numbers, points-rebounds-assists, are personal bests in a Pac-12 game.
Sophomore wing Lauren Huggins is second on the team with 35 3-pointers and has hit 36.5 percent from long range, ranking 15th in the Pac-12. She has made 6-of-12 over the last five games (.500) including 2-of-4 during an eight-point effort against Washington. She hit 3-of-5 at UCLA, making three consecutive shots during Colorado's second half run that chipped away at the Bruins' double-digit lead. Prior to the UCLA game she had made just 3-of-15 over the previous four games. Huggins had seven points and a career-high seven rebounds against Arizona. Her seven rebounds were more than the total of her first nine Pac-12 games combined (five).
Sophomore forward Zoe Beard-Fails is averaging 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds and is second on the team in blocked shots with 16. Against Long Beach State she had career highs in points (14), rebounds (8) and field goals made and attempted (7-of-13).
Colorado's freshman class came up big in the Washington State win. Guard Alina Hartmann scored a career-best 11 points off the bench hitting 4-of-6 from the field. Brecca Thomas recorded her third career start and had five points, an assist and a steal. Forward Zoe Correal hit 2-of-3 shots to finish with four points and grabbed five rebounds.
ABOUT OREGON: Oregon is 12-14 overall and in ninth place in the Pac-12 at 5-10. The Ducks have lost three of four including a 66-64 setback at Utah on Friday. Oregon averages 65.6 points on 41.0 percent shooting. The Ducks rank fourth in the Pac-12 in 3-pointers, making nearly seven per game. On the defensive end, Oregon allows 67.6 points per game on just under 40 percent from the field.
Junior forward Jillian Alleyne leads Oregon at 17.6 points, 15.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Alleyne is the top rebounder in the Pac-12 and also ranks third in field goal accuracy at 56.0 percent. Freshman guard Lexi Bando averages 10.6 points and is Oregon's top 3-point shooter at 44.1 percent and 52 made on the season. Junior guard Lexi Petersen tops the Ducks in assists (3.7 apg) and steals (1.2 spg) and ranks second on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg) and rebounding (3.7 rpg). Senior guard Katelyn Loper averages 9.4 points per game and is Oregon's second-leading 3-point shooter with 45 on the season.
Kelly Graves is in his first season as Oregon's head coach with a record of 12-14. He is 439-216 in his 21st season as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES: This will be the 17th meeting between Colorado and Oregon with the Ducks holding a 10-6 series edge. The Buffaloes have won the last three, including an 81-75 decision in Eugene last season in the only meeting between the two schools. Sunday's game completes a two year cycle where the Buffaloes and Ducks meet just once. Colorado is 3-2 against Oregon since joining the Pac-12 for the 2011-12 season. Oregon holds a 4-2 lead in games played in Boulder, although the Buffaloes took the last meeting, 84-59 on Feb. 10, 2013.
Colorado head coach Linda Lappe is 3-2 against Oregon. Kelly Graves is 0-1 against Colorado with that game coming while he was the head coach at Gonzaga.
CONNECTIONS: Colorado sports one Oregon native on its roster, senior forward Jen Reese hails from Clackamas, and was a two-time Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year. Oregon has two Colorado natives on its roster, senior center Megan Carpenter from Longmont and freshman forward Tatum Neubert from Elizabeth.
PERFECT NIGHT AT THE LINE: Colorado hit all 14 free throws in the win over Washington State, the third best total in team history for free throws made without a miss. The Buffaloes have hit 75 percent or better in nine of the last 12 games and are 80 percent over the last six games (89-of-111).
MOST FREE THROWS WITHOUT A MISS:
19-of-19 vs. Nebraska, Feb. 7, 1987 (W 91-71)
16-of-16 at Kansas State, Feb. 21, 2009 (L 60-72)
14-of-14 vs. Washington State, Feb. 13, 2015 (W 72-51)
9-of-9 vs Villanova, Nov. 30, 2002 (L 54-59)
9-of-9 vs. Illinois State, Nov 26, 1988 (W 74-60)
KRESL ON ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM: Senior Lexy Kresl has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District 7 Women's Basketball team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Kresl is one of nine players selected to the all-district team made up of NCAA Division I schools from 14 Midwestern states: Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. She now moves onto the Capital One Academic All-America ballot to be voted on later this month.
A native of Paradise Valley, Ariz., Kresl is an integrative physiology major carrying a 3.56 overall GPA. She aspires to attend Physician Assistant school after graduating in May and to work in pediatrics. Kresl is a two-time Pac-12 Conference All-Academic Women's Basketball selection, and vying for a third, earning first team honors as a junior and second team accolades as a sophomore.
SBOROV AMONG 'SO YOU WANT TO BE A COACH' CLASS: Senior guard Jasmine Sborov will participate in the 13th annual GÇÿSo You Want To Be A Coach' program in conjunction with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association National Convention April 3-5 in Tampa, Fla.
The objectives of the "So" program are to increase the understanding and application of skills necessary to secure coaching positions in women's basketball. "So" participants will learn about recruiting, the administrative side to coaching, how to get hired, skill development, the importance of knowing the rules, and how to balance work and life.
Qualified candidates must have exhausted their final year of basketball eligibility at a four-year institution or have graduated within the past year. Each participant is selected based on her academics, contributions to women's basketball on and off the court, professional resume and a written recommendation from their head coach.
Sborov, a native of Round Rock, Texas, has been a vital part of Colorado women's basketball's community service efforts during her career and has participated in a wide variety of events. She was one of nominees for the 2015 AllState WBCA Good Works Team.
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!'s 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.
SMITH PERFECT FROM FREE THROW LINE: Sophomore Haley Smith was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line in the home win over Utah. Both numbers represent career highs for Smith with the 11 free throws made tying for the team season high along with Jen Reese (11-of-13) and Lexy Kresl (11-of-16).
Smith's 11-for-11 outing also ties for Colorado's fourth best single game performance for free throws made with out a miss. She had a string of 20 straight free throws made end with her only attempt at Washington State. Smith has made 27-of-29 in Pac-12 play (.931).
MOST FREE THROWS WITHOUT A MISS:
13-of-13, Gretchen DeWitte vs. Nebraska, Feb. 7, 1987
12-of-12, Jackie McFarland vs. Missouri, Mar. 5, 2008
12-of-12, Mandy Nightingale vs. Florida, Dec. 22, 2000
11-of-11, Haley Smith vs. Utah, Jan. 14, 2015
11-of-11, Shelley Sheetz vs. Kansas, Feb. 12, 1992.
REESE'S TOP FIELD GOAL NIGHT: Senior forward Jen Reese had a career night with 30 points in the home loss to UCLA on Jan. 11. She made 14-of-19 from the field and the 14 field goals made tie for the third-best single-game total in team history. Reese joins 10 others who have had 14 field goals in a game, most recently by CU's all-time leading scorer Brittany Spears against California in the first round of the 2011 Postseason WNIT.
MOST FIELD GOALS IN ONE GAME:
17, Tracy Tripp at Oklahoma State, Feb. 4, 1987
15, Jean Raikes vs. Temple Junior College, Nov. 20, 1976
14, Jen Reese vs. UCLA, Jan. 11, 2015
14, 10 others, most recently Brittany Spears vs. Cal, Mar. 21, 2011
TWO 1,000 POINT SCORERS: Senior guard Lexy Kresl became the 27th player in team history to reach 1,000 points during her 14-point performance at USC. With classmate Jen Reese hitting the 1,000-point milestone earlier in the season, it marks the first time since 2006-07 that two Buffaloes reached the 1,000-point milestone in the same season: Jackie McFarland (3rd 1,957) and Jasmina Ilic (23rd 1,093).
Reese is currently 21st in career scoring at 1,124 while Kresl is 27th with 1,034.
OFFENSIVE ATTACK: Colorado's offensive attack is enjoying one of its best seasons in over a decade. The Buffaloes are averaging 69.9 points per game, their best over the course of a season since the 2001-02 team put up 76.1 points per outing.
Colorado registered its seventh 80-point game of the season in the win over Arizona and third during Pac-12 play. CU scored 82 at Washington, the most for the Buffaloes in a conference road game since an 84-60 win at Nebraska on Feb. 26, 2002. Colorado's 84 points in the first meeting against UCLA are the most against a conference opponent since putting up a similar number against Oregon on Feb. 10, 2013.
Colorado is hovering around a pair of Top 10 single-season percentage numbers in the team annals. The Buffaloes' nationally No. 13 ranked 3-point shooting percentage of 37.1 would rank as the fifth best single-season mark in team history if the season ended today. Colorado's 74.7 percent showing from the free throw line would rank in the ninth spot. CU's current overall pace of 42.3 percent from the field would be the team's best since 2003-04 (.435).
BACK TO THE BOARDS: Colorado has outrebounded, or been even, with 21 of its 26 opponents this season by an average of 5.7 per game. The Buffaloes are second the Pac-12 in overall rebounds (42.8 rpg) and defensive boards (29.4 drpg) while ranking third in offensive rebounds (13.4 orpg). If the season ended today, Colorado's 42.8 per game rebounding average would be the seventh best in team history.
Colorado has six games with 50 or more rebounds, including a 52-33 edge in the win over Washington State, its biggest margin in conference plays since holding a plus-25 margin against Arizona (51-26) on Jan. 20, 2013. Colorado had 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 is the only team in the Pac-12 to have two players in the Top 9 on the league rebounding leaderboard. Junior Jamee Swan is sixth at 8.0 per game while senior Jen Reese is ninth at 7.3 per contest.
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 has played in four overtime games, the most in one season in team history. As of Feb. 11, it's tied for the fourth-most in NCAA Division I for the 2014-15 campaign (DePaul, Louisiana-Lafayette, McNeese State, Oklahoma, San Jose State, Southern Mississippi and William & Mary), trailing only Hofstra, Norfolk State and Purdue who have each played in five. The NCAA I record for overtimes in one season is seven set by Wisconsin in 1998-99.
Colorado's 77-72 overtime win over Utah moved the Buffaloes to 3-1 on the season with the extra session and above .500 all-time at 24-23.
2014-15 OVERTIME GAMES
Nov. 17 vs. Western Kentucky (68-68) L, 78-79
Nov. 29 vs. Colorado State (64-64/74-74) W, 87-81
Dec. 5 vs. San Jose State (85-85) W, 97-89
Jan. 11 vs. Utah (63-63) W, 77-72
The Buffaloes had played three overtime games in one season on four other occasions, most recently in 1995-96. Colorado played in overtime in three of its first seven games marking the first time the Buffaloes had played three during the nonconference schedule. Overall it's the 14 time Colorado has played multiple overtime games in one season.
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. The Buffaloes are 3-3 overall in double overtime games.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: Colorado has a record of 55-37 since the beginning of the 2012-13 season. Of those 37 losses, 16 have been to ranked teams and 15 of those ranked higher than Colorado at the time the game was played. The Buffaloes have won 52 of their last 73 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 is the 12th player in team history to reach 1,100 points and 600 rebounds in a career.
She reached the 1,000-point milestone during her career-high 30-point effort against UCLA on Jan. 11 and is the 26th player to reach that mark. She is currently 21st on CU's career scoring list with 1,124 points.
Reese reached 600 at Washington State and is currently 13th on CU's all-time list at 655. She is 18th in career field goals made with 447.
KRESL SOLID FROM ARC, LINE: Senior guard Lexy Kresl ranks seventh in career 3-pointers made at 174 and is fifth in attempts with 545. Her current 39.7 percent status from 3-point range this season would rank 15th on Colorado's all-time single-season list.
She has made a 3-pointer in 89 of 119 career games and has 48 contests with two or more buckets from long range. Kresl hit five at Washington, tying a season high and also marking her seventh 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 82.7 (182-of-220) would rank fifth on the Buffs' all-time list (minimum of 100 attempts).
She 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.
HUGGINS SHOOTS UP LIST: Sophomore Lauren Huggins, who is second on the team in 3-pointers this season with 35, has moved into a tie with Chucky Jeffery (2009-13) for 15th place all-time with 75. She is 16 in attempts with 206.
SWAN'S SWATS: Junior forward Jamee Swan ranks second in the Pac-12 in blocked shots at 2.0 per game. She has 30 blocked shots over the last 13 games (2.3 bpg).
She has three games with five blocks this season, standing as both career and team season highs (Long Beach State, USC and Washington State). Her 52 blocked shots on the season tie for seventh on CU's single-season list and her current 2.0 per game pace would rank fifth on the Buffaloes' all-time charts.
Swan has 42 percent of Colorado's blocked shots this season. The Buffaloes total of 125 blocks currently ranks ninth on the team's single-season record book.
Swan has 116 career blocks ranking eighth on CU's all-time list.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: Colorado is 0-4 against ranked teams this season after dropping a 66-44 decision to No. 7/8 Oregon State on Feb. 20. The Buffaloes have dropped their last 16 against ranked opponents. Colorado is 62-158 all-time against ranked opponents.
STRONG SCHEDULE: Colorado currently holds down the 22nd toughest schedule in the nation (through games of Feb. 17) as its opponents have a combined record of 279-185 (.601). The Buffaloes are third in the Pac-12 trailing only UCLA (4th, .654) and Arizona State (18th, .602).
Taking into account the records of future opposition, Colorado jumps to 18th as its cumulative opponent record is 313-200 (.610), trailing only UCLA (3rd, .649) and Stanford (17th, .611) in the Pac-12.
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).
HOME AT THE CECC: Colorado is traditionally tough at home with a 403-142 all-time record at the Coors Events Center (.739). 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 is 9-7 at the Coors Events Center in 2014-15 and has won 27 of its last 41 and 38 of its last 55 at home.