BOULDER – Colorado's women's basketball team hit the halfway point of its 10 allotted practices on Monday before its trip to Italy that starts this weekend. The Buffs are preparing for their foreign tour that will include three exhibition games.

BOULDER – Some athletes get a reputation of just being a "winner." Lesila Finau (pronounced lah-SEE-lah fin-OU) is one of those, having led both her high school teams and AAU teams to some incredible success throughout her career.

BOULDER – Emma Clarke has one major goal in life, to play in the Olympics for her home country of Australia. A native of Perth, Western Australia, she originally committed to play basketball at UC Santa Barbara, but coaching staff turnover there led her to reopen her recruitment and sign with Colorado, a decision she believes will ultimately help her achieve her goal of playing for the Opals in the Olympics one day.

Former Colorado women's basketball coach Rene Portland, who helped establish a competitive foundation for the program and set the stage for long-term success, died Sunday after a three-year battle with cancer.

BOULDER – Colorado's women's basketball team released its non-conference schedule on Thursday. The Buffs will play 11 games prior to Pac-12 play, including eight at home. Five of the team's non-conference opponents made the postseason last year, including two in the NCAA Tournament.

BOULDER – After spending the past six years attending school away from home, heading off to college away from home seems normal for University of Colorado women's basketball freshman Kai Volcy, a 6-foot-4 post player.