Posts tagged Winning
Brooks: Buffs Rely On Tightened ‘D’ In Rout Of Utes
Feb 2nd
Colorado’s coach was more focused on what her team didn’t do than most anything Utah did – and fine-tuning her team was the right approach. Lappe’s Buffs clamped down defensively, made a few offensive tweaks and dispatched the Utes 61-45 at the Coors Events Center.
“It was good to get that win,” Lappe said. “I thought our players stepped up and did some good things on the defensive end and in rebounding.”
Winning for only the second time in their past eight games, the Buffs (13-8, 3-7) scored the afternoon’s first points and never trailed thereafter. CU led 33-16 at halftime, by as many as 20 points early in the second half, and allowed the Utes (10-11, 3-7) no closer than 13 for the rest of the game.
‘D’ was key for the Buffs, who had shot below 40 percent from the field in nine of their previous 11 games. While Sunday’s shooting percentage didn’t climb above 40 (35.8), CU held Utah to a frigid 25.9 percent – well below the 38.8 the Utes shot in Wednesday night’s 58-55 win.
In that game, CU’s Arielle Roberson and Jen Reese combined for only nine points. By halftime Sunday, Roberson-Reese had 16 between them – Roberson with 9, Reese with 7. Reese didn’t score in the second half, but Roberson doubled her first-half productivity and finished as the game’s high scorer (18).
Roberson said Lappe’s characterization of the Buffs now as “underdogs” made them “all come out and be more aggressive . . . we threw the first punch and were more aggressive.”
Defensively, said Roberson, the Buffs “boxed out a lot better, got a lot of defensive rebounds. We were better on our fouls, so I think (Lappe) was very pleased about that. We were scrappy, we were in passing lanes, and that set the tone for our offense.”
Brittany Wilson added 10 points for CU, seven of them in the second half. Freshmen Haley Smith contributed eight points and eight rebounds, matching Roberson’s board total. Lappe said Smith “played tremendous. I liked her demeanor . . . she was aggressive and that gave us a lot of energy and helped our overall intensity.”
Smith, a 6-0 wing from Sammamish, Wash., called Sunday’s win “a good bounce-back game for us . . . I think our mentality is changing.”
Sophomore Jamee Swan, who had scored 15 points and collected eight rebounds in Wednesday night’s loss, was held out of Sunday’s first for violating a team rule. She played 5 minutes, totaling one point and two rebounds.
Utah had one player in double figures – guard Danielle Rodriguez with 11. Forward Michelle Plouffe, the Utes’ high scorer (14) in Wednesday’s game, went 1-for-10 from the field Sunday and finished with 7 points. Cheyenne Wilson, who had 11 points against the Buffs in the earlier meeting, managed nine in the rematch.
Lappe credited Roberson, Reese and Rachel Hargis for their defensive work on Plouffe and for turning Sunday’s game in a guards duel.
“We match up well with her (but) you always have to know where (Plouffe) is,” Lappe said, noting that Hargis did “a great job” in spelling Roberson, which allowed Roberson to stay fresh on the offensive end.
The Buffs raced to a 33-16 halftime lead, finally ending a long 3-point drought and getting an impressive first-half finish from freshman Zoe Beard-Fails.
After missing the last 13 trey attempts – a span of 88:33 or two-plus games – CU got a 3-pointer from Reese to take a 5-2 lead that was never relinquished. Roberson closed the Buffs’ first-half scoring with a straightaway triple from the top of the key.
CU finished the half 2-of-6 from beyond the arc and got one of its top 3-point shooters – junior guard Lexy Kresl – back on the court. Kresl, out for the previous three games with a lower leg injury, played 4 first-half minutes but did not attempt a shot. But with 6:45 to play in the game, she knocked down a critical trey to send CU ahead 50-31. The Buffs finished 3-of-11 from behind the arc.
Lappe said Kresl wasn’t necessarily ahead of schedule in her comeback, noting that she will be brought along slowly and monitored for this week’s games. The Buffs visit the Pacific Northwest this week, playing at Oregon State on Friday (9 p.m. MT) and at Oregon on Sunday (3 p.m. MT).
Beard-Fails, who had scored six points in the previous nine Pac-12 games, matched that total in final 2:38 of Sunday’s first half. The 6-2 Beard-Fails, of Herndon, Va., followed a pair of free throws with two inside baskets as the Buffs stretched their advantage to 30-16.
Half a minute later, Roberson drained her 3-pointer, giving CU its 17-point lead at the break. The Buffs owned a healthy 27-12 rebounding edge after the first 20 minutes (51-35 for the game), but they committed 11 turnovers (17 for the game) which the Utes converted into 11 first-half points – the key number in keeping Utah as close as it was after one half. The plus-15 board advantage was the Buffs’ biggest in a half this season.
CU shot 42.9 percent in the opening half and went into the second half wanting that stat to hold up. It didn’t, but the Buffs compensated on the defensive end. They kept their intensity up to open the final 20 minutes, opened a pair of 20-point leads and kept the Utes playing catch up for the remainder of the game.
Utah coach Anthony Levrets applauded CU for adjusting after Wednesday’s game: “When they played big the first time, we had our two guards guarding Arielle on the perimeter, and then that allowed Plouffe to guard Reese.
“When they went back small today, it was a really good move by them because then our ‘five’ man has to either guard Reese or Roberson –and neither one of them is ever a ‘five.’ Playing on the perimeter was really hard for our big girls. It was a great adjustment by Colorado and I give a lot of credit to them.”
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
CU women lose to #7Cal-Berkeley by 3 points
Jan 26th
Winning on the road hasn’t been a problem this season for the Colorado women’s basketball team – until Friday night at Haas Pavilion.
After squandering a 16-point first-half lead, the No. 20/23 Buffs fought back gamely in the second half but came up empty on their final possession and dropped a 59-56 Pac-12 Conference decision to No. 7 California. The loss ended a four-game CU winning streak.
“I’m proud of the way we battled back, but we believed we deserved to win that one,” CU coach Linda Lappe said.
Losing for the first time in five road trips this season, the Buffs dropped to 4-3 in the Pac-12 and 15-3 overall. The Bears improved to 16-2, 6-1 and remained tied with No. 6 Stanford for first place in the Pac-12. CU visits Stanford on Sunday afternoon.
As was the case in their 53-49 win in Boulder earlier this month, the Bears were beasts on the boards Friday night, outrebounding the Buffs 47-39. Included in Cal’s total were 24 offensive boards, which proved to be decisive. CU also committed 19 turnovers, leading to 20 Cal points.
Brittany Wilson led CU with 11 points, while Chucky Jeffery added 10. Cal, which tied the series at five games apiece, was led by Gennifer Brandon and Layshia Clarendon with 13 each. Brandon also had 10 rebounds.
CU’s leading scorer, Arielle Roberson, didn’t score her first points until 11:25 remained in the game. She finished with seven points and two rebounds – all in the second half.
The Buffs took control early, going on a 15-2 run that opened a 14-point lead (24-10) with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half. During that surge, CU hit four of six three attempts – two of them by Brittany Wilson.
The lead went to 16 as the Buffs outscored the Bears 23-8 over a 10-minute span and went up 32-16 with about 4 minutes left before intermission. And that’s where CU ran into trouble.
By dominating the offensive boards and getting to the free throw line, the Bears stayed within striking distance. They outscored the Buffs 8-0 to close the first half, with a late trey from the left corner by senior guard Eliza Pierre cutting CU’s lead in half and drawing Cal to within 32-24 at the break.
The Buffs were able to fashion their double-figure first half leads without a point from Roberson (13.6 ppg) and with No. 2 scorer Jeffery (13.4 ppg) accounting for only four.
Cal made only eight of its first 35 shots and shot 22.3 percent in the first half. The Bears finished shooting 33.8 from the field while the Buffs shot 38.9 – but only 30 percent in the second half.
CU needed its second-half start to duplicate its first, but that didn’t happen. On the Buffs’ first possession, center Rachel Hargis picked up her third foul on a hard screen that negated a three-pointer by Lexy Kresl.
Cal immediately took advantage, getting a basket by Reshanda Gray and cutting CU’s lead to 32-26. That extended the Bears’ run to 10-0, putting pressure on the Buffs to respond – and fast. Jeffery finally got CU’s first second-half points, but Cal answered with an 8-0 run to tie the score at 34-34 on a jumper by Clarendon with 14:43 to play.
Her basket capped an 18-2 Bears run that spanned the final 4 minutes of the first half and the opening 5 minutes of the second.
But the Buffs didn’t go belly up. A Jeffery turnaround in the lane, followed by a Jen Reese trey opened a five-point CU lead (39-34), but Cal rallied with an 8-2 run and took its first lead (42-41) since 3-2 on a basket by Brittany Boyd, who finished with 10 points and was huge for the Bears down the stretch.
Neither team was able to take more than a two-point advantage until Boyd and Clarendon hit back-to-back jumpers to put Cal up 53-50 with 5:35 left. But CU tied the score at 54-54 on two free throws by Roberson and a Jeffery jumper with 3:42 remaining.
A pair of Boyd layups sent the Bears ahead 58-54 with 2 minutes showing. A Reese jumper in the lane pulled the Buffs to 58-56, giving CU possession with 36 seconds remaining. Roberson’s drive to the basket and layup attempt was blocked by Brandon.
The Bears rebounded and Clarendon was fouled. She hit one of two free throws with 14.8 remaining, putting Cal up 59-56 and leaving CU 10.3 seconds to hit a trey and tie.
But the Buffs had trouble getting a clean shot away, and Brittany Wilson’s desperation attempt from the left corner missed.
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CU Buff sports (not so) briefs
Sep 28th
Buffs Return To Prentup For Pac-12 Play
QUICKLY: The CU soccer team begins its home Pac-12 Conference schedule at Prentup Field this weekend. The Buffs are unbeaten through four games, losing only once so far this season. CU (6-1-3) takes on Washington and Wash ington State to begin a five-game homestand. The Buffs open against the 7-2-1 Huskies on Friday at 3 p.m. The weekend ends on Sunday as the Buffs take on the Cougars (6-2-1) at 2:30 p.m. Be sure to stick around after Sunday’s game for a special autograph session with the team!
COLORADO VS. WASHINGTON: This will be just the second meeting for the Buffs and Huskies. In their first season in the Pac-12, the Buffs fell 2-1 at Husky Soccer Complex. Anne Stuller scored an unassisted goal to put CU on the board in last year’s defeat.SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: The Huskies have lost two straight. They fell 3-1 to then-ranked No. 17 BYU and were upset by USC in their conference opener. Junior Lindsay Elston, who has six goals and four assists, is one of eight Huskies to score this season. Goalkeeper Kari Davidson leads the Pac-12 in saves.
COLORADO VS. WASHINGTON STATE: This will be the third time the Buffs and Cougars have met. In their first meeting in 2010, CU claimed a 2-1 overtime win. Last season, the Buffs fell 4-0 at Lowe Soccer Field in Pullman, Wash.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS: The Cougars shut out then-ranked No. 2 UCLA last Friday in a scoreless tie, but fell to Santa Clara on Sunday. In their two losses, the Cougars have been blanked 7-0. WSU is an offensive presence, scoring 21 goals this season, including eight by Micaela Castain.
LAST WEEK: CU opened Pac-12 Conference play last Friday at Oregon. Both teams went into the match-up un beaten through their previous three games, and a scoreless double overtime tie extended their streaks. CU goalkeeper Annie Brunner had four saves in her third straight shutout. BUFF BRIGADE: CU fans help give the Buffs a real home field advantage at Prentup. Colorado ranks third in the Pac-12 in attendance, averaging 1,117 fans per game. The Buffs are undefeated in three home games this season.
CU KNOWS NO DEFEAT: CU is currently on a four-game unbeaten streak. The Buffs have shut out their three previous opponents, and six total. CU goalkeeper Annie Brunner leads the Pac-12 in shutouts and is in a four-way tie for third on CU’s single season shutouts list.
WINNING: The Buffs began the 2012 season with an unprecidented five-game unbeaten streak, including three straight shutouts in their opening games, both program firsts. CU has only lost once this season, 4-1 to Denver at the DU
Invitational. The 6-1-2 non-conference start marks just the the fifth time in program history that CU won at least six regular-season non-conference games. The most recent was a 7-1-1 start in 2008.
COLORADO CONNECTIONS: Washington and Washington State have a combined four players from Colorado. UW’s Berkley Gamble and CU’s Anne Stuller and Nikola Machalek are all Boulder natives who attended Fairview. WSU freshman Susie White attended Mountain Vista in Highlands Ranch, as did CU junior Hayley Hughes. Mesa Owsley and Kourtney Guetlein of WSU are from Fort Collins and Monument, respectively.
RECORD BREAKERS: Juniors Annie Brunner and Anne Stuller continue to make their names known in Pac-12 soccer. Brunner leads the Pac-12 with six shutouts and is tied for third with 34 saves this season. She is in a four-way tie for third on CU’s single season shutouts list, and with 13 shutouts in her career, holds down the third spot for most all-time by a Buff. It took Stuller just 106 shots (landing her in a three-way tie on CU’s career list) to also break into CU’s top 10 for shots on goal. She ties Gianna DeSaverio (2007-08) with 50 shots on goal. With seven goals this season, Stuller ties Melissa Cartmell (1999) for fifth on CU’s list of most goals by a junior.
ALL-STAR ATHLETES: Three Buffs have received major honors this season.
Sept. 10-16: Annie Brunner, CU Athlete of the Week
vs. Wyoming W 2-0 0 goals allowed 4 saves
vs. Air Force W 2-0 0 goals allowed 4 saves
Brunner has recorded 131 saves all-time, moving past Kara Linder (2006-09) for sixth most for the Buffs. She notched back-to-back shutouts to hold down the sixth spot twice with five shutouts in two different seasons (2010 was her first).
Aug. 27-Sept. 2: Madison Krauser, CU Athlete of the Week
vs. Northwestern T 2-2 3 shots 1 goal 2 points
Krauser’s first goal of the season came just minutes after captain Amy Barczuk scored in the second half. She is the only freshman to have started every game.
Aug. 20-27: Anne Stuller, Pac-12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week, CU Athlete of the Week, Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week
vs. LIU W 2-0 6 shots 2 goals 4 points
vs. Wright State W 2-1 5 shots 2 goals 4 points
Stuller joined Nikki Marshall (2006) and Katie Griffin (2005) to become only the third player in CU history to have three multiple goal games in a single season, with her other two-goal game happening at Northern Colorado.
Aug. 13-19: Annie Brunner, Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week
vs. Northern Colorado W 3-0 0 goals allowed 3 saves
vs. Colorado College T 0-0 0 goals allowed 5 saves
Brunner shut out both teams in the Colorado Cup and also shut out LIU in the Omni Hotels Colorado Women’s Soccer Classic. It was the first time in CU history the Buffs started their season with three shutouts and the first time since 2008 the team had three shutouts in a row.
Anne Stuller, CU Athlete of the Week
vs. Northern Colorado W 3-0 3 shots 2 goals 4 points
vs. Colorado College T 0-0 2 shots
PAC-12 COACHES POLL: Colorado was picked to finish 11th in this year’s Pac-12 Coaches Poll. Stanford, the reigning NCAA Champion, received nine out of 11 possible first-place votes. UCLA, Cal, Oregon State and Washington rounded out the top five. Arizona State and USC followed, with Utah and Washington State tied for eighth. Oregon and Arizona were chosen as 10th and 12th.
COMING UP: Remember the Buffs are also at home next weekend with two big conference matchups. On Friday, Oct. 5, the Buffs take on California at 4 p.m. Crocs will be hosting a shoe donation drop box at the game in conjunction with their Crocs Cares program. The first 100 fans who donate a pair of shoes will receive a $50 Crocs gift card! CU Soccer will play No. 2 Stanford on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m. Make sure to arrive early for a special pregame appearance and run by Ralphie!
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