CU Women’s Basketball
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CU Buff women blast Lazio All-Stars
Aug 19th
ROME – Colorado head coach Linda Lappe was anticipating the opportunity to give her four new freshman valuable playing time during the team’s trip to Italy. She is getting exactly what she was hoping for, and possibly more.
Zoe Beard-Fails had 14 points and Bri Watts grabbed double-digit rebounds for the second straight game as Colorado blasted the Lazio All-Stars 96-22 Sunday at the Stella Azzurra.
All 12 Buffaloes scored with four in double-digits. Jen Reese, Brittany Wilson and Jamee Swan had 12 points apiece. Watts had a game-high 10 rebounds to go with five points and four assists.
Not to be outdone, freshman guard Desiree Harris had seven points and seven rebounds while classmate Haley Smith pitched in six points, three rebounds and three assists.
“(The freshmen) are doing a really nice job fitting in to what we are doing,” Lappe said. “They are getting a lot of minutes and they are capitalizing on that. We’ve seen some really good things from everybody and the freshmen are no different.”
Beard-Fails filled out her stat line nicely with five rebounds, four steals and three of assists while making 7-of-10 from the field.
“We had confidence and cohesiveness,” Beard-Fails said. “We have been spending a lot of time together (on this trip) on and off the court and it’s beginning to show.”
Sunday’s game was over quickly. Colorado scored the first 13 points and led 29-4 after the first 10-minute quarter. Wilson hit her first of three 3-pointers during CU’s opening run, setting the tone for the contest.
“We tried to set the tone to be quicker, and that carried through the game,” Wilson said
The Buffaloes hit 58 percent in the first quarter (11-of-19). Lazio managed just six field goal attempts hitting two, and had 14 turnovers in the first quarter alone.
Colorado built its lead to 49-4 at the half, and didn’t allow more than seven points in any one quarter. The Buffaloes final margin of 74 was its largest. Lazio was 6-of-44 from the field (14 percent) and it took a late 3-pointer by Sbolci to allow the all-stars to break 20 points. Lazio hit 9-of-16 from the foul line.
Colorado scored 64 of its points in the paint, many of them in transition, and scored 45 points of 32 Lazio turnovers.
The Buffaloes made 54 percent from the field. Swan and Reese each hit 6-of-8 from the field.
“We had a few goals for tonight and one of them was to be much sharper,” Lappe said. “We did a fantastic job defensively and that really spurred our offense, that allowed us to get stops, and we did a much better job converting in transition.”
Wilson echoed Lappe’s pregame plan of focus…”Our mindset was to come out more sharp and that took care of everything else. We were more aggressive on defense…we came out more intense and ready to play.”
Colorado will play its third off four games Monday at 7 p.m. local time, 11 a.m. MT, against Latina.
Troy Andre
Assistant SID/Internet Managing Editor
University of Colorado
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CU Women’s Team Opens Italy Schedule With a Win
Aug 16th
MONTECATINI, Italy – Five Colorado players scored in double-digits as the Buffaloes rolled to an 80-47 win over the Toscana All-Stars Friday evening at the Palivinci.
Colorado freshmen Bri Watts and Haley Smith made great first impressions. Watts recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, both game highs for the Buffaloes. Smith scored 12 points on 6-of-8 from the field.
Smith scored the game’s first two baskets as Colorado vaulted to a 14-0 lead. The Buffaloes led 24-7 after the first of four 10-minute quarters.
Smith scored again on consecutive buckets midway through the second quarter, including a steal and breakaway layup, giving CU its largest lead to that point at 39-14.
“I had so much fun (in our first game),” Smith said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect transitioning from high school to college, but I thought it went well, and we played well as a team.”
Toscana’s Fabbri scored seven of her 10 points in the final minutes of the second quarter to cut the CU lead to 43-28 at the half.
But the Buffaloes clamped down defensively in the second half, allowing only 19 total points. Toscana shot just 28 percent for the game and Colorado forced 27 turnovers.
The Buffaloes looked crisp at times, shooting 48 percent and dishing out 19 assists. On the flip side, Colorado had too many turnovers themselves (26), but to their credit, the team played well in spurts despite stepping on a basketball court for the first time since the final practice at the Coors Events Center on Aug. 12.
Colorado held a substantial size advantage and it showed in the rebounding numbers. The Buffaloes held a 59-25 edge on the boards, and actually had more offensive rebounds (29) than Toscana had total.
Watts had six offensive rebounds alone while hitting 6-of-12 from the field. She used her 6-foot-2 frame to box out on defense and post up on the offensive end.
“It was a great experience,” Watts said. “I love using my body, even though I really still need to learn how, but it makes my job a lot easier.”
All 12 of Colorado’s available players scored and saw between 11 and 22 minutes of action. Watts topped the Buffaloes in that category as well. Rachel Hargis scored 10 points off the bench in her first action since a knee injury last March.
“We were very balanced offensively and rebounded the ball well,” CU head coach Linda Lappe said. “We need to get sharper and will as we go along. We’ll be ready for the next game.”
Jasmine Sborov and Ashley Wilson were the other two in double-digits, scoring 10 each. Jen Reese had eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Colorado will enjoy a day of sightseeing in Florence on Saturday before heading for Rome Sunday to play its second game. The Buffaloes will play at 5 p.m. local time (9 a.m. MT) against the Lazio All-Stars.
Troy Andre
Assistant SID/Internet Managing Editor
University of Colorado
CUBuffs.com
O: 303-492-4672 C: 303-903-3654
troy.andre@colorado.edu
CU women’s b-ball team excited to experience culture of Italy
Aug 13th
The University of Colorado women’s basketball team is taking a 10-day tour of Italy, Aug. 12-21. The Buffaloes are scheduled to compete in four games against teams comprised of players from professional leagues all over Italy. Colorado players, coaches and staff will also have the chance to take in many of the historic and cultural sites of the country. Per NCAA rules, the Buffaloes were allowed to have 10 full team practices leading up to this trip, the last coming Monday morning at the Coors Events Center before heading to DIA later in the afternoon. This trip has been paid for by donors of the basketball program. Italy is eight hours ahead of the Mountain Time Zone.
Colorado Women’s Basketball Itinerary:
Monday, Aug. 12
The team leaves Denver in the evening, and travels overnight to London, arriving Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday, Aug. 13 — Lake Como
After a brief layover in London, the Buffaloes will arrive in Milan Tuesday afternoon and travel to Lake Como, located in the northern part of the country, near its border with Switzerland.
Wednesday, Aug. 14 — Lake Como
In the shadows of the Rhaetian Alps, the Buffaloes will explore Lake Como, which stretches 75 miles. A boat trip to Bellagio is included in the itinerary. Following the day-long tour, Colorado will head east to Venice in the evening.
Thursday, Aug. 15 — Venice
Colorado spends the day in Venice, including a guided walking tour of the city with stops at St. Mark’s Basilica, St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge spanning the Grand Canal.
Friday, Aug. 16 — Florence GAME #1 vs. Toscana All-Stars
Colorado travels south to Florence for the first of four its games, scheduled for 7 p.m. local time (11 a.m. MDT). The Toscana All-Stars are comprised of players from Firenze, San Giovanni Valdarno, Pontedera of the A2/B professional level.
Saturday, Aug. 17 — Florence
The Buffaloes remain in Florence for a day of sightseeing in the rolling green hills of Tuscany, the region behind the inspiration for CU’s architectural design.
Sunday, Aug. 18 — Rome GAME #2 vs. Lazio All-Stars
It’s off to the capital city of Rome for a 5 p.m. local time game (9 a.m. MDT. The three games in Rome will comprise of players from Rome, Latina, Santa Marinella of the A2/B professional level.
Monday, Aug. 19 — Rome GAME #3 vs. Lazio All-Stars
Colorado is scheduled to tour the historic sites of ancient Rome including the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. Game time Monday is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time (11 a.m. MDT).
Tuesday, Aug. 20 — Rome GAME #4 vs. Lazio All-Stars
The Buffaloes are scheduled to tour the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica before tipping off their final game at 7 p.m. local time (11 a.m. MDT).
Wednesday, Aug. 21
Travel day back to Colorado.
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