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Runner-up national champs Louisville beat CU women
Dec 22nd
Fifty fouls called in the game
Release: December 21, 2013
By: Troy Andre, Assistant SID
Release: December 21, 2013
By: Troy Andre, Assistant SID
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Lexy Kresl had 17 points and Jen Reese corralled her second career double-double, but Louisville had a little bit more Saturday afternoon at the KFC Yum! Center as the No. 7 ranked Cardinals outlasted No. 11 Colorado 69-62.
Louisville All-American candidate Shoni Schimmel had a game-high 30 points, including 13-of-16 from the line as Cardinals improved to 12-1.
Shoni Schimmel, with 30 points, was simply too much for the B uffs to handle
Reese had 14 points despite an off-day from the floor (4-of-14), and pulled down a team-season-high 14 rebounds for the Buffaloes (9-1) who saw their 33-game nonconference regular season win streak end.
It was a tough, physical battle, the kind one would expect from a game between two of the nation’s top teams. But that aggressiveness cost both teams at times; and Colorado a little more in the end. A total of 56 fouls were called, 32 on Colorado. The teams combined for 70 free throw attempts, Louisville hitting 24-of-40 while the Buffaloes were 17-of-30.
Colorado held a potent Louisville offense well below its average. The Cardinals entered the game averaging over 90 points per game, and over 100 in their last four. The Buffaloes were able to slow Louisville down and force the 2013 NCAA runner-ups to score in the half court.
“They get a lot of their points in transition,” Kresl said. “One of our goals was to slow them down and make them execute their plays and that worked to our advantage.”
But Colorado gave the Cardinals more opportunities than they hoped. The Buffaloes were outrebounded for the first time this year, 52-47. Louisville crashed the offensive glass, pulling down 21 on that side of the court. Even though second-chance points were even (11-11), it was the missed opportunities for stops that hurt the Buffs.
“Defensive rebounding is something that we pride ourselves on, but it let us down,” CU head coach Linda Lappe said. “I knew offensive rebounding was something they were good at. At the end of the game it came down to if we could make stops, but overall proud of our effort; how hard we played.”
“Just not boxing out, they got a few too many opportunities on the offensive boards,” Kresl added.
Despite the rebounding struggles, Colorado was in the game the whole way as neither team led by more than seven points and featured nine lead changes.
Kresl gave Colorado an early 8-5 lead with a 3-pointer, but
LEXY KRESYL scored 17-points in the game.
Bria Smith hit back-to-back jumpers to even the game at 10-10.
The Cardinals pushed their lead to 24-18 on a Sara Hammond layup with 8:01 left in the first half, but Colorado answered with its biggest run.
Kresl, who scored 15 of her 17 points in the first half, answered Hammond with a jumper that set off a 13-0 run. Arielle Roberson put back a Reese miss and a pair of Kresl free throws tied the game at 24-24.
Lauren Huggins broke the tie with a long 3-pointer to give the Buffaloes a 27-24 lead, forcing a Louisville timeout. At the beginning of the timeout Louisville’s bench received a technical foul giving the Buffaloes an opportunity to extend the lead.
Kresl hit the two technical free throws coming out of the timeout to give the Buffaloes their largest lead at 29-24. Unfortunately that was it for Colorado in the first half and the Cardinals came storming back.
Schimmel finally ended Colorado’s run with a runner in the lane, drew a foul and completed the 3-point play. Younger sister Jude Schimmel then connected on a pair of fast break layups in the closing minutes as a 9-0 run gave the Cardinals a 33-29 lead at the half.
Colorado quickly erased the Louisville halftime lead as a Sborov 3-pointer ended a 7-2 CU run out of the break for a 36-35 Buffs lead.
However, shortly after that the fouls started to catch up with Colorado. Sborov picked up her third moments after her 3-pointer. Brittany Wilson then picked up No. 4 with nearly 13 minutes left with Ashley Wilson and Roberson matching that total moments later.
Still the Buffaloes continued to stay close. Sborov hit a bucket to tie the game at 46-46 with 9:44 remaining, but the Cardinals reeled off seven straight behind the Schimmel sisters.
Louisville then kept Colorado just out of reach, mainly from the foul line. The Cardinals, who entered the game hitting 51 percent from the floor on the season, made just 34 percent for the game, and only 29 percent (9-of-31) in the final 20 minutes.
The trouble was Colorado wasn’t much better. A 46-percent shooting team for the season, CU connected on just 37 percent, although the Buffaloes were closer to their average in the second half (45 percent).
“(Louisville) helped us get ready for (Pac-12) conference,” Kresl said. “We grew as a team throughout the game.”
In the end, the game was put away at the line. Louisville hit 18-of-24 from the line in the second half compared to just 10-of-18 for Colorado.
The Buffs did get a few stops, a pair of free throws by Kresl and one each from Roberson and Reese cut the Louisville lead to 63-59 with 1:10 left. The defense came up big when Jude Schimmel missed a jumper with under a minute left, and Roberson grabbed the rebound. Rachel Hargis eventually ended up at the line, hitting 1-of-2 to make it a one possession game at 63-60.
But that was it as Shoni Schimmel clamped down hitting four free throws down the stretch, and scored the final points on a breakaway basket in the closing seconds.
“I like how our team fought throughout the game,” Lappe said. “You want to be in a position to have a chance to win at the end of the game; we had that, but just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch. We learned a lot about this game. You want nonconference to prepare you for conference, and we felt this did that today.”
Colorado will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 29, by hosting Southern Utah at 2 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.
Colorado Buffaloes Women’s Basketball
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CU Soccer honors roll in
Dec 21st
Soccer Earns Postseason Ranking, Herzl Academic Honor
BOULDER – Though the University of Colorado soccer team ended its historic season in November with a run to the NCAA Sweet 16, it continues to receive national attention.
The Buffaloes, who finished the 2013 campaign with a 14-7-2 overall, 4-5-2 Pac-12 Conference record, were one of three Pac-12 teams to earn a spot on the Top Draw Soccer Postseason Top 25. CU rounded out the group at the 25th spot, while two teams the Buffs defeated during the season, BYU and Colorado College, finished in the top 23.
The Buffs also received votes in the final postseason NSCAA/Continental Tire Women’s Poll. The team received votes in 10 of the final 11 regular season NSCAA polls, including being one vote shy of cracking into the top 25 in the 10th Poll.
Colorado excelled in the NCAA RPI rankings throughout the season. Their performance and strength of schedule helped them to the 22nd spot in the final rankings. CU was one of four Pac-12 teams in the top 25, and as with the Top Drawer Soccer rankings, CU grabbed two wins over teams in the top 25.
Beyond their success on the pitch, the team also had great success in the classroom. Colorado earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2012-13 academic year for posting a team grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Lizzy Herzl, a defender from Littleton, Colo., was recently named to the NSCAA Women’s Scholar All-America Third Team. Herzl, who holds a 3.47 GPA, is the first Buff to receive NSCAA Scholar All-America honors and one of seven Pac-12 student-athletes to earn a spot on this year’s first, second or third teams.
In her senior season, Herzl started all 23 games and played a team-high 2,115 minutes (which also ranks ninth-best all-time in a single season at CU). Herzl’s strong defensive presence earned her a spot on the Omni Hotels Colorado Women’s Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team during the non-conference portion of the season and the NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Pacific Region and the College Sports Madness All-Pac-12 Second Teams and an All-Pac-12 honorable mention honor in the postseason.
Ten soccer Buffs were named to Pac-12 Conference All-Academics teams.
Hayley Hughes, the senior defender and co-captain from Highlands Ranch, Colo., was selected as first-team Pac-12 All-Academic for the third consecutive year. Hughes, who majors in finance in the CU Leeds School of Business, with a minor in economics and certificate in quantitative finance, holds a 3.93 cumulative GPA. She was also named second-team Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District VII. On the pitch, Hughes was part of the Buffs’ strong backline, and also scored the game-winning goal against Oregon to help the Buffs to their first ever back-to-back Pac-12 home wins.
Nine Buffs were selected as Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention: Carly Bolyard (Jr., speech, language and hearing sciences), Annie Brunner (Sr., management), Lizzy Herzl (Sr., communication), Darcy Jerman (Jr., communication), Bianca Jones (Jr., management and finance), Madison Krauser (So., studio art), Olivia Pappalardo (So., psychology and sociology), Anne Stuller (Sr., philosophy) and Heather Ward (So., sociology).
Seniors Anne Stuller and Annie Brunner truly stood out both on the team and in the national rankings.
Stuller, a forward from Boulder, ranked 57th in the nation with eight assists. She also ranked in the top 100 with 26 points.
In 2013, Stuller set single season records at CU with 93 shots and 53 shots on goal. With 36 shots on goal last season, Stuller is the only Buff to rank in the top six of that category twice. In her senior season, she racked up just three fewer points than she did in her first three seasons combined.
Her assist total ties the CU single season record, while her point total ranks second and her nine goals tie for fifth. She also holds the all-time records for points, assists and shots by a senior at CU, and ties for first in goals by a senior. Stuller concluded the regular season ranking in the Pac-12’s top seven in shots, points, assists and goals. Stuller was an integral part of the Buffs’ run to the NCAA Sweet 16, netting the game-winning goal against No. 15 Denver in the first round, and contributing an assist in the Round of 32 against No. 19 BYU. Stuller was rewarded for her record-breaking season with spots on the All-Pac-12, the NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Pacific Region and College Sports Madness All-Pac-12 Second Teams.
Brunner, the 2013 co-captain and a goalkeeper from Arvada, Colo., finished the season ranked in the nation’s top 100 in saves (87) and helped the team to the 82nd best shutout percentage (.409). Brunner had the best season of her four-year career in 2013, posting career-best figures in saves, saves per game (3.78), wins (14) and shutouts (nine) – which all rank in CU’s single season top nine. Her 1.11 goals-against average also ranks 11th. Brunner earned her second Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week title when she and the Buffs’ defense held No. 9 California (who at the time had only fallen once) scoreless for over 89 minutes before the squads tied 1-1 through two overtimes.
Brunner and 2003 Big 12 Championship team member Jessica Keller are the only Buffs to have at least nine shutouts in a single season and record at least seven in back-to-back seasons. Brunner is also one of just three CU keepers to record at least 14 wins in a single season. Brunner’s hard work also ranks her second all-time at CU in saves, wins, ties and shutouts. Her GAA and minutes played rank fifth, while her games started and played also rank in CU’s top 15 all-time. With 6,957 minutes spent in the net, Brunner played the fifth most minutes of any active keeper in the nation.
CU seniors weren’t the only ones to earn conference and national attention. From her first collegiate game, freshman forward Brie Hooks, a Maple Valley, Wash. native, had already made a name for herself. In the season opener, Hooks helped the Buffs to a 3-0 shutout of Northern Colorado behind a two-goal performance. Hooks is the first Buff in program history to score multiple goals in her CU debut. An important part of the Buffs’ attack throughout the season, her strengths continued to shine in postseason play. In the first round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship, Hooks drew the foul that set up the game-winning goal and helped the Buffs to a 1-0 upset over host No. 15 Denver.
In CU’s freshman offensive record books, Hooks concluded the season ranked third with eight goals and fourth with 18 points. Her 42 shots tie for eighth. Her eight goals also tie for eighth most in a single season at CU. Her four game-winning goals tie for fourth best in a single season at CU and tie for fourth best in regular season conference play.
After the Buffs’ season ended in the Sweet 16, Hooks was called into the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team training camp. Hooks joins the likes of CU greats Amy Barczuk and Nikki Marshall as the only Buffs to get the call to a National Team camp. Hooks was also selected to the All-Pac-12 Freshman team and was Top Drawer Soccer’s 74th ranked freshman in the nation this season.
Fellow freshman Alex Huynh, a defender from Sadleir, New South Wales, Australia, also earned national attention from TDS. The site selected Huynh for the 86th spot on their Freshman Top 100. Huynh was the only CU freshman to start all 23 games, totaling 1,814 minutes. In that time, she contributed three assists, which ranks in the top nine all-time among CU freshmen.
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Marlee Horn
Graduate Assistant SID
University of Colorado
CU’s MBB Overcome Themselves (And Elon) In 80-63 Win
Dec 14th
First ten game win streak in 52 years
By B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com Contributing Editor
BOULDER – Colorado coach Tad Boyle seriously doubted that a post-Kansas hangover reared its head on Friday night and his junior point guard, Spencer Dinwiddie, was even more emphatic.
“Not at all,” said Dinwiddie after No. 21 Colorado had finally disposed of Elon University 80-63 at the Coors Events Center. “It’s a credit to our team – we move on fast after wins and losses . . . I just don’t think we gave (Elon) the respect they deserved and we didn’t guard them at the three-point line.”
Yet as erratic and simply puzzling as the Buffaloes (10-1) were in several areas – shooting free throws, protecting the ball and defending the long ball to name three – they still won their tenth consecutive game, which hasn’t been done in CU basketball in 52 years.
Dinwiddie has emerged as the team leader
Said Boyle: “It gives you an idea of where our program is when we win by 17 at home and people are kind of disappointed and frustrated. So I guess that’s a good sign.”
Such is progress, particularly when it follows six days after one of the benchmarks in program history – a 75-72 buzzer-beating victory over then-No. 6 KU. In the wild aftermath of that game, Boyle’s message to his team had been: “Don’t get drunk on your own wine.”
According to Dinwiddie at least, the Buffs took it to heart and head. But on Friday night, CU stumbled around just enough and Elon hit more than enough treys to make Boyle and the CEC crowd of 8,831 occasionally uneasy. The Phoenix’ 13 made treys (32 attempts) was an opponent high this season against the Buffs.
Boyle called the Phoenix (5-5) “a good team” that will win its share of games in the Southern Conference. But he also said his team won “a take-care-of-business-game” with a “workmanlike effort” – hardly superlatives after a superlative Saturday against the Jayhawks.
“Some nights it’s not going to be as pretty . . . there’s still a lot of improvement to be made,” Boyle said. “But I thought the cream rose in the second half.”
CU’s cream on this night: Dinwiddie, Xavier Johnson, Josh Scott and freshman George King. Dinwiddie finished with 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Johnson and Scott each contributed 12 points and had double-doubles. King scored 10 off the bench, helping CU roll to a 31-6 edge in that area, and had a second-half tip-dunk that perked up his team and the crowd.
“Like coach Boyle said, I’m just trying to get my number called,” said King, who played 14 minutes (he had 15 against Arkansas State). “I didn’t know I was going to get this much time, but I had success on the boards (four rebounds) and attacking their defense. I got more time and I took advantage of it.”
Johnson, said Boyle, was a first-half “beast,” getting 11 of his 15 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. Scott added 13 rebounds as CU bashed Elon 54-27 on the boards.
“To Colorado’s credit, first of all they are very good, they are very talented,” said Elon coach Matt Matheny. “But they out-rebounded us in the first half by 22 . . . we cannot expect to hang around with a top 25 team (like that). They really just abused us on the glass.”
But the Phoenix – specifically 6-8 senior Sebastian Koch – returned the abuse from beyond the arc. After opening the scoring with a trey, Koch drained another eight for the night, finishing nine of 14 from long range for a game-best 27 points.
“They shot threes very well,” Dinwiddie understated. “The open looks we gave them in the first half – that we shouldn’t have, that they missed – went in the second half. That, along with them slowing us down in the zone, really made it close.”
Also keeping the Phoenix in touch was the Buffs’ misfiring at the free throw line. CU finished the night 27-of-46, which certainly has Boyle’s attention but doesn’t panic him. “We chart every free throw in practice,” he said. “Our worst shooter in practice is shooting 75 percent . . . free throw shooting is a very individualistic thing; you get in the gym and do what you have to do. I have confidence they can do it in a game.”
Maybe more puzzling to him than the clanked foul shots were the Buffs’ 12 first-half turnovers – four more than they committed all game against the Jayhawks. Fortunately, CU’s second-half total (four) didn’t match the first half, but in comparing the 16 turnovers against Elon to the eight against KU, Boyle said, “As a coach, you scratch your head over that one.”
The Buffs didn’t score for nearly 4 minutes, missed their first five shots and committed five of their dozen first-half turnovers during that span. Elon surged to a 13-6 lead on Koch’s three-pointer with 12:25 left before halftime.
A couple of minutes before that, Boyle had seen enough. He pulled his five starters and replaced them with senior Ben Mills, sophomore Xavier Talton and freshmen Dustin Thomas, Tre’Shaun Fletcher and King.
A change did the Buffs good – or at least refocused them.
They caught and passed the Phoenix on a trey by Johnson from the left wing, grabbing their first lead at 17-16 with 10:10 left in the half. They outscored the Phoenix 21-5 to go up 27-18, with Dinwiddie hitting back-to-back treys at the run’s conclusion. In the half’s last 12 minutes, CU outscored Elon 35-13 and took a 41-26 lead to their locker room, matching their biggest advantage to that point.
CU pushed its lead to 19 (49-30) in the first 31/2 minutes of the second half, but Elon answered with five consecutive 3-pointers to pull to 52-45. Koch drained three of the five triples, with Tanner Sampson (12 points) accounting for the other pair.
The Buffs countered with a triple and a shorter jumper from Xavier Talton (nine points, six rebounds) and a layup and free throw from Scott to build another double-digit lead – 60-47. The Phoenix closed to 69-60 on a layup by Ryan Winters with 6:20 to play, but a conventional three-point play and a subsequent layup by Dinwiddie pushed CU ahead 74-60 with just over 3 minutes remaining.
The trey-happy Koch wasn’t done. He reached 27 points with his ninth triple of the night, bringing Elon to within 74-63 at the 2:59 mark. But when “XJ” responded with consecutive layups, pushing CU ahead by 15 (78-63), Elon was finally done.
For a second consecutive game, CU redshirt freshman Wesley Gordon remained sidelined due to illness/injury. He was on the bench in street clothes, but Boyle said Gordon would be ready to play on Saturday, Dec. 21 against No. 7 Oklahoma State in the MGM Grand Showcase in Las Vegas.
The Buffs’ 10-game winning streak – something that hasn’t been done in CU hoops since the 1944-45 season – “is another milestone,” Boyle said. “I haven’t talked to this team a lot – because we’re so darn young – about what their legacy is going to be. But as we move into conference play I think those are things we need to talk about and celebrate. It’s a great thing; 52 years is a long time.”
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