Contact CU Independent General Assignment Editor Andrew Haubner at andrew.haubner@colorado.edu
The cries of ‘Is it November yet?’ have finally come to a halt.
It is indeed November and basketball season has officially begun at the University of Colorado.
The CU women’s basketball team was the first group to play competitive minutes on the floor of the Coors Events Center, and they won it in style against the USC-Aiken Pacers by a score of 86-46.
Things started slow on Saturday night as both teams worked to find their footing for the first time in the 2015-2016 season. The Pacers started off quickly, with a multitude of three’s, but were soon contained by a more athletic Colorado side.
As expected, center Jamee Swan dominated on all parts of the court, with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks. The junior, who has been tabbed by many to be Colorado’s focal point was present in every aspect of the Buffaloes’ game strategy. But it wasn’t as simple as giving Swan every single touch.
CU’s freshmen class of Kennedy Leonard, Alexis Robinson and Mackenzie Ellis (Monica Burich is still sidelined with an injury) shined in their collegiate debuts, combining for 17 points in the half. They’d eventually finish with 35 on the night. Once the Buffaloes finally found their groove, it was all Colorado, all night. Robinson and Leonard, in particular, shined, filling up the role left by graduated guard Lexy Kresl. Both guards shot 100 percent from the field in the first half (a combined 7-7) and finished with a combined shooting percentage of 67.
By halftime, the lead had grown from one at the end of the first quarter to 20 at the end of the half. Though it is tough to judge the Buffaloes from this game–USC-Aiken plays in the Division II Peach Belt Conference–fans were able to get a glimpse of what this team will look like this season. A team that utilized their bigs and had some talented slashers to balance out the scoring.
After pulling away in the second quarter (the Buffaloes spent the quarter on a 27-8 run), Colorado held the Pacers to only 8 points for the following ten minutes. USC-Aiken, who played CSU and lost 77-43 last week, struggled mightily in the third quarter, both in terms of scoring and containing CU’s attack. After three, the margin of victory and total points scored was higher than the total of that game, 76-34.
The gap only widened as the fourth quarter rolled on. With a 39 point lead in hand, Kennedy Leonard drained a deep ball to put Colorado on another scoring run, bringing the final margin to 40. While there were some hopes for the first 100 point game in Coors since 2013 (the men’s team defeated Oregon 100-91 that year), Linda Lappe pulled her foot off the gas as things slowed down on the offensive end.
What lies ahead is a season opener on Nov. 14 against Loyola Marymount. A day earlier, the men’s team will officially kick off the basketball year with their first game against No. 8 Iowa State.
As news reports spilled out of a positive closed-door men’s scrimmage against SMU, the women’s team was able to showcase what their season will look like for their fans. The Buffaloes’ first game against LMU will be on the University of Colorado’s livestream and Pac-12 Digital. Tip-off is 2 p.m.
