Saturday, December 7
1 p.m.
Colorado
vs
Southern Utah
Photo by: Serena Rodriguez
Colorado Continues at Home vs Southern Utah: Five Things to Know
December 06, 2024 | Women's Basketball
The Buffaloes tip off against the Thunderbirds at 1 p.m. MT
BOULDER – The Colorado women's basketball team starts an action-packed Saturday at the CU Events Center. The Buffaloes will take on Southern Utah in the first leg of the hoops double-header (1 p.m. MT). The CU men's team follows up with its game against Colorado State later in the evening.
Saturday will be the seventh meeting between the two teams. The Buffs are 6-0 all-time against SUU. CU head coach JR Payne spent five seasons at the helm in Cedar City and led SUU to a school record for wins and a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season championship in her final season in 2013-14 with a 23-10 record.
"The head coach for Southern Utah was my college teammate, and her daughter is a fifth-year senior on her team," Payne said following CU's win over Tennessee Tech. "I'm always cheering for Southern Utah, except for the day that we play them. A couple of our college teammates are actually coming up for the game, and it'll be really great to see her and see them."
Payne became the second CU bench boss to reach 150 wins in CU's 91-79 win over TTU. Colorado (7-2) scored a season-high 54 points off the bench, led by Ayianna Johnson and Nyamer Diew, who both finished with 15 points. The Buffs trailed by as many as eight in the first quarter before surging to a 21-point lead in the third quarter.
Southern Utah (1-9) enters Saturday on a three-game skid. The Thunderbirds went 0-3 last week at the Nugget Classic in Reno, Nev. SUU's lone of the season was an 86-45 defeat of Bethesda University of California.
Five Things to Know
Cory Lopez and Carol Callan will have pregame coverage starting 30 minutes before tip-off on the Colorado Radio Network.
Up Next: Dec. 10, Denver (7 p.m. MT)
Saturday will be the seventh meeting between the two teams. The Buffs are 6-0 all-time against SUU. CU head coach JR Payne spent five seasons at the helm in Cedar City and led SUU to a school record for wins and a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season championship in her final season in 2013-14 with a 23-10 record.
"The head coach for Southern Utah was my college teammate, and her daughter is a fifth-year senior on her team," Payne said following CU's win over Tennessee Tech. "I'm always cheering for Southern Utah, except for the day that we play them. A couple of our college teammates are actually coming up for the game, and it'll be really great to see her and see them."
Payne became the second CU bench boss to reach 150 wins in CU's 91-79 win over TTU. Colorado (7-2) scored a season-high 54 points off the bench, led by Ayianna Johnson and Nyamer Diew, who both finished with 15 points. The Buffs trailed by as many as eight in the first quarter before surging to a 21-point lead in the third quarter.
Southern Utah (1-9) enters Saturday on a three-game skid. The Thunderbirds went 0-3 last week at the Nugget Classic in Reno, Nev. SUU's lone of the season was an 86-45 defeat of Bethesda University of California.
Five Things to Know
- Vs. Former Team – JR Payne has been successful in both meetings against her former school. The two teams met in back-to-back seasons, with CU going to Cedar City for the first time in 2001 (81-47). SUU made the return trip to Boulder in 2022 (78-48). Coincidentally, both previous meetings fell on Dec. 7.
- Top Gun(s) – Frida Formann and Lior Garzon rank among the NCAA's active leaders in 3-pointers. Formann is eighth among active DI players with 273 career makes. Garzon is 13th with 259 career triples.
- Vs. Bee Hive State – Saturday is the third of five games Colorado will play this season against teams from Utah. The Buffs are 2-0 this season with wins over Utah State and at Utah Tech. Trips to BYU (Jan. 29) and Utah (Feb. 12) remain on the docket.
- Fresh off the Bench – CU is averaging 28.8 points per game off the bench. It's the second-best average in the Big 12 behind TCU's 29.7. Colorado's bench scored a season-high 54 points against TTU, marking the most points by the bench unit since totaling 54 last season against Le Moyne.
- 50 Burger – CU scored 52 points in the first half against Tennessee Tech. It was the most points scored in a half since totaling 52 in the second half at Utah (Feb. 16, 2024). Colorado scored 50 points in a half eight times last season.
Cory Lopez and Carol Callan will have pregame coverage starting 30 minutes before tip-off on the Colorado Radio Network.
Up Next: Dec. 10, Denver (7 p.m. MT)
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