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Women’s basketball: No. 12 Utah first of many tests for No. 8 CU Buffs in Pac-12

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Women’s basketball: No. 12 Utah first of many tests for No. 8 CU Buffs in Pac-12


What the Colorado women’s basketball team has done to this point has been impressive.

The 11-game nonconference slate isn’t what the eighth-ranked Buffaloes came into this season looking to dominate, however.

On Saturday, CU will host No. 12 Utah in the first of many upper-echelon battles during the final season of Pac-12 basketball.

“Because we have so many players that have been through the gauntlet of the Pac-12, I think everyone’s just very refocused,” said CU head coach JR Payne, whose team will hit the court after a nine-day break. “It’s kind of feeling like this is a new season. The first part of the season was great, second part begins now. I’m just excited for what’s going to be such a difficult Pac-12 Conference.”

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Although ranked No. 8 nationally, the Buffs are just the third-highest ranked from the conference, behind No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 USC. Stanford, at No. 9, and Utah aren’t far behind. Washington and Washington State are both receiving votes and have been ranked this season. Oregon State is 11-0 and also receiving votes.

To this point in the season, no team in the conference is worse than 8-4.

“Oh, I think it’s the best it’s ever been top to bottom,” Payne said. “I think it’s awesome. It always is intense. It’s always so well-coached and so many talented players and things like that, but it’s even more exciting just being that it’s the last of the Pac-12 seasons, and it’s going to be the best.”

Coloradoxe2x80x99s Quay Miller looks to make a move on UNCxe2x80x99s Aniah Hall in Boulder on Dec. 21, 2023.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)

All 12 teams will be in different conferences next year, with CU, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State heading to the Big 12. Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington will go to the Big Ten, while California and Stanford will be in the ACC. Oregon State and Washington State are being added as affiliate members of the West Coast Conference for basketball.

CU hasn’t won a regular season conference title since 1994-95 (Big Eight) and would love to finish the Pac-12 era with a banner.

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“We’re really excited (for the Pac-12 season),” center Aaronette Vonleh said. “Preseason is fun. You get to play teams you don’t usually see, but to be able to get back into conference and, it’s kind of the last year of the Pac-12 now, so it’s even more special. We want to end it on an even higher note, like win the last Pac-12 Championship. … That’s like making history.”

That’s not going to be an easy task, however, with so many elite teams in the conference. Four of the Buffs’ first seven conference games are against teams in the top 12.

“It’s gonna be a hard few months because you don’t really get a break and you’re just playing top 10 teams back-to-back-to-back,” guard Kindyll Wetta said. “That’s what we’re here for and that’s what we’re excited to do.”

A year ago, CU was third in the Pac-12 standings, the program’s best regular season conference finish since 2003-04 (third in the Big 12). But guard Jaylyn Sherrod and center Quay Miller both returned for a bonus fifth season (granted by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic) aiming for more with a strong core group around them.

“We feel like Quay and Jaylyn and some of these guys came back to see how well we could finish during this part of the season,” Payne said. “It wasn’t necessarily about the first part of the season. But I think we’re definitely excited and motivated.”

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CU isn’t looking too far ahead, though. The opening game, against Utah, is a significant test right out of the gate.

“I think both teams are really good,” Payne said. “Both teams are very veteran-laden. Both teams are hungry to do well and feel like they have the personnel to go far in the season and so I would expect it to be a really, really fun and tough game.”

In recent years, CU and Utah have split their season series, so it’s a good Pac-12 opener to test the Buffs’ focus.

“I think it does (help) because we do know they’re gonna be a very good team,” Wetta said. “Historically we’ve been win one, lose one with them. It will definitely heighten the level of (the game).”

No. 8 CU Buffs women’s basketball vs. No. 12 Utah Utes

TIPOFF: Saturday, 1 p.m., CU Events Center in Boulder

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TV/RADIO: Pac-12 Network/630 AM

RECORDS: Colorado 10-1 (0-0 Pac-12); Utah 10-2 (0-0 Pac-12)

COACHES: Colorado — JR Payne, 8th season (129-94; 230-207 career). Utah — Lynne Roberts, 9th season (149-106; 370-281 career).

KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — G Frida Formann, 5-11, Sr. (15.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.8 spg, .496 FG%, .481 3PT%, 1.000 FT%); C Quay Miller, 6-3, Sr. (10.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg); G Tameiya Sadler, 5-8, Sr. (5.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.2 spg); G Jaylyn Sherrod, 5-7, Sr. (13.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.0 spg, .485 FG%); C Aaronette Vonleh, 6-3, Jr. (15.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, .651 FG%); G Kindyll Wetta, 5-9, Jr. (7.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, .492 FG%). Utah — F Jenna Johnson, 6-2, Jr. (9.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.1 apg, .558 FG%); G Kennady McQueen, 5-10, Jr. (9.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, .518 FG%, .467 3-PT%); F Alissa Pili, 6-2, Sr. (23.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 bpg, .697 FG%, .565 3-PT%); F Reese Ross, 6-1, Fr. (8.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .627 FG%, .609 3-PT%); G Ines Vieira, 5-6, Jr. (7.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7.4 apg, 3.3 spg).

NOTES: This is the final Pac-12 opener for both teams, as Colorado and Utah will both join the Big 12 next summer. … CU is 3-9 in Pac-12 openers since joining the conference, including a loss at Utah in last year’s conference opener. … The Buffs are 21-21 all-time against Utah, including 11-8 in Boulder. … This is the first time that CU and Utah are both ranked among the top 25 when squaring off. … CU has held steady at No. 8 for the past four weeks. The Buffs have been in the top 10 for seven straight weeks, the longest stretch for the program since a 16-week run during the 1994-95 season. … Since CU and Utah joined the Pac-12 together in the summer of 2011, the Buffs are 14-11 against the Utes. … Last year, the two teams split their series, with Utah winning in Salt Lake City (85-58 on Dec. 14, 2022) and CU winning in Boulder (77-67 on Jan. 6). … Utah is third in the country in scoring (93.3 points per game), while CU is 15th (84.0). … The Buffs are 66-210 all-time against opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including 10-48 under Payne. The Buffs are 7-8 in their last 15 games against top 25 teams. … Utah is 5-63 all-time against opponents ranked in the Top 10, with all five wins at home. The highest-ranked team the Utes have ever defeated on the road was No. 15 Oregon State on Dec. 8, 2020. … Utah is 10-54 against ranked opponents under Roberts, including 0-2 this year. … CU’s only loss came against then-No. 10 North Carolina State (now No. 3) in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Nov. 25. … Utah lost at No. 21 Baylor on Nov. 14 and to No. 1 South Carolina on Dec. 10 in Uncasville, Conn.

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Utah

Voices: Utah’s LGBTQ+ community has faced adversity before. We can do it again.

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Voices: Utah’s LGBTQ+ community has faced adversity before. We can do it again.


Displayed at the Utah Pride Center is a quilt panel honoring Michael Spence, also known as the drag queen Tracy Ross. This display helped me connect the recent news of Donald Trump’s reelection with a reminder of a past defined by marginalization and a future where hard-won rights are again at risk.

During his first term, the Trump administration worked to undermine LGBTQ+ protections. I fear a second Trump administration will roll back rights for LGBTQ+ citizens, particularly for transgender individuals.

But we have been here before. By the 1980s, few states recognized hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals. Homosexuality — or sodomy — was criminalized, and many states enacted policies to block lesbian and gay educators from public schools or discussing their private lives at work. Protections in housing and employment in Utah were only won in 2015.

Today, we face a similar fight, though we now have the historical context and resources to help us resist.

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Reflecting on Michael Spence’s life and legacy led me back to Utah’s response during the AIDS crisis. Utah did not begin recording cases of HIV/AIDS until 1983 with Robert Michael Painter and one other person. After about six years of deflecting the problem, President Ronald Reagan helped Congress pass its first substantive federal funding with the AIDS Service Demonstration Grants — of which Utah received $6.4 million for research — and then with the CARE Act, named after Ryan White in 1990. While much of the nation exhorted condemnations and cautionary tales about AIDS, I have found no comments on the epidemic from Governors Scott Matheson or Norman Bangerter. Meanwhile, Utah Bureau of Epidemiology Director Craig Nichols refused to connect advocacy groups considered to be too centered on gay and lesbian rights with federal grant funds. Utahns with AIDS were left on their own and could only rely on the state to count them as a statistic to report.

The lack of government support galvanized Utah’s lesbian and gay community to step up to meet the crisis. In 1985, Dr. Patty Reagan founded the Salt Lake AIDS Foundation (now the Utah AIDS Foundation). Other groups, like the People With AIDS Coalition; AIDS Project Utah; Gay and Lesbian Community Center and Clinic; and ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) worked to support and educate the public. Tensions often rose between leaders and volunteers, with overlapping missions and limited resources, thus creating friction. Yet, the efforts of activists like Dave Sharpton and Sheldon Spears, mobilized a community determined to survive. Sharpton, along with others, founded Horizon House, a sanctuary for those with HIV/AIDS who had nowhere else to go.

Utah’s first public memorial event was a 1989 candlelight vigil that began at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral and passed Temple Square before ending at the Salt Palace, where an enormous section of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt was displayed. Religious and civic leaders joined this event, marking a significant moment of public solidarity and inspiring the first Pride march two years later. Another vigil, in 1990, took place in Memory Grove, where hundreds gathered to honor lives lost. These memorials provided a rare, public space for grieving and solidarity amid the ongoing crisis and the humanization of public health statistics. Now annual fundraisers, marathons and walk-a-thons are held across the state.

In my research, I have so far found names for only 366 Utahns who died from AIDS — many who were born and raised in Utah, but were far from home in their last days. Today, the AIDS Memorial Quilt remains a testament to lives cut short and our chosen community’s resilience, standing as both a memorial and a reminder of how far we’ve come.

In the face of a familiar future, I recall the strength that Utah’s lesbian and gay community displayed during the AIDS crisis. While we have come a long way, the familiar challenges ahead require a unified response. Utah’s LGBTQ+ community now has more tools than ever: social media, massive fundraising resources and effective grassroots organizing. The COVID-19 pandemic also strengthened our sense of community and readiness.

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As an historian of LGBTQ+ Utah, I am inspired by the strength, unity and resilience that our community has shown throughout history. We have confronted adversity before, from organizing during the AIDS crisis to advocating for marriage equality and nondiscrimination protections — and we can do it again.

Randell Hoffman (he/they) is a historian, preservationist and quilter committed to making history accessible and relevant to diverse communities.

Randell Hoffman (he/they) is a historian, preservationist and quilter committed to making history accessible and relevant to diverse communities. As an independent researcher of Utah’s LGBTQ+ history, Randy focuses on amplifying overlooked narratives and fostering spaces where historical preservation intersects with community empowerment.

The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.



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5th shutout against Utah HC prompts internal reflection

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5th shutout against Utah HC prompts internal reflection


For the third time this month and fifth time this season, the Utah Hockey Club failed to score a single goal in a game. This time they fell 1-0 to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

The band 4 Non Blondes said it best: What’s going on?

“In the first period we had good momentum, we created good offense and then we started to get in the box way too much,” said head coach André Tourigny after the game. “That cost us momentum.”

The third period was full of chances for Utah HC, but they just couldn’t capitalize.

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At one point, a give-and-go created a perfect opportunity for Maveric Lamoureux at the top of the crease, but his shot went off the underside of the crossbar and out.

On another occasion, a power play bid from Nick Schmaltz hit a body in front of the net and bounced just wide. UHC just couldn’t buy a goal.

The Bruins are glad to get a win in their first game under interim head coach Joe Sacco. Additionally, Elias Lindholm scored the game’s lone goal, breaking a 17-game personal goal drought.

It was a big step in the right direction for the Bruins.

How this works

This is a three-part article geared toward three different audiences.

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  • First, we’ll have “Utah hockey for dummies” for all you new hockey fans. Welcome, by the way — we’re glad you’ve taken an interest in the greatest sport in the world.
  • Next, we’ll have a section titled “Utah hockey for casual fans,” aimed at those who have a basic understanding of the sport.
  • Finally, we’ll have “Utah hockey for nerds.” That will be for those of you who, like me, think about nothing but hockey all day, every day.

Feedback is welcome, so let me know what you think in the comments of this article or the comments section on “X.”

Utah hockey for dummies

Before we get into the nitty gritty details of the game, let’s take a moment to appreciate Robert Bortuzzo and Mark Kastelic. You’d think a game with only one goal would be relatively boring, but these two ensured that was not the case.

Bortuzzo and Kastelic fought each other twice. They had been engaged in some confrontation in the previous game between the two teams on Oct. 19 and they got their opportunity to finish their business a month later.

On the first bout, Bortuzzo left the bench for the purpose of fighting. As Conor Geekie learned in the preseason, that’s not allowed. Geekie got a one-game suspension and I’d expect the same for Bortuzzo.

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Utah hockey for casual fans

Karel Vejmelka was Utah HC’s best player Thursday, and it wasn’t even close. That’s a major positive point for Utah as Connor Ingram did not accompany the team on this road trip due to an upper-body injury.

Vejmelka will guard the net for the immediate future with Jaxson Stauber backing him up. Tourigny is not worried about giving Vejmelka the net.

“He’s played 50 games twice in his career, so it’s not like he’s a rookie goalie,” Tourigny said before the game. “He did it in the past and he’s capable of doing it again.”

It’s clear that Vejmelka thrives on high shot volume. He stopped all 15 shots he faced in the first period on Thursday, and then stopped 15 of the 16 that came in the ensuing periods.

Thursday’s performance comes after he made headlines against the Carolina Hurricanes last week when he stopped 49 of 50 shots.

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Ingram’s injury is considered day-to-day. He should be back soon, but the net may belong to Vejmelka anyway. Vejmelka has been the much better goalie over the last handful of games.

Utah hockey for nerds

On their last 25 power plays, Utah HC has scored just one goal, and with the amount of penalties they’ve been taking, they’re not putting themselves in a position to succeed.

Let’s break this down, piece by piece, starting with the power play.

Utah HC seems to have no problem setting up in the zone on the power play. They move the puck well and they even get lots of high-quality shots. Why isn’t the puck going in?

Tourigny believes it’s a question of urgency.

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“The guys have to realize (that) if we want to score goals, we have to get in the dirty areas,” he said. “We need to get there with passion. Not just get there — get there with burning desire to score goals.”

As far as the penalties go, they need to be more disciplined. Sure, there are necessary penalties and yes, accidents happen, but taking eight minor penalties in one game is a recipe for disaster.

“I don’t know,” Schmaltz said after the game when asked about accountability for how many penalties the guys were taking. “I feel like we’re beating a dead horse a little bit on that topic.”

The Bruins only had one power play goal, but keep in mind that spending almost an entire period shorthanded significantly limits the amount of scoring chances you get.

Schmaltz also pointed out that when the other team gets so many looks on the power play, their top players are extremely involved in the game while your top players sit on the bench.

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What’s next?

Utah HC gets a day to regroup before visiting Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

As good as Crosby is, he hasn’t been enough to drag the Penguins into the fight. They’ve struggled in a number of areas on the ice, prompting all sorts of trade rumors — even some involving Crosby, who has been a Penguin since 2005.

Utah HC’s job going into Pittsburgh is to get back on track. They need to find ways to score (especially on the power play) and they need to be disciplined away from the puck. If they do this and continue to get solid goaltending, they could receive a much-needed confidence boost.

The game starts at 5 p.m. MDT and will be streamed on Utah HC+ and Utah 16.





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Jazz Silver Lining Revealed by ESPN

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Jazz Silver Lining Revealed by ESPN


While it hasn’t been the most pleasant start for the Utah Jazz during their 2024-25 campaign, amounting to a 3-11 record through their first 14 games, there are still a few glaring signs of optimism to takeaway that shine through in the mix through the beginning of this season, largely thanks to the reps and development opportunities given to the young talent on the roster so far.

Of those young players having a solid role in the rotation to start this season, one of the most appealing in the small sample size has been first-round rookie Isaiah Collier, who’s made an eye-catching first impression since arriving in Salt Lake City.

During ESPN’s most recent batch of power rankings, the Jazz didn’t see much increase from last week, jumping from only 29th to 28th. Still, writer Tim MacMahon gave fans some reason to be excited about this roster moving forward– that being Utah’s rookie point guard.

“Rookie guard Isaiah Collier is only 1-of-12 from 3-point range, but he’s providing evidence that he can make a positive impact,” MacMahon said. “Collier, whose debut was delayed two weeks due to a hamstring injury, has a plus-10 rating in 108 minutes over his first six games. His tenacious, tough defense has made a favorable impression. Entering Tuesday, the Jazz were allowing only 104.5 points per 100 possessions with the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Collier on the court, the lowest defensive rating among Utah players.”

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In ESPN’s rankings, the Jazz placed ahead of two teams in the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards, and are right on the heels of the New Orleans Pelicans at 27th, who, like Utah, have also struggled in the Western Conference this year with a 4-11 regular season record.

Collier was limited to start this season as he suffered a hamstring injury during training camp, but since his return, he’s begun to show some impressive traits on both sides of the ball during his first seven games on the floor. In 18 minutes a night, the USC product is averaging 4.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals.

As mentioned by MacMahon, the offensive side of the ball still has some distance to make up in order to be an effective and consistent two-way threat. At just a. 8.3% clip from long range, he’s not much of a threat beyond the arc just yet, but with a long season ahead, there’s a ton of room to recover those shooting splits.

In the meantime, Collier has emerged as a solid contributor as an offensive facilitator and perimeter defender in the backcourt– two areas which this roster can definitely benefit from.

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and Twitter/X.

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