During a home game on November 12, the Colorado women’s basketball team struggled to contain Lior Garzon, who played for Oklahoma State, in a victory against them.
The Buffaloes are hoping to see more standout performances from Garzon in the upcoming season.
CU has announced the signing of Lior Garzon, a former player for Oklahoma State and Villanova, to a financial aid agreement. Garzon will be playing her final season at CU under head coach JR Payne.
According to head coach JR Payne, the team is excited about adding Lior to the squad due to her scoring ability, versatility, experience, and international success. Payne also praised Lior's impact on the team and her extensive experience in college and internationally.
Lior Garzon, a 6-foot-1 fifth-year senior from Ra’anana, Israel, averaged 9.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists for OSU last season. She started all 30 games for the Cowgirls and had a notable performance against CU on Nov. 12, scoring 17 points and making 5-of-9 3-pointers.
Garzon spent her first two seasons at Villanova, where she was a full-time starter in 2021-22. During that season, she averaged 13.1 points and 4.0 rebounds, helping the Wildcats reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
During her two seasons at OSU, Garzon averaged 10.0 points and 3.8 rebounds. In the 2022-23 season, she contributed 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, helping the Cowgirls advance to the NCAA Tournament as a reserve.
Throughout her career, Garzon has played 119 games, with 66 starts, and scored 1,257 points, averaging 10.6 per game, with 3.7 rebounds. She has a 34.1% 3-point shooting percentage (245-of-718) and a free throw percentage of 76.4%. In the past three seasons, she has made at least 60 3-pointers, including a career-high of 80 in 2022-23.
Garzon will be the first student-athlete from Israel to join CU in any sports. Her sister, Yarden, currently plays for Indiana.
Adding Garzon to the team provides much-needed experience at forward for the Buffs, especially with the absence of returning forwards from last season. The only other forward currently projected on the roster is incoming freshman Tabitha Betson from Australia.
The team also boasts solid rebounding wings in returning senior Sara-Rose Smith and Iowa State transfer Nyamer Diew, along with incoming freshman wing player Grace Oliver from Norwell, Mass.
In the guard position, the Buffs have Frida Formann, Kennedy Sanders, and Kindyll Wetta returning, as well as incoming freshman guard Lova Lagerlid from Sweden.
Guard Tameiya Sadler, who has been with the Buffs for the past three years, has not yet decided whether she will return for an additional season granted to all players due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coach Payne and her staff have five or six scholarship spots to fill, depending on Sadler’s decision.
Notable
Former Buffs Jaylyn Sherrod and Quay Miller, who recently concluded their CU careers, have signed training camp contracts with WNBA teams. Sherrod is with the New York Liberty and Miller with the Seattle Storm. Additionally, three former Buffs who transferred this offseason have found new teams: Ruthie Loomis-Goltl (Idaho), Brianna McLeod (SMU), and Mikayla Johnson (Pittsburgh).
