Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
19-5, 9-4Big 12
Missouri
13-11,7-6Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 30 | 18 | 48 |
| Colorado | 27 | 42 | 69 |
Colorado Ousts Missouri, 69-48
February 22, 2003 | Women's Basketball
BOULDER- Tera Bjorklund scored a game-high 22 points to lift the Colorado Buffaloes to a 69-48 win over Missouri on Saturday afternoon at the Coors Events Center.
The Buffs drove their record to 19-5 (9-4 Big 12) with the victory inching ever so close to head coach Ceal Barry's 12th 20-win season in her 20-year career at Colorado. The win also solidified the Buffs' No. 4 position in the conference.
In a game featuring six lead changes and six tied scores, Colorado didn't take control until early in the second half. The Buffs went into the locker room trailing by three at the break, 30-27.
The Buffs went on a 5-0 run in the first minute of the second and extended that to a 15-3 run six minutes into the final frame - grabbing a lead they would never relinquish.
"A lot of people stepped up at different times," Barry said. "We felt the key was to play D and out-rebound this team. I thought the turning point of the game was the beginning of the second half when we got steals and loose balls."
The Buffs opened the game scoring the first four points, but saw their lead evaporate quickly as Missouri jumped out to an 11-6 lead in the midst of an 11-2 run in favor of the Tigers. Missouri posted another run of 15-4 in the final 4:45 of the half to hold onto the lead through the half. During that time frame the Buffs failed to hit a field goal.
Colorado held Missouri (13-11, 7-6) to just 48 points in the game, marking the third time in their last five outings that the Buffs have held an opponent under the 50-point mark.
Linda Lappe had 13 points for the Buffs, while Veronica Johns-Richardson, 10 points, led a Colorado bench that outscored their Missouri counterparts by a 20-9 margin.
The win avenged the Buffs loss to the Tigers earlier this season in Columbia. Colorado fell 71-52 in the road contest.
"When we went there, we were not ready to play," Bjorklund said. "This time we had confidence, believed in our game and we played really well."
The Buffs will now turn their attention to a road showdown with Iowa State at 6 p.m. on Feb. 26. Colorado dropped the Cyclones by a 64-63 margin in their meeting in Boulder on Jan. 8.
