Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
21-6/ 10-5
Texas Tech
24-5/ 10-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 26 | 25 | 51 |
| Texas Tech | 32 | 28 | 60 |
CU FALLS AT TEXAS TECH
February 29, 2004 | Women's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech needed to bounce back from a loss to keep its hopes alive for good seeding in the Big 12 tournament.
The eighth-ranked Lady Raiders succeeded, holding off No. 14 Colorado 60-51 Saturday. On Wednesday, Tech lost 64-53 to the No. 23 Oklahoma.
"This one was huge,'' said Jolee Ayers-Curry, who scored a season-high 16 points against the Buffaloes. "Our goal was to come out and bounce back from a loss. Now we control our own destiny as far as the Big 12 tournament is concerned.''
Tech, fighting for a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 to earn a bye in the conference tournament, plays at No. 9 Kansas State on Wednesday to close out its season.
Chesley Dabbs had a career-high 11 rebounds and 12 points _ her first double-double _ for the Lady Raiders (24-5, 10-5). Natalie Ritchie and Erin Grant added 10 points apiece for Tech.
The Buffaloes opened the second half with a 9-4 run to cut Tech's lead to 36-35 on a layup by Tera Bjorklund with 15:36 remaining. Tech responded with a 9-4 run of its own, including four points by Dabbs, to go up 45-39 with 11:56 remaining.
The Lady Raiders built their largest lead at 55-46 on an 18-footer by Ayers-Curry with 4:06 left. Colorado cut the margin to six points on a layup by Bjorklund with 1:42 remaining but could get no closer.
"They followed the game plan we developed to a T,'' Tech coach Marsha Sharp said. "I thought we did a good job staying away from the people we felt like would have a chance to beat us. We did a good job of helping off on Bjorklund.''
Twice in the second half the shot clock ran down for the Lady Raiders, but they managed to score both times right before the buzzer.
"They broke their back,'' Sharp said."I thought those two shots were two of the most important we had. That was two big plays we had to make.''
Colorado coach Ceal Barry agreed.
"Grant's shot at the buzzer with about 4 minutes left, that really gave them a lift that they needed,'' she said. "It gave them that extra two-point cushion at an important time. Had that shot not gone in, we would have had the chance to maybe make it a different game.''
The contribution by Dabbs, who stepped in to replace Jia Perkins, Tech's leading scorer who left the team in January for an undisclosed medical reason, was a huge factor in the win, Sharp said.
"When she didn't have the shot, she was patient,'' Sharp said. "I thought it was her most complete game. She made a number of great plays, and she hit some big jumpers to give us a chance.''
During one five-minute stretch midway through the second half Colorado (21-6, 10-5) made only two baskets.
Despite the drought, Barry said her team came out after halftime and played tough.
"I thought we were way more aggressive in the second half,'' she said. "We closed a six-point lead. We played with more guts and heart ... and then they mashed us.''
Bjorklund scored 15 points and Randie Wirt added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Buffaloes.
The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Colorado. The Buffaloes beat Oklahoma State and Kansas last week.
Tech took a 20-13 lead before the Buffaloes used a 7-2 run to cut the margin to 22-20 with 6:20 remaining in the first half. Tech led 32-26 at halftime.
