Colorado University Athletics
Colorado-Nebraska Notes
January 31, 2009 | Women's Basketball
This was the 64th meeting between Colorado and Nebraska, tying the Buffaloes' series with Missouri as the most played in school history.
Colorado snaps a seven-game losing streak to Nebraska, improving its all-time record against Nebraska to 39-25. The 39 wins are the most against any one team in CU history.
The win snapped an eight-game Colorado losing streak when trailing at the half, dating back to CU's 96-90 overtime win over TCU in the quarterfinals of the 2008 WNIT. Colorado overcame an eight-point halftime deficit, its largest comeback achieved since being down 15 at the half in a 66-55 win over Kansas State on Jan. 31, 2007.
Colorado had 18 turnovers in the first half, the most since committing the same number at Texas on Jan. 13, 2007.
Junior Bianca Smith continued her hot shooting from 3-point range, tying school records for 3-point field goals made in one game and one half for the second time in three games. She finished 7-of-10 from downtown, tying a single game mark which has now been done seven times by four players (Kate Fagan twice, Veronica Johns-Richardson and Annan Wilson). Smith has done it three times, doing so against Missouri on Jan. 24 and Texas on Feb. 16, 2008.
Smith was 5-of-6 from downtown in the first half alone. The five 3-pointers equaled a school record that she shares with Kate Fagan and Shelley Sheetz. The number has been achieved a total of five times, Smith has recorded three of the instances doing so against Texas on Feb. 16, 2008 and at Missouri on Jan. 24.
Smith has five games with five or more 3-pointers this season and has hit 50 percent or better in seven of the last 12 games.
Senior Kara Richards had 14 points, her third straight double-digit game. She tied a career high with 10 free throw attempts, matching marks she set against San Francisco (11/10/04) and at Kansas State (2/19/05)
Sophomore Kelly Jo Mullaney had a personal Big 12 high 10 points, also her most since scoring 10 at Virginia on Nov. 24, 2008.
CU had 10 bench points, all by Mullaney, the most for the Buffaloes in Big 12 play this season.
Sophomore Brittany Spears hit the game winning bucket with five seconds remaining, giving her 25 points on the day. She surpassed the 800 point mark in her career, as she entered the game at 793 and now has 818 through 53 career games (15.4 ppg).
Spears has hit the 20-point mark in three of the last four games averaging 20.8 points during that span.
Spears' 25 points and Smith's 21 marked the third time this season two Buffs scored 20-plus in one game. Richards had 25 and Spears had 24 against Colorado State on Nov. 19 and Spears had 25 while Richards had 20 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Colorado's 75 points were the most by a CU team in the Big 12 this season ? women or men. The men had scored 72 in an overtime loss to Kansas State on Jan. 24 while the women's previous high was 61 in its win over Missouri, also on Jan. 24.
Colorado wore gold jerseys for the first time this season. The Buffaloes were 3-1 in 2007-08 wearing gold.
