Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
12-12, 2-9Big12
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Kansas
15-9, 5-6Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 33 | 46 | 79 |
| Colorado | 26 | 46 | 72 |
Jayhawks Deny Buffs Crucial Home Win
February 16, 2010 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - The Colorado women's basketball team got the energized start coach Kathy McConnell-Miller was hoping for Tuesday night against Kansas.
Unfortunately, the Jayhawks had an answer - a couple of them, in fact - and rolled to a crucial 79-72 Big 12 Conference victory over the Buffaloes, who now have lost seven straight and nine of their last 10.
"This was a tough night for us . . . a tough loss," McConnell-Miller said. "I thought we played pretty well (and) executed a game plan on the offensive and defensive ends that for a majority of the game put us in position to win . . .
"If you take away five, six, seven, eight turnovers (CU committed 23), it could have been a different night."
And while you're hypothetically taking things away, scratching KU's Carolyn Davis would be a good idea. The Jayhawks (15-9, 5-6) got a night of perfection from their 6-foot-3 freshman forward, who hit all 10 of her field goal attempts and was eight-of-eight from the free throw line.
Her final pair of foul shots came with 25.4 seconds remaining and gave KU a fairly comfortable 73-68 lead. The Jayhawks hit eight free throws in the final 25.4 seconds to put this one away.
McConnell-Miller said Davis "was not a surprise to us. She knows her limitations; she's not taking shots she can't hit . . . she's very balanced emotionally, which is very big for a freshman."
Davis, who finished with a game-high 28 points, set a school record for most field goals without a miss and was one short of tying a Big 12 record. She became the sixth player in league history to hit all 10 or more of her shots.
KU coach Bonnie Henrickson called Davis "very, very humble; she is very proud of her team. She is exactly right; this didn't happen overnight for her."
Davis' humility surfaced quickly. She said she would "take (the box score) home and hang it up. I was just playing . . . I take a lot of easy shots, so I don't miss many."
Playing its fourth game without leading scorer and team leader Danielle McCray, KU negated CU's 19-8 start with a 25-4 run over a 12-minute span before halftime and maintained control thereafter.
CU (12-12, 2-9) had five players in double figures, topped by freshman Chucky Jeffery, whose 19 points tied a career high. She also contributed nine rebounds and five assists, but was responsible for six of her team's turnovers.
Junior Brittany Spears, coming off a 28-point performance in a weekend loss at No. 12 Oklahoma, had 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, and senior Bianca Smith, making only her second start of the season, added 14 points before fouling out with 17 seconds left.
KU had dropped two of three games since losing McCray to a season-ending knee injury earlier this month. But her absence meant little to the Jayhawks, who responded to the Buffs' quick start to take a 33-26 halftime lead.
CU shot just 32.3 percent (10-of-31) from the field before intermission, while KU hit 13 of its 24 field goal attempts (54.2 percent). The Buffs finished the game at 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field while the Jayhawks checked out at 45.1 (23-of-51).
CU's generosity in the turnover department - it was the Buffs' fifth consecutive game with 20-plus - netted KU 28 points. And with Smith starting, the Buffs' bench was a non-factor, contributing zero points.
"I was hoping we'd get something out of the bench," McConnell-Miller said. "The last three games we struggled to get off to a great start and we went to our bench to get scoring.
"We got off to a good start tonight (with Smith in the starting lineup), but got no production off the bench."
After intermission, the Buffs pulled to within five on three occasions before the Jayhawks went on a 6-0 run to establish their biggest advantage of the night - 57-45 - with 8 minutes to play.
But CU wasn't done. A Spears' three-pointer with 4:43 left cut KU's margin to 60-57 - and it was up to the Buffs to finish as strong as they started.
It was too much to ask, although a Jeffery field goal made the score 73-70 before the Jayhawks put the game away at the foul line.
"We have to stay positive and confident," Smith said. "I think we still have plenty of opportunities not only to win but to make it to the postseason. We have to stay focused and keep everyone's spirits up.
"I think the losing does get to us, but we just have to stay positive."
CU plays at No. 3 Nebraska on Saturday (12:05 p.m., no TV).
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
