Colorado University Athletics
Colorado-California Notes
March 21, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Quickly... Colorado scored a season-high 81 points, its most since a 92-43 win over Grambling State on Dec. 29, 2009 ... The Buffaloes are now 28-18 all-time in postseason play, now 6-2 in the WNIT (all eight at the Coors Events Center) ... Cal came in allowing just 60.1 points per game, with the 85 the Buffs scored the most by a Cal foe this year and just the second team to reach 80 (USC was the other in an 80-67 win) ... CU shot over 50 percent for the second time this season, converting at a season best 31-of-54 (57.4); that figure included 10-of-22 three pointers (45.5, fifth best this year) ... This was a season-best shooting performance by a Cal opponent as well (USC, 52.8) ... CU was a sizzling 21-of-32 on 2-point shots (65.6%) ... No Bear Claw-ing: CU did not commit its first turnover until the 8:32 mark of the first half, its 19th possession; the CU men went 29:19 and 49 possessions against Cal on Friday night before committing one ... CU scored 50 first half points after scoring 41 in the second half against UC-Riverside last Thursday; just the second time the Buffs scored 40+ in back-to-back halves this year ... The 23 points allowed by CU were the fewest since ISU scored 22 on Jan. 15 (15 games ago) ... California made its first seven field goals (one three) to open the second half, carving CU's lead from 27 to 17 (57-40) ... CU was stuck on 59 for nearly five minutes (14:48 to 10:07 mark), but the Bears managed just 4 points in the same span ... California will be the opponent for CU's first official women's home game in the Pac-12 next Jan. 12.
WNIT Third Round. Colorado advances to the third round and will play Wyoming (24-8), winners over Oklahoma State tonight in Laramie, 75-71. The game is set for Thursday (March 24) in Laramie, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.; it will thus be CU's first road game in nine WNIT contests.
First Half Explosion. Colorado scored 30 points in the game's first 10 minutes (a 120-point pace); that exceeded CU's total for 17 first halves this season (and 30 overall). The 50 points were the most in a half for CU this season, and the most in any half since the Buffs led 53-11 at halftime against Southern Utah in Boulder on Dec. 19, 2009. The 27-point lead was CU's biggest at halftime this season (eclipsing the 25-point edge, 42-17, over Regis in the season opener), and was the biggest since leading San Jose State 46-13 on Dec. 22, 2009 (one game after the SUU game). In addition, the 50 points are the most by CU in a postseason first half since 51 versus Oregon in Boulder in the second round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament (and the most in any postseason half since scoring 54 in the second half of a 102-93 loss to Oklahoma in the 2001 Big 12 Tournament semifinals).
"Rubber" Match Goes To CU. With Colorado headed to the Pac-12 Conference next year, California was the only current Pac-10 school to face the Buffs three times in head-to-head sports. CU won tonight 81-65; Cal won the football game, 52-7, last Sept. 10 in Berkeley, while CU won 89-72 last Friday over the Bears in the second round of the men's NIT. As of now, this is the last scheduled head-to-head matchup by a CU team versus a Pac-10 school this year; the Buffs were 5-3 in eight games or matches (2-0 MBB/2-0 Soccer/1-1 WBB/0-1 FB/0-1 Tennis/0-0 VB).
Brittany Spears (33 points/9 rebounds/2 steals/2 blocks/2 steals). The 33 points was a season-high by a Buffalo, and the third time she has scored 30+ in her career (36 vs. UMass on Nov. 28, 2008 and 34 at Missouri on Feb. 23, 2010 in OT); her previous season best was 26 against both Nebraska and Missouri. She moved into eighth on the all-time Big 12 Conference scoring list in the process. She has scored 593 points this season, moving into fifth for the most single-season points, passing Tera Bjorklund (592) tonight; the four ahead of her all scored 600-plus. She recorded her 109th career game in double-digits (45 20-plus games), passing Lisa Van Goor (108; 1980-85). Spears has now scored in double digits in 30-of-32 games this season, with the 30 the fifth most in a single season at CU. Her 19 first half points were the most in a first half by a Buff this season and matches the most in any half (Chucky Jeffery had 19 vs. CSU). She was 14-of-19 from the field (73.7 percent), her best shooting game of the season as well as of her career when taking over 10 shots (second best overall, to an 8-for-10 effort versus St. Louis on Dec. 22, 2008). Spears vaulted from 10th into a fifth-place tie for field goals made in a season (219) and moved into fourth with 74 three-point makes.
Coach Linda Lappe. The seventh head coach in CU history is 17-15 in her first year, trailing only Rene Portland (22-9 in 1978-79) and Sox Walseth (28-5 in 1980-81) in first year won-loss record, and has clinched becoming the third to have an initial winning season.
