Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
(9) 15-15, 6-10
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Kansas
(8) 20-11, 6-10
Spears Gets Record, But Buffs Get Sent Home
March 08, 2011 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Brittany Spears took over here Tuesday as Colorado's career scoring leader in women's basketball. But Kansas' takeover moments later upstaged her and made the Buffaloes' stay in the Big 12 Conference's postseason tournament a brief one.
After Spears broke Lisa Van Goor's career scoring record and pulled CU to within two points of KU early in the second half, the Jayhawks broke free with a 26-5 run and eliminated the Buffs, 71-45.
Spears, a 6-1 senior from Pasadena, finished with a game-high 21 points and surpassed Van Goor (2,067 points from 1980-85) on CU's all-time women's scoring list. Spears now has 2,075, but the record wasn't foremost in her thoughts after the Buffs endured a frigid shooting afternoon and were sent home.
"I would have rather got the 'W' and scored two points," she said. "That doesn't matter; I just wanted the win."
CU Coach Linda Lappe was more reflective, calling Spears' feat "a huge accomplishment. That record has been standing for a very, very long time, since the beginning of our program . . . what (Spears) has done in the last four years I think is pretty special.
"Looking back, she's going to be very proud of that record and I'm proud to have coached her for a year."
Spears and her teammates must wait until Monday to find out if their season is extended. CU (15-15) is in contention for a WNIT bid for the first time since 2008. That field is announced a day after the NCAA Tournament field is set.
"You don't want to go out losing by 25," Spears said. "So hopefully we can keep our season going."
KU (20-11) moves into Wednesday's quarterfinal round to play top-seeded Baylor. The Jayhawks' first-round win completed a three-game sweep of the Buffs this season. KU won 68-58 in Boulder in January and 81-53 the following month in Lawrence.
The Buffs, suffering an 8-minute scoring drought in the second half, shot just 26.2 percent from the field (17-for-65) in their final Big 12 tournament. It was their worst shooting percentage in a conference game this season and their second-worst all season.
Spears was the only CU player in double figures, and three CU starters went a combined 2-of-23 from the field. Post player Julie Seabrook hit back-to-back three-pointers to open the scoring for CU, but they would be the Buffs' only treys in 13 attempts and her only field goals of the afternoon.
"They definitely pressure out on the three-point line and we've struggled with teams that pressure," sophomore forward Meagan Malcolm-Peck said.
Defensively, Lappe said the Jayhawks' "closed gaps very, very well. They're quick, athletic. So even when we so have a somewhat open shot, they close that gap fast . . . .
"We got offensive rebounds and put-backs or attempted put-backs; we did some really good things and stayed with it. We just could not get that ball to drop through the net."
CU could have lived with its 16 turnovers if shots had been falling, and KU Coach Bonnie Henrickson conceded that total wasn't abnormally high. But, added Henrickson, "I thought we were disruptive. I thought they struggled to get into rhythm because of our pressure . . .
"I think a chunk of the second half they were shooting 18 percent; (I'm) just real proud of the defensive effort."
Seabrook's pair of opening treys gave the Buffs bolted to a 6-2 lead, which would be their largest advantage of the game. After a 14-14 tie forged on back-to-back baskets by Spears, the Jayhawks used a 13-0 run to go up 27-14.
Sophomore guard Monica Engleman, who led KU with 17 points, was the catalyst in that surge, hitting consecutive three-pointers and another pull-up jumper to account for eight of her 10 first-half points.
KU post Carolyn Davis scored seven points in the first 20 minutes - and CU might have considered that a small victory. David, who totaled 32 points in the Jayhawks' pair of regular-season wins against the Buffs, finished with 16 and 11 rebounds.
The Buffs were hampered by a pair of early fouls picked up by sophomore guard Chucky Jeffery, whose academic suspension kept her in Boulder for CU's Feb. 2 trip to KU. Jeffery, her team's leading rebounder (8.1) and second-leading scorer (13.7), came off the bench about 3 minutes into the contest.
Less than 5 minutes later, she had her second foul and sat for a 6-minute stretch, during which KU began to pull away. When she returned, the benefit to the Buffs was obvious.
CU closed out the half with an 8-2 run - Jeffery scored half of those points - and trailed 29-22 at intermission. The Buffs made only nine of their 31 first-half field goal attempts (29.0 percent) and their only two free throw attempts.
Spears finished the half with eight points - six shy of the total needed to surpass Van Goor. After opening the second half with consecutive baskets, she converted a conventional three-point play with 17:04 to play, sending her past Van Goor and pulling CU to within 31-29.
The Buffs never got any closer.
Davis opened the huge run with a routine basket inside, then Keena Mays hit a trey from the right corner. Spears answered with a pair of free throws, Mays responded with a drive and a layup, Spears with a put-back.
Then it was all KU in a 14-0 run. CU didn't score for nearly 9 minutes and for the Buffs, this trip to KC was unofficially over with 7:01 remaining.
"We thought we were back in the game because we were only down by two," Spears said. "But then they went on that run and we all just panicked and went our separate ways, I guess."
While disappointed with her team's performance, Lappe lauded the Jayhawks: "You've got to give Kansas a lot of credit. I thought they came out and executed very, very well. They did what they needed to do to win that game."
The Buffs didn't, and now are left listening for a call from the WNIT.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
