Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
15-7, 4-7
Oregon
13-10, 5-6
Jeffery's Milestone Overshadowed By 67-62 Setback
February 04, 2012 | Women's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. - Junior guard Chucky Jeffery scored 18 points and became the 24th player in Colorado history to reach 1,000 for a career, but one prolonged drought gave Oregon a 67-62 decision Saturday afternoon at the Matthew Knight Arena.
The Buffaloes drop their third straight game, falling to 15-7 overall, 4-7 in Pac-12 play. Oregon improves to 13-10, 5-6.
Colorado went 9 minutes, 18 seconds between the end of the first half and beginning of the second half without a field goal, allowing the Ducks to erase a double-digit deficit with a game-changing 18-0 run, including 13 straight to start the second half.
CU, which led by as much as 13 in the first half, hit just 33 percent in the second half and missed 13 consecutive shots during Oregon's big run.
Jeffery, now with 1,010 points, scored her 1,000th point on a layup with 12:46 in the second half. Lexy Kresl had a career-high 17 points and matched a personal best with five 3-point field goals.
"Chucky does so much for us, and I know she wanted the win more than 1,000 points, but it's quite an accomplishment," CU head coach Linda Lappe said.
Shots which hadn't been falling for the Buffaloes early in games, started falling Saturday. Oregon native Jen Reese hit her first three shots and Kresl made three early 3-pointers, her third of the half sparked a 7-0 run that opened up a 26-14 lead
Colorado's defense also did a good job containing Oregon's fast paced offense. The Ducks shot just 35 percent in the first half and also had 10 turnovers. The Ducks best friend in the first half was the foul line, as Oregon was able to convert 7-of-10 attempts while the Buffaloes didn't reach the foul line in the first period.
Brittany Wilson gave Colorado its largest lead of the half on a fast break layup with 2:26 to take a 34-21 advantage. But the Ducks scored five straight to end the half, including a Jasmin Holliday 3-pointer as CU led 34-26 at the break.
The second half belonged to Amanda Johnson. Oregon's leading scorer was held to three points in the first half, but exploded for 23 in the second 20 minutes, including a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line. At one point the senior forward scored 10 straight points.
"Amanda Johnson is a really nice player, she went at us in the second half," Lappe said. "We held her to three points in the first half and just did not do a good job on her in the second."
Johnson scored four points during Oregon's 13-0 run to open the half as the Ducks led 39-34 at the 16:35 mark. Jeffery finally broke the run with a pair of free throws, but Johnson answered with a 3-pointer.
Kresl matched Johnson's 3-pointer on the next possession, and the Buffaloes rallied to tie the game at 44-44 after Jeffery sank her layup to give her 1,000 points then followed the milestone shot up with a 3-point bomb.
However, Johnson responded with a 3-pointer of her own that sparked a 16-4 run that gave the Ducks their largest lead of the game at 60-48 with 4:01 remaining.
Colorado made one final furious run scoring 10 straight and pulling to within two at 60-58 on a Kresl 3-pointer. But the Ducks were able to put the game away at the line making 7-of-8 in the final minute.
I thought we did some really nice things in the first half, and I thought we did some really nice things in the second half as well," Lappe said. "We just had that four minute stretch to start the second half where we lost our eight point lead. We just didn't come out at halftime ready to go."
Johnson finished with a game-high 26 points and hit 11-of-12 from the free throw line. The Ducks were able to get to the line often and took full advantage making an impressive 28-of-32. Conversely, CU saw the stripe just five times, making three.
Colorado returns home to host the University of Arizona on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.
