Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
16-12,5-12Pac-12
Oregon
15-14,7-10Pac-12
Brooks: CU Fizzles At End, Ducks Walk Out On Top
March 01, 2012 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - Squandered opportunities in the final minutes were difficult to overlook, but University of Colorado women's coach Linda Lappe contended her team's 64-62 loss Thursday night to Oregon came earlier.
"No one play, no one shot lost the game," Lappe said. "I can think of several times in second half when we lost the game."
But CU's play in the final 2:14 at the Coors Events Center is hard to ignore. Including two free throws, the Buffaloes missed six shots in that stretch and committed two of their 16 turnovers in the last minute.
With the score tied at 62-62, Brittany Wilson misfired on two free throws with 1:47 to play, then missed a floating jumper in front of the basket at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime. The Ducks got a free throw each from Laura Stanulis and Ariel Thomas in the last 1:32 for the winning margin.
CU dropped its fifth consecutive game and lost for the eighth time in nine games. The Buffs fell to 16-12 overall and 5-12 in the Pac-12 Conference, while Oregon improved to 15-14 and 6-11. The Ducks swept the Buffs, winning 67-62 last month in Eugene.
Lappe called it "a game of runs . . . no run was too large; it was pretty close all the way through. We just couldn't get it done to end the game on top. No loss ever feels good and it shouldn't feel good. When it starts to feel OK, you've lost the spirit of why we all compete. I'm not used to this and our team can't be used to this."
Aside from three ties, CU led the entire first half, leading by as many as six points on two occasions. But the Buffs led by only two (30-28) at halftime. Once the Ducks passed them (40-38) with just under 14 minutes to play, the Buffs never regained the lead.
CU opened the game without leading scorer Chucky Jeffery in the starting lineup, a decision Lappe said was based on practice performance as well as a desire to bring Jeffery off the bench.
"She responded well and she had good confidence," Lappe said. "She really helped our tempo when she came in."
Jeffery, who entered the game with 9:13 left in the first half, finished with a game-best 19 points in 26 minutes. Julie Seabrook added 16 points - two below her career high - and Lexy Kresl had 10 for the Buffs.
Oregon had two players in double figures - Amanda Johnson and Deanna Weaver with 11 each - but nine of the Ducks who played scored.
CU limited Oregon, the Pac-12's second-best scoring team (72.6 point average), to nine field goal in 33 first-half attempts (27.3 percent). But the Buffs' early defense was counterbalanced (in a bad way) by their turnovers. Averaging 18 a game in conference play, CU was halfway there by intermission.
Jeffery also was on the bench when the second half opened, with the Wilson sisters - Brittany and Ashley - in the Buffs' backcourt. Jeffery didn't sit long. She was back on the court at the 17:06 mark, with the Buffs up 35-30.
That didn't last long either. Oregon's Danielle Love promptly hit back-to-back treys, giving the Ducks their first lead of the night - 36-35 - with 16:17 remaining. And before the clock nudged the 16-minute mark, Seabrook went to the bench with three fouls - a costly loss for the Buffs if she stayed seated long. She didn't, returning 41/2 minutes later.
The Ducks took their largest lead of the game - 48-41 - on a three-pointer by Jordan Loera with 9:27 left. Â Just under a minute later, Seabrook hit a short jumper and was fouled. Her free throw pulled the Buffs to within four (48-44), and Jeffery followed with a trey from the left wing to close the gap to one (48-47).
Oregon opened a six-point lead (53-47) on a short jumper by Weaver and a three-pointer by Johnson with 6:30 to play. But CU wouldn't go away, closing to within one (53-52) on a Kresl three-pointer, then pulling to within a point again (56-55) on a Kresl layup at the 4:46 mark.
The Buffs twice crept to a point back in the next 2 minutes, then tied the game at 62-62 on a Kresl trey from the right wing with 2:14 left. But at that point, CU's scoring was done.
Lappe liked, for the most part, the way her team attacked Oregon's zone: "I think we executed well at times . . . I liked that we didn't just take all threes; we got some easy shots inside. Meagan (Malcolm-Peck) and Julie had some nice easy looks. I thought we were more versatile in how we were getting shots."
But, noted Lappe, the Buffs also encountered a second-half cold spell, and "when Lexy got the three to go down (tying the score at 62) it gave us a boost."
CU's chance to take the lead fizzled when Brittany Wilson missed a pair of free throws less than a half minute later. With 3.2 seconds left, CU called a timeout, setting up a final shot, but Brittany Wilson's short runner at the buzzer missed.
Lappe's plan was for someone to drive to the rim, but the Ducks denied Jeffery and Kresl the ball. Lappe said she believed Brittany Wilson "had a decent look; it was a little bit of a floater, we just couldn't get it to go down."
The Buffs play their final regular-season game on Saturday (4 p.m.) against Oregon State at the Events Center.
IT'S RALLY TIME: CU will conduct a "Stampede To Staples" pep rally at the Coors Events Center on Sunday, March 4, as a sendoff for the men's and women's basketball teams prior to next week's Pac-12 tournament in Los Angeles.
The short Hollywood-themed program, to be emceed by John Murray, will feature athletic director Mike Bohn, men's coach Tad Boyle, women's coach Linda Lappe, players from both teams, the CU cheer squad, Chip the mascot and the basketball pep band. Bohn will talk about the 50 loyalty prize winners (C-Unit) who will make the trip to L.A.
Entrance to the event, which begins at 2 p.m., will be through the Events Center's northwest doors. Parking is free in Lot 436 and the parking structure. Popcorn and soda will be provided by the Boulder Buff Club.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
