Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
11-13,4-9Pac-12
Washington State
13-11,4-9Pac-12
Buffs Open Four-Game Home Stand With Impressive Win
February 13, 2015 | Women's Basketball
BOULDER – Colorado's second game against Washington State Friday night followed much of the blueprint that the first battle laid out. In that late-January matchup — a 73-68 Cougars victory in Pullman — the Buffs held Washington State to 25 percent shooting, including a combined 10-of-34 from Cougars star guards Tia Presley and Lia Galdeira.
But Colorado committed 27 turnovers, gave up 20 offensive rebounds and allowed Washington State to shoot an unreal 33-of-39 from the free-throw line. In the rematch, the Buffs again stifled the Cougars' offense, and this time they took care of the little things on the way to a 72-51 win at the Coors Events Center.
"We won that game because we defended and rebounded," Buffs coach Linda Lappe said. "I think the rebounding piece of it is something that we lacked up at their place."
Colorado (11-13, 4-9 Pac-12) held Washington State (13-11, 4-9) to 32 percent shooting, committed only 15 turnovers, out-rebounded the Cougars by 19 and sent them to the line for just nine foul shots. The Buffs' guards suffocated Presley and Galdeira into an almost identical combined shooting performance from the first game; they made just 10-of-35 together.
"Sometimes we're very predictable on defense," Lappe said. "Tonight we weren't that predictable and I thought we helped each other really well."
Colorado didn't have its best shooting night, either — the Buffs shot 41 percent, but Lexy Kresl was only 4-of-16 and Jamee Swan just 2-of-11. Jen Reese paced Colorado with 14 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting and pulled in nine rebounds. The Buffs also got a career-high 11 points and four rebounds from freshman guard Alina Hartmann.
"I didn't play that much in the first game so it was kind of hard for me to come in today," Hartmann said. "But we stepped up as a team and and only because my teammates had my back I was able to perform like this."
Reese and Swan ame off the bench; in their places were Zoe Beard-Fails and Brecca Thomas.
"We haven't won many games," Lappe said. "At some point you change what you're doing. The last couple weeks we haven't had good weeks of practice. I thought this week we had a really good week of practice and those guys practice well. They were ready."
Whatever Lappe's reasons, it worked — after seven tight minutes Colorado exploded to a 21-point lead at halftime. Washington State didn't hit a 3-pointer until the final 10 seconds of the first half when Galdeira pulled up and buried one; any semblance of momentum that might have given the Cougars evaporated when Reese beat the first-half buzzer with a put-back.
The Buffs' offense struggled early in the second half; they went scoreless for nearly five minutes as Washington State cut the lead to 11 points. The Cougars got no closer, though. Reese's midrange jumper was automatic after the break and Swan, though she did not shoot well, had a fantastic defensive game. Washington State never got into a rhythm and Colorado was never threatened.
"At multiple timeouts I wrote 0-0 on the board," Lappe said. "For them to stop looking at the score and stop worrying about things they can't control."
Hartmann capped off the night with the play of the game — she cut baseline, caught a pass from the high post and flipped it over her head for a no-look reverse.
"I have no idea, actually," Hartmann said when asked how she made it. "I threw it up, I don't know."
"It was awesome," Reese said.
Colorado next plays Washington on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. The Buffs' first game against the Huskies, like their first matchup with Washington State, was a heartbreaking loss. Colorado was in it to the very end and air-balled a tying three at the buzzer. Sunday's game, however, comes in the friendly confines of the CEC and off of one of the Buffs' most dominant wins of the season.
"This just gives us confidence as a building block for Sunday against Washington and moving forward," Reese said.
 A Husky pelt would look great on the wall next to the Cougar that Colorado just skinned.Â
