Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
5-10, 0-4
Stanford
13-3, 3-1
Buffs' Defense Improves, But No. 9 Cardinal Prevails, 71-56
January 10, 2016 | Women's Basketball
STANFORD, Calif. – Sunday afternoon's match-up against No. 9 Stanford felt reminiscent of Friday night's tough loss for the Colorado women's basketball team. Despite a fast start and improved field goal shooting, the Buffaloes couldn't find a way to clinch a Pac-12 victory in California, falling 71-56 to the Cardinal.
Even in defeat, the Buffs' effort was defined by Linda Lappe-level defense. CU's coach said her team "came out swinging . . . the way that we came out of the gates showed a lot, and you know anytime we have a game like the one we had against Cal, you can put your tail between your legs or you can come out swinging. And I thought we came out swinging. It was our aggressiveness, and that everybody was engaged."
Colorado (5-10 overall, 0-4 Pac-12) jumped out to a 7-0 lead, taking advantage of Stanford's zone to put points on the board from the perimeter. Jumpers from Haley Smith, Kennedy Leonard and Bri Watts maintained the lead, but junior Lauren Huggins was absent from beyond the arc. CU's dominant three-point shooter went 0-3 from the field after taking two early fouls.
Sophomore Kaylee Johnson broke Stanford's early silence at the 6:15 mark, and continued to produce for the Cardinal (13-3, 3-1 Pac-12) throughout the first half. The Buffs maintained the lead until a minute remained in the first quarter, but at the buzzer found themselves in the same spot as Friday night – tied 14-14.
"Overall we were just solid in moving the ball on offense and finding gaps, finding open shots, and I thought we set better screens," Lappe said. "Haley Smith I thought had an outstanding game, made things happen. She probably played one her best games of her career."
Smith finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, shooting 8-of-13 from the field. She led Colorado through a second quarter that could have paralleled Friday night's scoreless period at Cal. The Buffs, playing without leading scorer Jamee Swan (lower back) for a second consecutive game, endured a 3:18 scoring drought mid-quarter and shot 18.8 percent. But defense and poor Cardinal shooting – 36 percent for the half – kept the Buffs' deficit within single digits.
"I was thinking about my role a little more closely," Smith said. "I know my role is to put points on the board, to rebound and to be solid and limit turnovers. It's something I've been focusing on and I thought today was a good showcase of that."
Leonard recorded a blocked shot and gained her first personal foul in the quarter, with Watts, Zoe Correal and Huggins playing on two each. Smith led the court behind Johnson with 9 points at half, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and making her only 3-point attempt.
CU heated up just a bit in the third quarter, deflating Stanford's lead to only four points at the 5:30 mark. Freshman Alexis Robinson took over as the Buffs' leading scorer at the time, racking up 11 points by the end of the quarter, and 15 overall.
A Stanford jumper broke the Buffs' 7-0 run with 5:20 to play, and the momentum swung just outside of Colorado's reach for the next few minutes. Huggins came out after her fourth personal foul and did not take the court again until the fourth quarter.
"(Huggins) was in foul trouble early, but she stayed aggressive and stayed engaged," Lappe said. "You have to be resilient in athletics, that's for sure, because no opponent cares what you're feeling or that you're having a tough time. You just have to be able to come back and keep going."
Huggins wasn't the only Buff watching fouls; Correal and Watts were also in danger during the quarter, contributing to Stanford's six trips to the free throw line. Only six points came from 11 free throws in the quarter, although Stanford had 19 points from the line that Colorado couldn't reciprocate. Colorado's shooting peaked at 33 percent for the quarter, but good looks by Leonard and Robinson from the outside kept CU within 10. Smith hit a jumper with a minute to play, and Colorado entered the fourth quarter trailing by nine points.
The Buffs kept knocking on the door in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinal's offensive rebounding and 12-of-15 shooting from the free throw line prevented CU from regaining a lead. Huggins played through the quarter with four fouls, but found her stroke from the 3-point arc in time to get the Buffs within seven points. She sank two early in the quarter, and after another basket by Robinson CU found itself within five points. But this is when the Buffs' luck ran out.
Stanford blazed a 10-0 run for the next 5 minutes, continuing to visit the free throw line and the lane despite Colorado's physicality. The Leonard vs. junior Briana Roberson matchup led to Leonard fouling out with under a minute to play, behind Correal. The Buffs went 7-of-17 from the field, mirroring the overall shooting percentage of 41 percent, and committed five turnovers during their scoring drought.
Although every loss is a lesson, Lappe also took Sunday's game as a sign of hope.
"I did like how well we played together today," she said. "We were there for each other, we were fighting for each other, and just saw some really positive steps in that direction."
Colorado closes out its four-game road trip next weekend, with two contests in the desert. The Buffs play at Arizona State on Friday (11 a.m. MT) and at Arizona on Sunday, Jan. 17 (1 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
