Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
6-20,1-14Pac-12
Stanford
21-6,11-4Pac-12
Brooks: Swan's 25 Not Enough As Cardinal Routs Buffs, 80-49
February 20, 2016 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER – In her next-to-last game at the Coors Events Center, senior Jamee Swan started strong and kept the Colorado women's basketball team competitive for a while. But No. 15 Stanford had the final word – balance – on Friday night.
Swan's 25 points – three shy of her career high – couldn't match 56 by four Cardinal players as Stanford cruised to an 80-49 Pac-12 win.
"I thought Jamee played really well, she carried us in the first half," CU coach Linda Lappe said. "She had a great mindset and was very focused. The game didn't come easy for her, but she made it come easy and she did that by working hard. I wish we had more that brought what she brought tonight."
But the rest of the Buffs could manage only a fraction of what Swan displayed – and that included effort. Friday night, said Lappe, marked her team's first game this season that "I thought we didn't play very hard . . . no one gave their best; I didn't give my best. I don't think that outcome happens like that if everyone gives their best."
While Swan was hitting 9 of her 10 field goal attempts, her teammates could combine to make only 10 of their 47 tries. Kennedy Leonard, with 13 points, was the only other Buffs player in double figures.
Meanwhile, Stanford was getting double-figure scoring from Brittany McPhee (16), Lili Thompson (15), Erica McCall (13) and Kaylee Johnson (12).
"Give Stanford a lot of credit," Lappe said. "They played hard, their defense was tenacious . . . we had a hard time scoring and getting stops – and that's never a good combination to have."
The Cardinal converted 22 CU turnovers into 24 points, outrebounded the Buffs 40-31 and got 26 points from its bench to CU's nine. The Buffs did make 13 steals and force 21 Cardinal turnovers, but with Swan outscoring the rest of her team 25-24 CU's offensive balance was non-existent.
"Knowing it was my last weekend, when I walked out on the court it finally hit me that this is my last chance to play in the Coors Events Center," said Swan, who now has 1,200 points for her career. She is the 8th CU player to reach 1,200 career points and collect 700 career rebounds (739).
Swan said she hasn't enjoyed the kind of season she expected, "But I knew I could turn it around and make a difference – not just for me but my team." It is "always tough," she added, to watch her team struggle – "not just them, all of us . . . if I'm having a good night or bad night, we all struggle together."
After a 13-13 tie on a Leonard 3-pointer late in the first quarter, a 15-0 Cardinal run opened a 28-13 lead. The Buffs got as close as six points early in the third quarter before trailing by as many as 35 late in the fourth.
Leonard said the Buffs "came out at the half not ready to attack them . . . tonight we didn't even think we could win – not one person but all across the board." She said the team enjoyed one of its best weeks of practice but followed it up with an effort that she termed "comes as a shock. It's embarrassing."
Added Swan: "Like Kennedy said, we came into the second half and nobody believed in the outcome. It just fell out of our hands."
Losing for the 15th time in 16 games, the Buffs dropped to 6-20 overall, and 1-14 in the conference. They lost to the Cardinal for the 10th consecutive time and trail in the series 4-15. Stanford improved to 21-6 overall and 11-4 in the Pac-12.
With Swan scoring eight of their first 10 points, the Buffs started strong and led by as many as six before the Cardinal settled in. Stanford took its first lead – 11-10 – on a 3-pointer by Thompson with 2:33 left in the first quarter.
Another Thompson jumper put Stanford up 15-13 at the period's end – and the Cardinal's ON switch had been flipped. Thompson's basket ignited a 15-0 run that had Stanford ahead 28-13 before Swan ended a nearly 10-minute stretch that saw CU hit a 3-pointer and a free throw.
During Stanford's run, Swan picked up her second foul and went to the bench with 9:01 left before halftime. She couldn't afford to sit long. Returning to the floor with 5:37 remaining in the half, she promptly scored the Buffs' next eight points and helped them to close the deficit to single digits – 37-29 – at intermission.
Hitting all six of her field goal attempts and four of five free throws, Swan finished the first half with 16 points and three of the Buffs' eight steals. Three of Swan's teammates contributed two points each, while Leonard chipped in seven.
The Buffs crept to within six early in the third quarter, but the Cardinal answered with an 8-0 run that featured 3-pointers by Briana Roberson and Karlie Samuelson. Stanford was back in front by 14 – 47-33 – and hungry for more.
Counting that 8-0 surge that produced the 14-point lead, the Cardinal outscored the Buffs 18-4 in the third period's last 8:47 and took a 20-point advantage – 57-37 – into the final quarter. As Stanford kept its foot on the accelerator, CU was looking for an off ramp – or listening for the final buzzer.
"We've got to continue to fight," Lappe said. "That's our only choice . . . we need to come back and refocus on bringing our best."
The Buffs return to the CEC on Sunday to face Cal (noon, Pac-12 Networks) in their final regular-season home game. They close the regular season next week, traveling to Washington State (Thursday) and Washington (Saturday). The Pac-12 Tournament is March 3-6 in Seattle.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
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