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WBB: Buffs hang tough until final minute, lose by 2
Jan 26th
BOULDER – Colorado stayed with No. 14 Arizona State for the better part of 40 minutes Sunday at the Coors Events Center. Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, the final half minute was no time to come undone.
Getting a pair of free throws from Adrienne Thomas with 4.4 seconds to play, the Sun Devils edged the Buffs 68-66. CU (12-7, 2-6) had hoped to sweep the Pac-12 Conference’s desert entries after a 68-47 win against Arizona on Friday night that broke a four-game Buffs losing streak.
But it wasn’t to be against the opportunistic Sun Devils (17-3, 6-2).
With the score tied at 66-66, CU coach Linda Lappe called timeout with 21 seconds to play to set her final strategy. It didn’t go as planned; Brittany Wilson lost her dribble, ASU got the loose ball and Thomas was fouled with 4.4 seconds to play.
After Thomas hit both free throws, Wilson lost the ball coming up court, recovered, but could manage only a three-quarter court heave that only added to CU’s afternoon of frustration.
Of CU’s 12 turnovers, none were more costly than the final two. Said Wilson of the miscue coming out of the timeout: “I felt I got tripped, it was a no call. . . nothing much more to say.”
Added Lappe: “Just about everything bad that could have happened did at the end of the game . . . we have to learn how to finish. We’ve got to get a shot off, no matter what happens. (The officials) were calling fouls (23 on each team); we can’t make excuses.”
Lappe declined comment on Wilson’s alleged un-called trip: “I’m not going to comment on that . . . bottom line, we have to make plays.”
Jen Reese, who matched her career high with 22 points for a second straight game, said she believed the Buffs were focused coming of their timeout when the score was tied at 66. “But we should have gotten a shot up,” she added. “We didn’t finish . . . they were fouled and hit their free throws.”
Aiding Reese in the scoring column were Brittany and Ashley Wilson with 12 points each and Jamee Swan with 10. Deja Mann scored a team-high 17 points and was one of three Sun Devils in double figures, and ASU got 25 points from its bench.
CU outrebounded ASU 42-35 and hit 20-of-23 free throws – including 11-of-11 in the first half. Lappe said those two numbers were among positives to be taken away from the loss, the others being a “toughness level” that is becoming what she wants, overall execution in the final 8 minutes, and her team’s turnover total (10) before the final minute.
“We’re obviously disappointed,” Lappe said. “ASU is tough, well-coached. They find ways to win games this year; they make plays down the stretch. Give them credit, they’ve done this to a lot of teams. Tonight we were the victim.”
ASU led by 10 points in the first half before CU regained its shooting touch and made the afternoon competitive in the second half. The Buffs hit six of their first eight shots, took a 12-9 lead – their largest of the half – then went mountain stream cold.
From the 15:05 mark until 7:23 before intermission, they dropped from 75 percent shooting to 35 percent – going one for 12 and watching the Sun Devils launch a 12-0 run. That surge enabled ASU to take a double-digit lead – 24-14 –and appear to be in control.
But CU wasn’t ready to roll. If their shooting touches from the field occasionally went icy, it was a different story at the free throw line. For only the second time this season, the Buffs were perfect at the foul line, hitting all of 11 of their attempts – which kept them in the game. By halftime their field goal percentage was a humbling 30.3 (10-of-33), while the Sun Devils checked in at 42.9 percent (12-of-28). CU finished the afternoon shooting 38.3 percent from the field, ASU 41.5.
Free throw perfection in the first half’s final 5 minutes – all of CU’s fouls shots came in that span – kept the Buffs within three points (34-31) at intermission. Yet to catch and pass ASU in the second half, CU couldn’t count on doing it with free throws – their shooting had to improve, and the opening 4 minutes of the second half showed signs of that happening.
After Mann scored consecutive baskets to open the scoring and push ASU ahead 38-31, Reese – her nine field goals were a career high – hit a put-back to open a 6-0 run that pulled the Buffs to within 38-37. It was the closest CU had been since 13-12.
The Buffs got their first lead since 12-11 on a layup by Roberson that sent them up 39-38 with 15:16 remaining. CU matched its largest lead to that point – three points at 43-40 – on back-to-back baskets by Reese.
But Promise Amukamara matched Reese’s two buckets, giving ASU a 44-43 advantage and promising a back-and-forth final 10 minutes – if the Buffs didn’t encounter another Ice Age. They didn’t, and even a five-point ASU lead (52-47) didn’t deter them.
The Buffs lost their perfection from the foul line when Ashley Wilson finally missed the first of two with 8:58 to play. But “A-Wil” hit the second attempt, followed with two more on the next possession and tied the score at 52-52.
Neither team led by more than two points over the final 8 minutes, with CU taking a two-point advantage (66-64) on a three-point play by Ashley Wilson with 2:51 left.
With the Buffs leading 66-65, Reese missed a foul line jumper with 45 seconds left and ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne called a time out with 41.9 seconds to play. Fouled by Brittany Wilson on a loose ball battle, Kelsey Moos hit one of two free throws to tie the score at 66-66 at the 28.5-second mark.
Reese controlled the rebound on Moos’ miss and it was CU’s turn for a timeout to set its final strategy in the last 21.1 seconds. If both of the Buffs’ final possessions went bust, the Sun Devils have been there and conquered that.
“A majority of our games have come down to one possession,” Turner Thorne said. “We have a lot of experience in these situations. This team has a lot of confidence, and because of that, we’ve been able to out on top of every single one of these close games.”
The Buffs travel to Utah on Wednesday night (7 p.m.) before returning to the CEC to face the Utes again on Sunday, Feb. 2 (noon).
WAHL HONORED: CU’s first women’s athletic director, Jane Wahl, received the inaugural Jane Wahl Legacy Award Sunday, at both a pregame reunion luncheon with dozens of former players in attendance and again at halftime. The award will be presented annually to a member of the women’s basketball community who through their achievements brings honor and recognition to the program.
Wahl accepted the award from Ceal Barry, CU’s associate athletic director for student services and former women’s basketball coach. Barry noted that the first decade of women’s athletics set the table for future success, and in the case of basketball, began several traditions, including making the Coors Events Center the tough place it has become for opponents to play.
“I view this like a relay race,” Wahl said. “I worked the first leg and then handed the baton to others who went on to bring women’s athletics at CU to where it is today. The work I did at CU was some of the most meaningful of my life. To help create opportunities for women to participate in varsity athletics that didn’t exist before 1974. It was rewarding to do work that empowered women, life-changing work that served them well for the rest of their lives.”
WBB: Reese and Huggins HUGE in Pac 12 win
Jan 25th
By: B.G. Brooks, Contributing Editor
BOULDER – Desperately needing a win and an accompanying dose of confidence, the Colorado Buffaloes grabbed both Friday night at the Coors Events Center.
Powered by the solid mid-range shooting of Jen Reese and reserve Lauren Huggins’ rediscovered long-ball accuracy, CU disposed of Arizona 68-47 to snap a four-game Pac-12 Conference losing streak.
“It’s great to be back on the winning track,” CU coach Linda Lappe said. “You take the game or be taken . . . tonight we took the game and we have to continue to do that.”
Sunday would be an opportune time to continue. The Buffs are back at the Events Center at 1 p.m. to play No. 14 Arizona State on State Farm Day. Also, CU will recognize the 40th season of the women’s basketball program with a reunion featuring former staff and players.
With Friday night’s win, the Buffs (12-6, 2-5) improved to 11-3 all-time against the Wildcats (4-14, 0-7) and remained unbeaten against them in five meetings since joining the Pac-12 in 2011. CU’s record against Arizona in Boulder is now 7-1.
Reese, a junior from Clackamas, Ore., tied her career high with 22 points, hitting a career-best eight field goals in 13 attempts. Huggins, a redshirt freshman from Littleton, tied her career high by hitting five of her nine 3-point attempts for 15 points – one below her season and career highs. Huggins had been 2-of-16 from beyond the arc in the previous six Pac-12 games.
For Huggins, regaining focus and her long-distance shooting touch started with early week meetings involving her teammates and Lappe. Huggins said her teammates expressing their belief in her got her back on track: “My teammates said, ‘Shoot the ball, kid, that’s what you need to do.’ Just hearing that from my teammates gave me confidence . . .”
Lappe said players – maybe more so with shooters – often “forget their roles” during the course of a season. Lappe told Huggins “to keep it simple . . . don’t put the ball on the floor, be ready to catch it, slow down your mind and be a shooter.”
Huggins, who scored a career-high 16 points in November against Alcorn State, obviously did what her coach wanted. But Lappe saw another facet of Huggins’ game that was equally locked in – her defense, which Lappe said usually ignites Huggins at the other end. “I thought her defense was solid – the best it’s been,” Lappe said.
“Solid” also has been Reese’s calling card. “She’s a really special player,” Lappe said, comparing her to former NBA star Larry Bird in that while both might be missing the “wow” factor in their jumping ability and overall athleticism, both can be quietly spectacular in their results.
Lappe liked Reese’s offensive aggression against Arizona: “Even when she missed a couple, she took the next (shot) without thinking . . . it was good to see her settle in and not stop when she hit four or five.”
Reese credited her teammates for finding her “with great passes . . . and my shot felt good.”
Reese and Huggins got scoring assistance from Brittany Wilson, who added 12 points and was the only other CU player to reach double figures. Arizona’s Candace Warthen led her team with 14 points.
CU’s guard position suffered another hit with the loss of junior Lexy Kresl. Joining junior Jasmine Sborov (fractured foot) on the injury list, Kresl has a stress fracture in her lower right leg and could be out for a month or more, as could Sborov.
That duo comprised CU’s starting backcourt for the season’s first 15 games. Now, said Lappe, the Buffs must get “creative” with backcourt personnel and have reserves rise to the occasion. “Any time you have a player go down who’s played significant minutes, it hurts,” Lappe said, specifying that the Wilson twins – Brittany and Ashley – will share more minutes at point guard.
After a 14-2 run, the Buffs led by as many as 12 points (20-8) in Friday night’s first half and were up 29-22 at intermission. The Wildcats’ last first-half lead was 6-4 – and it would be their last of the night.
Reese supplied most of CU’s early offense, scoring eight of the first 11 points on two field goals and four free throws. She finished the half with 12 points and was the only Buffs player in double figures. During its 14-2 run, CU got a pair of 3-pointers from Huggins – and more were coming.
The Buffs were outrebounded 23-17 in the first half, but capitalized on a dozen Wildcats turnovers while committing only four. CU ended the night with a 33-32 board edge and pressured Arizona into 20 turnovers. Both teams shot 33.3 percent from the field in the opening half, but the Buffs finished the night at 50 percent (24-of-48) while keeping the Wildcats at 34.6 percent.
“I liked how we responded in the second half,” Lappe said. “We came in and were the aggressors. We got everybody involved (and) it was nice to hit shots and get stops. We finished well; we’ve been working on that.”
A fast second-half start would greatly benefit the Buffs – and they came close enough. After Arizona got the first four points of the half, CU scored the next seven and restored a double-digit lead (36-26) with just over 16 minutes remaining.
Reese factored in that run, too, hitting a pair of free throws. Then it was Huggins’ turn to supply the offense. After Arizona’s Kama Griffits hit a 3-pointer, Huggins answered with a pair to push the Buffs ahead 42-31 with 14:12 to play.
When CU pushed ahead by 23 (60-37) on back-to-back treys by Huggins and Brittany Wilson with 7:20 left, all that was undecided was the winning margin.
“It was very important to get the win so we could get back on track,” Reese said. She attributed the much-needed redirection to the Buffs’ rediscovering their “mental toughness” and making “hustle plays . . . us focusing and getting back to our toughness as a team. I felt like we did that tonight.”
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Buffs come to play but no match for Stanford’s Ogwumike
Jan 12th
BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes battled gallantly on Sunday afternoon to find the edge their coach said they lacked, but making it pay off against Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike and the No. 4 Cardinal was too big a task.
No. 17 CU cut a 19-point second-half deficit to seven in the final minute before finally succumbing 87-77 at the Coors Events Center. The Buffs (11-4, 1-3) dropped to 0-3 against ranked opponents this season and 7-2 at the CEC.
On Friday night, the Buffs were edged 57-55 by No. 19 California, and CU coach Linda Lappe challenged her team to play with more toughness. The Buffs did that on Sunday, but they struggled to find an answer for the Cardinal’s Ogwumike, who scored 34 points and collected 16 rebounds. The Stanford All-American scored 20 of her total in the first half, when the Cardinal (15-1, 4-0) rolled to a 55-38 lead.
Lappe called Ogwumike “one of the best players in the nation,” and Ogwumike’s performance underscored that. Ogwumike’s 34 points were the most by a CU opponent since Iowa State’s Lindsey Wilson scored 41 – the record against the Buffs – on Feb. 26, 2003.
Despite Ogwumike’s dominance, CU showed second-half resiliency, a response Lappe liked. “I definitely liked the way we fought back,” she said. “Any time you lose a tough one like we lost on Friday, you can go in either one of two directions; you can feel sorry for yourself or you can show a lot of courage, character and resiliency, and I really liked seeing our fight and our toughness tonight.
“I thought we fixed a lot of things that we talked about during film on Saturday, but Stanford’s good. You have to give them a lot of credit. It’s fair to say that they are at least the second best team in the nation . . . I felt like we gave it our best shot, put our best foot forward. We didn’t back down and you have to like that from our team.”
Veteran Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said she “wasn’t impressed” by her team’s overall effort: “I just think we looked a little tired. We weren’t as sharp as we needed to be. We have a great player in Chiney, and she really battled in there tonight.”
VanDerveer also credited CU, calling the Buffs “a top 20 team. They battled. Linda Lappe does a great job with her team. They are a very, very well coached team and she showed it tonight.”
Ogwumike got first-half help from freshman Karlie Samuelson, who scored 17 of her career-high 19 points in the opening half. Samuelson, who arrived in Boulder with a 3.8 point average, hitting five of her eight first-half 3-point attempts and both of her free throw tries.
Hitting four of its first five 3-point attempts, Stanford finished 10-of-21 from behind the arc and hit 21 of its 24 free throw attempts. CU had allowed just four 3-pointers in 29 attempts in its first three Pac-12 games and led the conference in 3-point defense (13.8 percent).
CU forward Arielle Roberson contended some of Samuelson’s long-range accuracy came from the Buffs’ “mental lapses” and wasn’t that surprising. “We knew she was a shooter, but we continued to let her get her shots off, so nothing is shocking about that because Stanford has great shooters,” Roberson said. “We weren’t in the correct matchup or helping off too much or not finding her in transitions. Miscommunications.”
CU was without junior guard Jasmine Sborov, who was on crutches after being diagnosed with a broken bone in her foot.
The Buffs got a career-best performance from sophomore forward Jamee Swan, who had team highs in points (20) and rebounds (13). Also scoring in double figures were Roberson (19), Brittany Wilson (15) and Lexy Kresl (10).
“I feel like I played pretty well,” Swan said. “I don’t think I could have done it without having my teammates helping me get to places I needed to get to and getting me the ball and all that kind of stuff. But it’s another game. It was a great game.”
Lappe called Swan’s performance “fantastic. We knew that we were going to need Jamee in games like this and she was going at a good pace today. She was aggressive; she’s a tough rebounder and physical player and at times, she gave Stanford a lot of problems.
“I liked her decision-making with the ball, I liked the way that she scored, and she played pretty good defense as well. It was tough to take her off the floor because we weren’t getting the rebounds we needed to get when she was not in there. I’m really proud of her stepping up and playing the best game she’s played all year.”
The Cardinal held a 19-point lead on two occasions early in the second half, but the Buffs refused to roll. They cut the deficit to 82-73 on a 3-pointer by Lauren Huggins, then to 82-75 on two free throws by Wilson with 1:02 to play.
But that was as close they got to the Cardinal, now 6-0 against the Buffs since CU joined the Pac-12 in 2011 and 11-4 all-time.
The Buffs stayed with the visitors for the game’s first 2:47, but after a 6-6 tie, Stanford began pulling away behind the 3-point shooting of Samuelson. After Ogwumike broke the tie with a trey, senior guard Sara James hit a three, giving the Cardinal a 12-6 lead.
And Stanford was off and bombing.
Less than 2 minutes later, Samuelson drained threes on consecutive possessions, pushing the Cardinal ahead 20-11 with 14:32 left before intermission. Stanford led by as many as 18 (46-28) before ending the half on – what else? – a Samuelson trey at the buzzer that gave her team a commanding 55-38 advantage.
Stanford, which normally shoots 47.9 percent from long range, was 8-of-15 (53 percent) from behind the arc, accounting for most of the damage as CU gave up its highest first-half total of the season and the most since 2006.
The Buffs entered the game allowing only 59 points a game and 57 in Pac-12 play. If CU was to have a chance at catching up, its defense would have to tighten dramatically.
An early second-half basket by Ogwumike gave the Cardinal its biggest lead – 59-40 – before the Buffs finally ratcheted up their ‘D.’ It helped when Ogwumike went to the bench briefly with three fouls at the 15-minute mark, and CU took advantage.
A 7-0 run on back-to-back baskets from Brittany Wilson and a three-point play by Swan pulled the Buffs to within 11 points (63-52) with 13:03 left. Stanford answered with an 8-0 run – six of the points by Ogwumike – and went back in front by 19 (71-52) with just under 9 minutes to play.
But CU wasn’t done. Runs of 5-0 and 6-0 pulled the Buffs back to within seven points before the Cardinal finally closed it out.
The Buffs play at Washington State on Friday (8 p.m. MST) and Washington on Sunday (5 p.m. MST)