Contact CU Independent Sports Staff Writer Kevin Pankow at kevin.pankow@colorado.edu
The University of Colorado women’s basketball team (6-16, 1-10) lost to Utah (13-9, 5-10) 71-55 Thursday night on their one-game road trip. The Buffs traveled to Salt Lake City after their first win in conference play last week against USC.
It’s been a tough season for the Buffs that continued to show against Utah, where they couldn’t seem to build off of their first conference win last week. However, the Buffs’ defense showed up, forcing 18 turnovers and blocking six shots. Despite Colorado’s solid defensive showing, the Utes answered by forcing 19 turnovers and registering six blocks of their own.
Rebounding played an important role in Utah’s win over Colorado as well. The Utes grabbed 42 rebounds, edging Colorado’s 34.
This wasn’t enough for the Buffs. Utah had four players with seven or more rebounds, whereas Colorado had none. Junior guard/forward Lauren Huggins also missed her third straight game with a concussion.
The Buffs only made one of their first seven field goal attempts, and that didn’t get much better as the game went on. Colorado shot 39.7 percent from the field, 57.1 percent from the free throw line, and 20 percent from beyond the arc. Coming in to tonight’s game, the Buffs were shooting 39.6 percent from the field, 73.9 percent from the free throw line, and 34.9 percent from beyond the arc on the year. Offense continues to be Colorado’s Achilles’ heel during conference play.
Freshman guard Kennedy Leonard and senior forward Jamee Swan were the only Buffs to score in double-digits, with 16 and 12 points, respectively. They both grabbed six rebounds while Leonard added a career-high seven steals and five assists.
However, the Utes had five players score double-digit points, led by Danielle Rodriguez, who scored a career-high 19 points. Rodriguez also jumped up to fifth in all-time assists at Utah during tonight’s game.
Utah took the lead early in the contest, and despite Colorado’s best efforts, the Utes never gave it up. The Buffs fought back and tied the game multiple times, but couldn’t take the lead. Additionally, Colorado couldn’t seem to build off of the 18 turnovers they forced or take advantage at the free throw line. The loss is a somewhat unfamiliar feeling for the Buffs who, since joining the Pac-12, had won 8 of the 10 meetings between the two teams. Utah’s win snapped a five-game losing streak.
Colorado will look to get revenge when they play the Utes on their home court this Sunday, Feb. 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00pm MST at Coors Events Center.
