Sloppy offense and bad shooting was the University of Colorado women’s basketball team’s bane Friday night when it squared off against No. 11 Arizona State. Despite their inefficient offense, the Buffs nearly pulled off the upset, but came up short in the end falling 68-60.
Losing close games has been a theme this season for Colorado as this was the eighth game the Buffs have lost by single digits. The close losses haven’t disheartened the team though though.
“I can feel us getting better every game and getting even a step closer every game,” senior guard Lexi Kresl said. “So [the close losses] are not demoralizing. It kind of uplifts and keeps you pushing harder.”
One of the reasons the game was so close was the Buffs’ ability to mitigate their turnovers. Turnovers have been Colorado’s biggest weakness all season, with an average of 18.1 per game. However, they had just 12 tonight, something that pleased head coach Linda Lappe despite the loss.
“We did a fantastic job on the glass and a fantastic job taking care of the basketball,” Lappe said. “Those were the two thing we talked about a lot over the week. Really proud of the way our team handled their pressure and handled the ball. For us, 12 turnovers against them is a fantastic effort by everybody.”
The loss was overshadowed by the loss of Jamee Swan midway through the second half. After diving and fighting for a loose ball, Swan came up holding her ankle and writhing in pain, silencing the arena. Swan was seen icing her ankle on the sideline and Lappe confirmed she suffered an ankle injury, but there is no further diagnosis.
Swan was the bright spot in an otherwise forgettable first half for Colorado. She had five rebounds in the first three minutes of the game and didn’t stop there. By the end of the half she had eight more. When she left the game Swan had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
While they shot better late in the game, the Buffs dug their grave in the first half when they shot just 28 percent from the field. Arizona State came into the game as the top ranked defense in the Pac-12, giving up 56.2 points per game, and it showed on Friday. Time and time again the Sun Devils forced Colorado to take contested shots resulting in the Buffs scoring 12 fewer points than their average.
Even with its lack of scoring Colorado was down by just seven points at half time. The reason the Buffs stayed in the game was their hustle. Colorado spent their night diving and fighting for loose balls.
“I liked how hard we played tonight,” Lappe said. “It’s probably the hardest we’ve played all season long.”
In the second half, Colorado was a different team offensively. Colorado doubled their point total from the first half mostly because they shot a far better (48.4 percent) from the floor.
Kresl highlighted the scoring transformation. In the first half she was held to five points. In the second she exploded with 16 and finished with a team high of 18 points. Kresl led the Buffs on a comeback run late in the second half when she hit three layups in the span of a minute to make it a three-point game before a three from the Sun Devils sparked a run that put the Buffs away for good.
Sophie Brunner and Katie Hempen led Arizona State in scoring with 15 points each. Brunner finished with a double-double. She killed Colorado on the glass all night and finished with 10 rebounds.
The loss leaves the Buffs at 9-11 overall and 2-7 in the Pac-12. Colorado looks to bounce back this Sunday against Arizona at 11 a.m. at the Coors Event Center.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sean Kelly at Sean.D.Kelly@colorado.edu.
