The University of Colorado women’s basketball team was able to produce a second straight overtime victory Friday afternoon, beating the San Jose State Spartans 97-89. Their previous game was another win for Colorado, defeating Colorado State 87-81 in double overtime. These mark the Buffaloes’ first back-to-back overtime win streak in team history.
“At the end of the game, it all comes down to your composure, leadership and your ability to execute,” Colorado head coach Linda Lappe said. “I think we do a great job at all of those things.”
Colorado led for the entire first half before falling behind early in the second. The teams traded leads in the game’s last minutes, and Colorado had a chance to win the game in regulation, as senior guard Lexy Kresl missed a deep two-point shot at the buzzer after Colorado managed to successfully inbound the ball down the court from the opposing basket with three seconds left.
As a part of Colorado’s Community Day, Friday’s game was free to attend. The game’s unusual 11 a.m. start time didn’t deter fans, as the reported 1,903 person attendance ranks third this season behind the Buffs’ two games in last week’s Omni Hotels Classic.
Kresl came up big in the overtime period for Colorado, making all six of her free throw attempts in the game’s final two minutes. She finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
Colorado was led in scoring by junior forward Jamee Swan, who set a new career high with 26 points in her third career double-double. Along with the 26 points, Swan had 11 rebounds.
“Jamee is a phenomenal athlete and when she plays hard, steady and takes what the defense gives her, she plays really well,” Lappe said of Swan’s career game.
Sophomore wing Haley Smith also had a big game for the Buffaloes, setting her career high in points scored with 24. Like Swan, Smith tallied a double-double, her first career one, with a team-high 12 rebounds. Smith has seen her scoring increase drastically this season, scoring at least 10 points in Colorado’s last five games after managing 10+ points only twice last season.
“I think confidence has been a big part of it,” Smith said of her increased scoring. “Just kind of going from a different role compared to last season, and also just being open and hitting open shots.
Colorado jumped out to a hot start, taking a 9-0 lead over San Jose State in the first five minutes of the game. That lead would expand to 13 at one point, but the Spartans narrowed it to four by halftime by shooting 50 percent (7-14) from the 3-point line.
San Jose State, who deployed a full-court press for much of the game, came out of the half continuing their up-tempo assault. After Colorado led for the entire first half, the Spartans took a two-point lead in the first four minutes of the second half with a 12-7 run. That lead would grow to six, before Colorado fought back in the last ten minutes to regain the lead. The teams would trade leads for the remainder of the half before ending regulation tied at 85-85.
Colorado improves to 6-1 with the win. They head to Iowa City next for a showdown with No.22 Iowa on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Contact CU Independent Assistant Sports Editor Sam Routhier at samuel.routhier@colorado.edu and follow him on twitter @samrouthier.
