Kansas women’s basketball falls to Colorado in Big 12 Tournament
Kansas women’s basketball lost to Colorado 55–48 in the second round of the Big 12 tournament on Thursday night at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Jayhawks cut the Buffaloes’ lead under 10 late in the fourth quarter. Still, a 3-pointer by junior guard Desiree Wooten, a series of trips to the free throw line, and Colorado’s defense taking away the paint made it too difficult for Kansas to overcome its deficit.
“It sure wasn’t pretty, but in March it doesn’t have to be pretty as long as [the game] goes in the win column,” Colorado head coach JR Payne said. “I’m really proud of our team for how we competed tonight. It was definitely a battle. I thought [it] was a very physical game.”
The game started pretty even, while the Buffaloes went on a 6–0 run at the end of the first quarter. Colorado had four turnovers while the Jayhawks scored no field goals in the last four minutes of the quarter.
Wooten splashed a 3-pointer to break the tie between both teams, while Kansas freshman forward Jaliya Davis made a trip to the free-throw line before the quarter ended. The Jayhawks trailed 12–11 at the end of the quarter.
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Kansas senior forward Lilly Meister committed three fouls in the first half. The Buffaloes went on a 9–0 run, but scored no field goals for over three minutes. Colorado had 13 turnovers but was still ahead 26–18 at halftime as the Jayhawks shot 2–12 from the field in the second quarter.
Just as it seemed the Jayhawks were getting back in the game, Colorado continued to increase its lead to 10 points while freshman forward Logan Greer made a 3-pointer, forcing Kansas to call a timeout with 3:38 left in the third quarter.
The Buffaloes embarked on another 7–0 run at the end of the third quarter. Despite numerous scoring droughts, Colorado went into the fourth quarter leading 38–29.
Kansas ended the game making the majority of their field goals while cutting the lead to within five points with nine seconds left in the game.
Colorado had two players finish with double figures, as Wooten and Greer each scored 10 points.
Kansas junior guard S’Mya Nichols was the only Jayhawk to score double figures, posting 14 points.
“I do think that there were a lot of calls that were uncalled,” Nichols said. “But that was just the flow of the game, and we really can’t do anything about that. The best thing we could’ve done is just keep our composure.”
The date of the Jayhawks’ (19–13, 8–10 Big 12) next game is unknown, as they will not qualify for the NCAA tournament. Kansas may play in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament or Women’s National Invitational Tournament if it chooses to participate.
