In this file photo, junior Brittany Spears (22) dribbles down the court during the CU versus Nebraska women's basketball game at Coors Events Center on Jan. 30. (CU Independent/Stephanie Davis)
Down, but not out, the Colorado women’s basketball team went to overtime to break their eight game losing streak as the Buffs beat the Missouri Tigers 80-79 on Tuesday at Mizzou Arena.
Junior forward Brittany Spears was essential to the win. She led the team with 10 rebounds and a season-high 34 points and nabbed her 22nd career double-double. With 30 seconds left in regulation, Spears hit a 3-pointer that sent the game into overtime.
Mizzou has now lost eight straight games, while CU raises its record to 13-13 overall and 3-10 in the Big 12.
While the Tigers were up by as much as 12 points in the second half, the Buffs pressed on to get the OT win.
Missouri took a 79-76 lead with 1:56 remaining in overtime, but once again, Spears was there to keep the Buffs’ hopes alive. Less than 20 seconds later, she drove to the basket and drew the foul, narrowing the Tigers’ lead to one.
Despite late turnovers by both teams, the Buffs held strong and got their first win since traveling to Kansas State on Jan. 20.
It was a big night, not only for the team as a whole, but also for Bianca Smith. The senior guard tied a career-high 26 points, and is just one 3-pointer from tying Shelley Sheetz’s all-time record of 252.
The Buffaloes return home to face Texas A&M at the Coors Events Center in the latter half of a double header at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Marlee Horn at Marlee.horn@colorado.edu.
