Buffs unable to hold off Jayhawks in first round of NCAA tournament

By alissa.noe in Sports on Mar 25, 2013 23:00 / comments

The University of Colorado women lost a tough battle in Boulder against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday afternoon. The Buffs fell 67-52.

Colorado was seeded No. 5 and Kansas held a No. 12 spot going into the tournament.

Junior guard Ashley Willson makes her way down the court against Washington State in Boulder on Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. On Saturday, the Buffs lost to Kansas in the first round. (Amy Leder/CU Independent)

Junior guard Brittany Wilson carried the Buffs with 11 points, one rebound and a steal. Angel Goodrich led Kansas with 14 rebounds, two rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

Kansas got the early lead with a layup by Carolyn Davis in the first 30 seconds of the first half, but the Buffs quickly responded with a seven-point run to overcome the Jayhawks. Kansas’ Chelsea Gardner cut at the deficit with a two-point jumper two minutes in, but that was not enough to faze Colorado. The Buffs added another seven-point streak before the Jayhawks could score again.

Kansas’ offense lit up after three minutes of play and began their comeback with a three-point jumper by Goodrich. They fought back for the next ten minutes until a two-point basket by Davis tied to the game at 21 with 6:28 remaining. The Jayhawks regained the lead shortly after with a three-point basket by Markisha Hawkins and held on to the lead for the rest of the half.

Colorado fought back during the next four minutes of play, but the Buffs could not score for the remainder of the half after bringing the score to 30-27. Kansas took advantage of their dry spell and scored seven more points, going into the half with a 37-27 lead.

Kansas opened the second half with a 6-0 run over the Buffs, until a pair of free throws by freshman forward Jamee Swan cut their lead back to 14.

Colorado could not overcome Kansas’ lead, which increased to 20 points with 15 minutes left in the game. The Buffs fought back and cut the Jayhawks lead to as little as 15 points with 11 minutes remaining, but Kansas’ lead proved too much for them. They went up by 20 again with nine minutes left, but the Buffs weren’t ready to give up yet.

Colorado cut the deficit to 14 points with five minutes left, but they eventually fell by 15 points (67-52).

Kansas will take on No. 4 seed South Carolina in the second round of the tournament on Mon., March 25 in Boulder.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Alissa Noe at Alissa.noe@colorado.edu.