Colorado women ended a disappointing 0-2 homestand with a 54-80
loss to the fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal.
I thought (Stanford) came out and played hard and were the
aggressors,” said CU head coach Linda Lappe. “We had a tough time getting shots
to go down in the first half.”
CU started the game slow offensively, not scoring until
nearly seven minutes had already passed in the first half, as Jasmine Sborov
knocked down two free throws to put the score at 9-2.
However, CU warmed up from the field, and continued their
strong play defensively, cutting the Stanford lead to 12-8 after an 8-3 run
capped by a Lexy Kresl three pointer.
From there, it was all downhill for the Buffs, as they
couldn’t keep up with the Cardinal. Stanford’s most talented players, Nnemkadi
and Chiney Ogwumike poured in 15 and 19 points, respectively, and forward
Joslyn Tinkle registered 20 to lead the way.
“Nnemkadi and Chiney are very good players,” said CU guard
Ashley Wilson. “They are both very athletic. (Stanford) also has guards that
know what they need to do. You have to be ready at every position on the
floor.”
After starting 12-0, CU has dropped three out of their last
four to put them at 13-3 and 2-3 in the Pac-12. However, hall-of-fame Stanford
coach Tara Vanderveer still believes Lappe is on the right track.
“Linda was trained by an absolute legend in our game,” said
Vanderveer, referring to former CU coach Ceal Barry. “Because she learned from
Ceal, I think she definitely is doing some things Ceal taught her.”
The Buffs see the floor next on Thursday against Arizona
State.
