Oklahoma City – Talk about pressure. Before playing Tuesday in the first Big 12 women’s tournament game in the Sooner State, Colorado junior forward Jackie McFarland had to round up passes for 15 relatives who reside in the area.
Then it was up to McFarland to put on a show and make their visit worthwhile.
McFarland scored a season-high 32 points and fed freshman point guard Whitney Houston for the winning basket with 37 seconds remaining in a 71-67 victory over ninth-seeded Texas Tech. Colorado’s first win in the conference tournament since 2003 sends the eighth-seeded Buffaloes (13-16) against top-seeded Texas A&M (23-5) in today’s quarterfinals.
“I just didn’t want the season to end,” McFarland said. “I have too many people here watching.”
McFarland didn’t give the relatives a chance to leave their seats to get popcorn. She played the entire 40 minutes, often with a defender on each hip. Her 32 points matched Tera Bjorklund (2003 against Oklahoma) for CU’s best scoring effort in the 11-year history of the Big 12 Tournament.
McFarland converted 14-for-16 from the foul line. She also contributed 12 rebounds for her 36th career double-double and 17th of the season.
“The bottom line: Jackie never takes a play off,” CU coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said.
Colorado also got 19 points from senior forward Jasmina Ilic, who was on the court for all but one minute.
“It seems like (McFarland and Ilic) just never get tired,” said Texas Tech coach Kristy Curry, whose first Lady Raiders team finished 15-16 – the program’s first losing record since 1981.
McFarland no doubt received an adrenaline rush with all that family support. She was born in Houston and grew up in Derby, Kan. But both her parents are from Oklahoma, and much of the extended family still lives within a 20-minute drive of the tournament site.
Coming out tight and jittery, Colorado committed turnovers on five of its first six possessions. Named to the all-Big 12 first team last week, McFarland didn’t touch the ball during the first five minutes as Colorado fell behind 10-3.
“I told the team during a timeout they might as well just lay the ball down on the court and give it to Texas Tech,” McConnell-Miller said.
The Buffs finished with 25 turnovers, and couldn’t pull away despite outshooting the Lady Raiders 46.3 percent to 40 percent. Things really became tense with 1:53 remaining when Tech center Patrice Edwards’ turnaround 8-footer put the Lady Raiders up 67-66.
But McFarland tied the game with a free throw at the 1:37 mark. Then after a Tech turnover, McFarland tossed a pass through double-team defenders to Houston, who had cut toward the basket along the baseline and had an easy layup for a 69-67 lead.
“It was a battle,” McConnell-Miller said. “But we are alive to play another day.”
TEXAS TECH (15-16)
Robertson 6-16 2-2 18, Edwards 6-7 1-2 13, Baughman 0-6 0-0 0, Murphree 5-14 0-0 10, Henderson 5-10 4-5 14, Flowers 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 1-1 0-0 2, Myrick 3-7 4-6 10, Christian 0-4 0-0 0, Griffin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-65 11-15 67.
COLORADO (13-16)
McFarland 9-14 14-16 32, Richards 4-9 0-2 8, Houston 2-6 0-0 4, Powers 1-2 0-0 3, Ilic 7-15 2-2 19, Smith 1-3 0-0 3, Skildum 0-4 0-0 0, Rucker 1-1 0-0 2, Putnina 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-54 16-20 71.
Halftime – Tied 28-28. 3-point goals – Texas Tech 4-20 (Robertson 4-7, Henderson 0-2, Christian 0-3, Murphree 0-3, Baughman 0-5), Colorado 5-9 (Ilic 3-5, Powers 1-2, Smith 1-2). Fouled out – Edwards, Richards. Rebounds – Texas Tech 32 (Robertson 10), Colorado 41 (McFarland 12). Assists – Texas Tech 10 (Murphree 4), Colorado 16 (Richards 5). Total fouls – Texas Tech 21, Colorado 18. A – N/A.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
CU women vs. Texas A&M
What: Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal
When: 11 a.m.
Where: Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City
Records: No. 8 seed Colorado (13-16, 6-10 Big 12 regular season), No. 1 seed Texas A&M (23-5, 13-3)
TV/Radio: FSN/KKZN 760 AM
Notes: Colorado’s chances at upsetting the top seed hinge on the Buffaloes’ ability to handle Texas A&M’s pressure defense. Not making CU coach Kathy McConnell-Miller rest any easier was watching her team commit 25 turnovers Tuesday against Texas Tech. In the only regular-season matchup, the Buffs committed 23 turnovers in a 74-58 road loss to the Aggies. “(A&M’s) full-court pressure is something we need to be concerned with,” McConnell-Miller said. … Texas A&M leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (53.7). … To win, Colorado must buck tradition. A No. 1 seed is 3-0 all-time against a No. 8 seed. CU is 3-4 in quarterfinal games, the most recent a 2003 victory over Oklahoma. … CU junior forward Jackie McFarland, who converted 14-of-16 free throws against Texas Tech, needs three free throws today to set a single-season school record.
TOM KENSLER
