BOULDER, Colo.—Jackie McFarland scored 21 points, Brittany Spears matched her career high with 19 and Colorado upset No. 21 Wyoming 69-55 on Wednesday night.
Colorado (5-2) went on a 12-0 run to pull away late in the second half, and then held on to snap a 23-game losing streak against ranked opponents. Colorado was coming off an 82-47 win Saturday over Colorado State.
“Tonight’s game came at a very pivotal time for us,” Colorado head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said. “I thought we were coming off the strongest performance of the year, and to host a very good nationally ranked Wyoming team with such experience … I thought the players really, really took advantage of it.”
Colorado’s last win against a ranked opponent was a 69-59 win over then-No. 24 Baylor on Jan. 7, 2004. The Buffaloes were ranked 14th at the time. In ending that streak, the Buffs prevented Wyoming (6-1) from its first 7-0 start in nearly 30 years.
“It’s a huge game for us for a lot of reasons,” said McFarland, who scored 15 points after halftime, including eight in the final four minutes. “I think it just shows where this program is going. It’s signs that we’re definitely moving up.”
Spears, a freshman from Pasadena, Calif., scored 14 in the second half, including eight in a 10-0 run that gave Colorado a 50-38 lead. Spears capped the run by hitting all three free throws after being fouled by Megan McGuffey on a 3-point attempt.
Wyoming responded to that surge with a 14-3 run that cut the Colorado lead to one before the Buffs pulled way. Justyna Podziemska led the Cowgirls with 19 points, and Hanna Zavecz scored 16.
McFarland had 15 points in the second half, including eight in the final 4 minutes.
Wyoming was off to its best start since going 8-0 to open the 1978-79 season. Colorado also handed the Cowgirls their first loss that season, too, 81-66.
“If somebody would have told me you can be 6-1 after seven games without playing a game, I would have jumped right to game eight,” Cowgirls head coach Joe Legerski said. “I’m happy with the way we’ve played.”
