MANHATTAN, Kan. — This is rarified air the Colorado women’s basketball team is flying in these days. A ranking for the first time in four years. Targets on the Buffs’ backs. Leads late in games. If their steady progress under third-year coach Kathy McConnell-Miller is to continue, the Buffs must learn to stay aloft.
Saturday night, the Buffs continued their fall to earth.
No. 25 Colorado collapsed in the second half of a 67-60 loss to surging Kansas State for the Buffs’ third loss in a row. With a 1-3 record in Big 12 games, the 12-5 Buffs’ recent 11-game win streak seems so long ago.
“We seem to be a team — blue collar if you will — that likes to fight from behind, the underdog, play hard, scrappy, make plays and then I’ve just sort of noticed when we get up, there’s this sigh of relief,” McConnell-Miller said. “Like we’re up nine or we’re up five or we’re up. They need to have the same mentality down 10 as up 10.
“That’s something I’m learning and is ever evolving with this team.”
Two stretches doomed Colorado. Leading 12-6, the Buffs committed three turnovers on four possessions as Kansas State (12-5, 4-0) went on an 11-0 run. Then, down only 52-49 with 8:27 left, Colorado committed turnovers on five straight possessions as the Wildcats rattled off 10 straight points for a safe 62-49 lead.
“Whether it’s been the last three years being the underdog to everyone, especially this year everyone picked us 11th, and coming back and getting that ranking, that really didn’t mean anything to us,” all-Big 12 forward Jackie McFarland said. “It’s just a matter of fighting back. Once we get the lead, we think that, ‘Hey, we did it. We showed people.’
“But that doesn’t show in the win-loss column.”
McFarland had a double-double for CU with game highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds. But she took only three shots in the second half and didn’t score in the period until a 3-pointer with 2:53 left. By then the Buffs were down 63-54.
“We had a better feel for Colorado’s offense,” said K-State coach Deb Patterson, whose Wildcats won their seventh straight and could replace Colorado in the top 25. “It’s amazing in this league. It’s different night to night what you have to face. It takes time to get a feel.”
Kansas State had a feel for the basket. The Wildcats shredded the Buffs’ perimeter defense on 7-of-15 3-pointers, with Monarch High School graduate Kimberly Dietz scoring 18 points. K-State’s Shalee Lehning, a guard, nearly had a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
COLORADO (12-5)
Spears 6-19 2-2 16, Putnina 5-8 2-4 12, McFarland 8-11 2-2 20, Skildum 2-5 0-3 4, Powers 0-4 0-0 0, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Houston 1-1 0-0 2, Blythe 0-0 0-0 0, Dunn 3-5 0-0 6. Totals 25-54 6-11 60.
KANSAS STATE (12-5)
Sweat 4-11 2-2 12, Gipson 7-15 0-2 14, Lehning 5-7 1-2 11, Dietz 6-13 3-6 18, Kincaid 2-4 1-2 7, Zanotti 0-1 0-0 0, Wheeler 2-6 1-2 5. Totals 26-57 8-16 67.
Halftime — Kansas State 35-31. 3-point goals — Colorado 4-16 (McFarland 2-3, Spears 2-6, Putnina 0-1, Smith 0-1, Powers 0-1, Dunn 0-2, Skildum 0-2), Kansas St. 7-15 (Dietz 3-7, Kincaid 2-3, Sweat 2-4, Zanotti 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Colorado 40 (McFarland 11), Kansas St. 27 (Lehning 11). Assists — Colorado 14 (Dunn, Powers, Skildum 3), Kansas St. 20 (Lehning 8). Total fouls — Colorado 16, Kansas St. 8. A — 5,813.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
