LARAMIE, Wyo. — When Chucky Jeffery is banking home not one but two 3-pointers, you know it might just be your night if you`re the Colorado Buffaloes.
Wyoming fought back in the second half of CU`s 70-58 win at Arena Auditorium on Thursday night. But the Cowgirls didn`t quite have enough to catch the Buffs thanks to a 13-point first half lead that was sparked by 3-point shooting by the Buffs that has been deadly during their WNIT run.
CU made 7 of 13 treys in the first half in going up 39-26 and eventually 39-28 at halftime.
Brittany Spears, who scored 19 of her 23 points before halftime, made three from long range. Britney Blythe and Brittany Wilson each hit one. And Jeffery banked home two in the first half from the top of the key and made 3 of 3 for the game.
Jeffery`s first banker pulled the Buffs even at 12 early, while her second made it 39-26. Her third came with 3:33 left in the game to make it 63-51.
The sophomore`s long-range success was significant because it`s not usually her game as she is most dangerous driving to the basket or pulling up for 15-footers. Jeffery had made just 10 of 31 3-pointers all year coming in to Thursday`s game.
CU coach Linda Lappe said the team`s 3-point shooting as a whole of late has been a sign of a healthy offense.
The Buffs made 10 of 22 treys in a second-round win over Cal and 6 of 15 in the first round versus UC Riverside. They were 8 for 16 Thursday.
“We`re knowing where our shots are coming from and we`re getting our feet set and taking them,” Lappe said. “I like the pace of our offense right now. We`re not in a rush. We`re not trying to do things we can`t. We have great ball reversals. We`re moving it. And we`re just taking what the defense gave us. It`s the second time in a row we`re just playing. Whatever the defense gives us we`re taking it and stepping in with confidence and knocking down shots.”
Proud papa
Former CU great Shaun Vandiver put his arm around daughter Aubrey after her last college game at Wyoming and consoled her as she walked down the tunnel at Arena Auditorium.
Aubrey Vandiver, the Mountain West Conference player of the year, scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to finish off her decorated career.
As a Wyoming men`s assistant in recent years, Shaun Vandiver had gotten to watch 10 or 11 of his daughter`s games per season. But Thursday`s game was only the fourth he`d seen this season because he is coaching at Boise State this season. The Broncos lost in the CBI men`s tourney on Wednesday night.
“My boss gave me the blessings to come down and watch it after a tough loss,” Shaun said. “It was a crazy day. I was stranded down in Denver the majority of the day trying to get up here. But other than that, as a father as a competitor as a former player, it was good to see her career.”
Impressive atmosphere
It`s one thing when CU`s players call Arena Auditorium the loudest gym they`ve played in. When Lappe is doing the same, that`s saying something after her career of playing in the Big 12 Conference and coaching at various stops.
The Arena Auditorium, which holds 15,000 fans, was rocking with 7,247 Cowgirl faithful and made for a hostile environment for the Buffs as Wyoming rallied in the second half.
“I don`t know that I`ve been in a facility that`s been louder than it was tonight a few of those times,” Lappe said. “You really couldn`t hear and the crowd was into it. For us not to give up the lead I thought was huge. You`ve got to give our players a lot of credit. We lost our composure for a little period of time and then we were able to regain it and that shows a lot of growth.”
Notable
CU improved to 2-6 all-time in postseason play on opponents` home courts. … Colorado`s bench outscored Wyoming`s 18-0, with 16 of those points coming from Jeffery. … Former Broomfield standout Chaundra Sewell finished with seven points and four rebounds for the Cowgirls. … Spears` 23 points gave her 616 on the season, good for third on CU`s all-time charts. Lisa Van Goor (678 in 1981-82) and Jackie McFarland (637 in 2007-08) top the list.
