Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
1-1
North Carolina
1-1
UNC’s Rally in OT Keeps CU at Bay
November 12, 2017 | Women's Basketball
Chapel Hill, N.C. — Solid runs in the third and fourth quarters helped propel North Carolina to a 87-80 overtime win here Sunday over the Colorado women's basketball team, denying the Buffaloes their chance for an opening weekend sweep.
The Buffs and Tar Heels both move to 1-1 on the 2017 opening weekend.
The Tar Heels outscored the Buffs 42-27 in the second half to tie up the game forcing it to overtime after the Buffs had opened up a 47-32 lead in the first half. UNC went on to take the 87-80 in overtime over the Buffs.
STAT LEADERS:
Kennedy Leonard led CU in points (24) and assists (seven) and added six rebounds. Alexis Robinson added 16 points while freshman Annika Jank joined the juniors as the only other Buff in double digits with 15 points.
Robinson also added four rebounds and three assists. Freshman Aubrey Knight lead the team in rebounding with eight to go along with seven points and two assists. She had the game-tying layup with just four seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Colorado started off strong in the first half dominating the glass to finish the first half with 29 rebounds to UNC's 6.
Robinson did a little bit of everything in the first half, leading the team with 11 points. She drained three 3-pointers. Leonard added 11 points and three rebounds. The combo combined for 21 points and owned eight of the 11 team assists.
UNC struggled a little more in the first half collecting almost as many turnovers (six) as field goals (seven) in the first half. The Buffs were out rebounding the Tar Heels and taking advantage of offensive boards draining 14 second chance points to UNC's three. The Buffs took a 47-32 lead into the break.
CU came out of halftime struggling a little bit. With UNC responding to the Buffs rebounding game, the Tar Heels did not allow CU to snag offensive boards and second chance points. North Carolina then went on a 7-0 run early in the third quarter to trim CU's lead to eight.
UNC tied it at 59-59 with 7:37 remaining in regulation, capping an 8-0 run. Leonard drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give CU a 72-66 lead with 2:44 left and the Tar Heels responded with an 8-0 run before Knight's layup to tie it at 74-74 at the end of regulation.
The Buffs couldn't hold on in overtime and fell 87-80. UNC shot 5-of-7 from the floor in overtime.
KEY STATISTICS:
Colorado forced 23 turnovers in the game and committed just 17. But UNC won the battle on the boards 48-42 and shot 48.6 percent from the floor, while the Buffs connected at a 37.5 percent clip.
NOTES:
Leonard was held to just seven points in the season-opening win at Samford, but exploded for 24 on Sunday, putting back on track from her average of 17 last season ... Leonard had 11 points in the fourth quarter and two of the team's six in overtime ... Jank's four blocked shots were the most for a CU freshman since Jamee Swan on March 23, 2013, vs. Kansas ... CU's 34 3-point attempts were just three off the school record of 37.
UP NEXT:
CU will open up its home schedule on Wednesday Nov. 15 at 7:00 p.m. MT against Florida Atlantic.
POSTGAME QUOTES:
JR Payne, head coach
On The Difference In The Team's Play In The Second Half
"Our shots just weren't falling like they were in the first half. I thought our effort was great, top to bottom for about 40 minutes. Our rebounding effort was really nice and we were aggressive. We got great looks at the basket and knocked down big shots."
On The Team's Rebounding
"It's good when you have a bunch of kids that play and everybody rebounds. That's the type of effort we want to have definitely."
On What UNC Did To Come Back In The Second Half
"They rebounded the way we did in the first half and we rebounded like they did in the first half, so it completely flipped the energy of the game just from a toughness and energy standpoint. Rebounding is always the one stat that tells you how hard a team is playing. Not that we didn't play hard, I'm not saying that. But, North Carolina certainly ratcheted up their effort in the second half and that made a big difference."
On The Play That Forced Overtime
"That was great execution. (Sophomore guard) Quinessa [Caylao-Do] kept her cool, was aggressive and dished to a freshman (guard Aubrey Knight) for a game-tying basket. That's great."
On What The Team Can Take Away From The Game
"I think it shows when we can play hard and rebound and play a disciplined type of game, it shows you can compete with a really fantastic school on the road in enemy territory. I think that's definitely the takeaway from this game."
