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After Colorado had converted on only 10-of-21 free throw attempts, Brittany and Ashley Wilson walked to the line and calmly knocked down four free throws, securing an 81-75 win for the Buffs over Oregon on the road.
"What we talk to our team about is when you have that sort of mentality, and you have the toughness, and you're willing to do whatever it takes on the defensive end, and rebounding the basketball - your luck is going to turn around," head coach Linda Lappe told AM-760.
Colorado beat Oregon at their own game in the first half. The Ducks, led by former Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets head coach Paul Westhead, average 95.2 points per game, tops in the NCAA by a large margin. CU scored 29 points in the first 7:45, and looked ready to run away from the speedy Ducks.
Oregon would regroup with a 19-4 spanning both halves, to grab their first lead with a free throw from Jillian Alleyne with 15:34 to play.
Sophomore forward Jamee Swan was inserted into the lineup and sparked a 12-5 CU rally, grabbing offensive boards and getting to the free throw line. Swan finished with eight points and eight boards off the bench.
Following an Arielle Roberson layup with 10:56 to go to give Colorado a 63-54 lead, the Buffs went on a field goal drought of over six-and-a-half minutes. Rachel Hargis, who played an extremely crucial defensive role down the stretch, broke the drought with a jumper with just over four minutes to play.
Hargis, Roberson, and Jen Reese all hit huge shots in the waning minutes to give CU a 75-73 lead with 1:32 to play. After Oregon's Chrishae Rowe tied the game at 75 with 57 seconds to play, Reese countered with a monster jumper. Reese grabbed the defensive rebound after the ensuing Oregon miss, and set things up for the Wilson twins to ice the game from the charity stripe.
Reese finished with a team-high 18 points and 13 rebounds. Roberson scored 17 points and Brittany Wilson added 11. Seven Buffs finished with eight or more points, compared to just four for the Ducks.
Colorado returns home to face the Washington schools this weekend. The Huskies are coming off a monumental upset of No. 3 Stanford.
