Lincoln - Nebraska received career-high performances from Laura Pilakowski and Greichaly Cepero, but the Huskers ended the regular season with a 70-56 loss to Colorado in front of a crowd of 2,633 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Wednesday evening.
Pilakowski and Cepero, a pair of volleyball All-Americans who were making their final appearances at the Devaney Center, combined for 23 points and 14 rebounds in the losing effort.
Cepero finished with 14 points, hitting 5-of-7 shots from the floor, and added six rebounds, while Pilakowski, who was playing her first season of basketball at NU, nearly recorded a double-double, tying season highs with nine points and eight rebounds.
The Huskers (8-19, 1-15 in the Big 12) were led by junior Alexa Johnson, who came off the bench to finish with 15 points, hitting 6-of-10 shots from the floor.
Colorado (21-6, 11-5) was led by All-America candidate Tera Bjorkland, who finished with a game-high 22 points. The 6-foot-5 center, was held to six points in the first contest between the teams in January, connected on 10 of her 17 field goal attempts to lead three players in double figures.
On the evening, CU shot 52 percent from the field, including 7-of-14 from three-point range and enjoyed a slim 34-32 lead on the glass.
"Colorado did a very good job of running their offense," Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. "It was like clockwork. Tonight, they were in a great rhythm, especially in the first half."
In the first half, Colorado took advantage of its inside game, as Bjorkland hit her first five shots from the floor, helping the Buffaloes sprint to an early 19-9 advantage in the first 11 minutes of the contest.
The Huskers came right back with a 10-5 spurt of their own, cutting the CU lead to 24-19 on Johnson