Boulder, Colo. - Colorado connected on 35-of-47 free throws, including 12 points from the line in the final 5:25 to help the Buffaloes erase a 10-point deficit and end a five-game losing streak with a 78-75 win over Nebraska in front of 2,540 fans at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colo., on Wednesday.
With the loss, Nebraska falls to 11-10 overall and 5-5 in Big 12 Conference play, while Colorado improves to 7-14 overall and 2-8 in league action.
Nebraska coach Paul Sanderford said he was disappointed with the outcome but pleased with the effort of his team.
"I was proud of the effort my team gave tonight," Sanderford said. "I'm really disappointed because it is a game that we should have won. It was a heartbreaking loss, just like the Iowa State game. We kept telling our kids not to foul and to quit putting them at the free throw line, but I don't know what else we could have done. They shot 47 free throws in the game and 32 in the second half. We led the entire second half, but somehow we didn't get to line at all in the last six minutes."
Leading 70-60 after a Melody Peterson layup with 5:40 remaining, Nebraska appeared to have the game in hand before the Colorado charge. The Buffaloes took their first lead of the second half at 74-72 on a pair of free throws by Mandy Nightingale with 25 seconds remaining.
Despite leading the entire second half, Nebraska managed to get to the line on only two occasions, as the Huskers knocked down all four of their free throws in the second half. Peterson shot Nebraska's last free throws of the game with 6:17 left.
While the Huskers struggled to get to the line, Colorado hit 23-of-32 free throws in the second half alone. CU managed only three field goals during its 18-5 run over the final 5:25, the first coming on Kami Carmann's rebound of a missed free throw by Britt Hartshorn with 4:42 left. Before Carmann's shot, the Buffs last field goal had come with 10:50 remaining in the game on a jumper by Eisha Bohman.
Senior point guard Nicole Kubik scored 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 3-pointers. But Kubik was unable to score down the stretch for the Huskers, as the All-American was kept from the scoring column for the final 9:04.
While Colorado tightened its defense on Kubik, Peterson scored six points during a 4:20 stretch that helped Nebraska expand its lead from 60-55 with 10:00 remaining to 70-60 with 5:40 left. Brooke Schwartz also played a solid game for the Huskers, contributing 14 points before fouling out with 10 seconds left.
Schwartz was one of four Huskers to foul out of the game, joining center Casey Leonhardt, forward Charlie Rogers and forward Paige Sutton. Rogers and Sutton each contributed nine points, and Sutton tied her career high with seven rebounds.
For the game, Nebraska shot 42.4 percent (28-66), including a 6-for-12 effort from 3-point range. The Huskers knocked down 13-of-16 free throws and outrebounded the Buffaloes, 39-34.
Colorado shot 42.6 percent (20-47) from the field for the game and just 25 percent (3-12) from 3-point range. The Buffs were whistled for 18 fouls for the game, including just seven in the second half, while Nebraska was called for 29 fouls, including 18 in the second half. Nebraska was called for seven fouls and a technical foul in the final 5:25.
Carmann led four Buffaloes in double figures with 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. She connected on all six of her free throw attempts. Jenny Roulier added 16 points, including a career-best 12-for-13 effort from the free throw line.
Nebraska returns home to the Bob Devaney Sports Center to take on Kansas on Sunday, Feb. 13, at Noon in a game televised live nationally by ESPN2.