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New motto for Buffs

Posted February 26, 2008

After CU lost at Kansas 70-59 on Feb. 13, the Buffs did some basketball soul searching.

“From an offensive end, there was a lot of standing around,” CU coach Kathy McConnell-Miller said. “There wasn’t a lot of creating for each other.”

So they added a new motto: “When you cut, you cut to score. When you screen, you screen to get somebody open.”

It’s made a difference.

The Buffs have won their last two games, including Saturday’s 73-68 win over No. 15 Kansas State.

Perhaps the player that benefited the most was sophomore shooting guard Bianca Smith.

In her last two games, Smith made 13 of her 28 shots from 3-point range.

She’s scored 26 and 17 points in the last two games. This came after she’d scored in double figures in just two of the last nine games.

Just like the time she missed all 11 shots in a loss to Siena, she bounced back and CU went on an 11-game win streak.

As the Buffs lost nine of 10 Big 12 games prior to their current two-game win streak, Smith scored in double figures just three times.

The offense is running more efficiently now and the screeners are getting Smith better looks, and Jackie McFarland is better able to find Smith and Brittany Spears open on the outside when she’s being double-teammed in the post.

Also, Smith continued to spend extra time in the gym to work on her shot.

“I just kept my head up,” Smith said. “I didn’t get down on myself. I keep shooting and hope they fall, regardless of the team we’re playing or what happened the game before.”

Other players are looking better on offense, as well.

Sophomore forward Aija Putnina has rebounded from a slump, too. Sophomore point guard Whitney Houston is handling the pressure better and has been on the court instead of the bench at the end of games.

“Everyone had to take a step back and evaluate what they were doing, what their purpose was on offense,” McFarland said. “We’re not looking to score for ourselves. It’s a team game.”