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KU women vs. Colorado

Sade Morris doesn’t frequent Britney Spears’ concerts, but she sure played a tune on Brittany Spears.

Morris shut down Colorado’s Spears and Kansas tripped the Buffaloes, 65-54, in Big 12 women’s basketball Wednesday night in Allen Fieldhouse.

The Buffs’ Spears, a 6-foot-1 sophomore forward, went in as the league’s third-leading scorer, yet missed eight of her first nine shots and settled for 10 points, eight under her average.

“(Morris) was like a glove on her,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “Sade was fantastic.”

Morris, appearing in her second game after missing the previous two with the lingering effects of a concussion, also played a role in Spears’ five turnovers.

“I knew she was a big key to their team,” said Morris, a 5-11 junior, “so I just had to go out and play some defense. I just had to make her uncomfortable. That was the challenge.”

At the same time, Morris looked plenty comfortable on offense by making 6-of-10 shots and scoring 13 points.

Danielle McCray, the Big 12’s second-leading scorer, carried most of the Jayhawks’ offensive load, as usual, by scoring 24 points.

“When they needed a field goal, she got it,” CU coach Kelly McConnell-Miller said of McCray. “When they needed a free throw, she hit it. She was better tonight than I saw on film.”

Still, the Jayhawks might not have snapped their four-game losing streak if Aishah Sutherland hadn’t come off the bench to score a dozen points — half on stick-back baskets.

“I haven’t had many who can play around the rim like that,” Henrickson said of the 6-2 freshman. “Her ceiling is very high and she’s nowhere near it.”

KU (13-7 overall, 2-5 Big 12) will travel to Missouri on Saturday. Colorado slipped to 10-10 overall at 2-6 in the league.