The Cougs failed to score in their final two possessions and lost to No. 25 Colorado by 3 points, 71-68 Friday.

The last time WSU women’s basketball (16-9, 6-8 Pac-12) faced Colorado (20-5, 11-3 Pac-12), they lost by 11 points.

Head coach Kamie Ethridge said the team lacked energy, a comment she has repeated when asked about that loss.

The first loss to Colorado was the second game the Cougars played without their star guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, who was in New Zealand for a family matter. It was also two days removed from the Cougs’ loss to top 25 Utah, in which they overcame a 20-point deficit to force several ties in the final minutes before eventually losing by 4 points.

The Cougs and Buffaloes were tied after the first quarter, 16-16, and into halftime after 33-33 scoring 17 points apiece in the second quarter.

The second half saw the visiting Wazzu earn some separation as they outshot Colorado 61% to 41% to lead by as many as 11 points late in the third quarter.

Unfortunately, Colorado’s Jaylyn Sherrod had other plans as she scored 15 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter to lead Colorado to victory. Sherrod shot 10-for-12 and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line.

Leger-Walker put up a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds but only two other Cougs could reach double-digits as the Cougar’s 68-point offensive performance was not enough to topple Colorado’s late-game surge.

Teder scored 13 points (4-for-9) and Clarke scored 12 points (5-for-8).

From beyond the arch, the Cougs outshot the Buffs 42% to 35% from three but could not protect their 11-point lead.

Having dropped their first of two top-25 matchups, the Cougars did not fare better against the Utah Utes as they lost 73-59 Sunday.