WATCH: Patrick Dawson recaps the No. 5 Colorado Buffaloes' 14-point win versus the Drake Bulldogs in the round of 64.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – An NCAA Tournament run of incredible importance began rather smoothly for the fifth-seeded Colorado women's basketball team on Friday night, as an efficient offensive effort downed the 12th-seeded Drake Bulldogs 86-72 in the round of 64.
The decisive victory at Bramlage Coliseum advances the Buffs into the round of 32 against fourth-seeded Kansas State on Sunday, with time and TV details to be announced later. The Wildcats similarly cruised in their opening round contest against 13th-seeded Portland.
CU was punched in the mouth early by Drake's fast-paced offense. The Missouri Valley Conference champions scored the game's first nine points, and an 11-3 advantage forced a JR Payne timeout at the 7:37 mark of the first quarter.
From that point on though, the Buffaloes were clicking on all cylinders offensively. A 36-for-65 (55%) mark from the field was their best since on Feb. 23 against USC. Colorado went into halftime leading by just five but put up 25 points on 12-for-17 shooting and gave up just 12 points in the third quarter to blow the game open.
"I was very nervous about this game, not that I didn't think we were capable, it's just such a different style." said coach Payne after the win. "We have not played a team like Drake all year, so I'm really proud of how our team prepared."
Feeding Aaronette Vonleh inside was CU's game plan early on, and it got them rolling. The junior center compiled 14 of her 18 points in the first half, out-muscling a smaller Bulldog frontcourt en route to 10 rebounds (six offensive) and a pair of emphatic blocked shots as well. Her presence attracted extreme attention from Bulldog defenders as the contest wore on, opening up the floor for others.
Vonleh's 10 boards were over half as many as Drake's total, as the Buffs dominated time of possession through their vice grip on the glass. A 39 to 18 advantage along with 15 offensive rebounds helped Colorado control the tempo and generate extra opportunities, resulting in 16 second-chance points. 18 is now the lowest total number of rebounds given up in program history for the black and gold.
Point guards Jaylyn Sherrod and Kindyll Wetta earned their stripes as one of the best backcourt rotations in the country, racking up 16 points each.
Sherrod's usual ruthless aggression added an offensive layer on top of Vonleh's interior success and garnered the graduate student eight assists. She also led CU's defensive disruption with three steals.
Wetta was the catalyst behind the breathing room gained by the Buffs, scoring all of her career-high 16 points in the second half. She was a lethal weapon in off-ball scenarios, cutting with ease for lay-ins and burying back-to-back threes midway through the fourth to hammer the nail into the contest's coffin.
The Bulldogs certainly kept pace throughout the first half and never let up, as their top 10-rated offense and pace of play was no slouch. Point guard Katie Dinnebier was the biggest reason why, as the MVC Player of the Year racked up 24 points and seven assists. Drake also forced 19 Colorado turnovers, including 14 steals.
The game's final turning point appeared to materialize from the 3-point line though, as the Bulldogs started 6-for-11 from beyond the arc but fell cold to shoot 3-for-13 after the first half. CU may have been the beneficiary of several lucky breaks, but closed out much more effectively on Bulldog shooters and defended the rim extremely well throughout the second half.
Junior center Anna Miller, blazing-hot in her performances leading up to the tourney, was stymied by Vonleh and Quay Miller down low. She scored just three on 1-for-7 shooting and only grabbed three rebounds after averaging 22 points and 10 boards in her four games prior.
The victory was just Colorado's third in March Madness since 2003, dancing them into a showdown with the Kansas State Wildcats in their own arena on Sunday. The Buffs' offense that appeared to turn a corner last week in Las Vegas at the Pac-12 Tournament may be reaching a higher gear at just the right time, setting up a fascinating matchup with KSU, a dominant team in Bramlage Coliseum.
"I'm just really proud of how we played tonight," Payne added. "I thought we had a great week-and-a-half of practice and preparation."
Cover photo by Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
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