LAS VEGAS, Nev. – In the first double overtime game in the history of the Pac-12 Tournament, the Colorado women's basketball team's conference championship hopes fell frustratingly short against the fourth-seeded Oregon State Beavers (24-6) at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Thursday by a score of 85-79.
What ultimately made the game's difference was execution in well-timed bursts by the Beavers, as fifth-seeded CU led for over 40 of the contest's 50 minutes and by 12 with seven minutes and 38 seconds to play but sporadically lost control enough times for OSU to come away with a resilient win.
The Buffs' marathon of a defeat was likely the nail in the coffin for their chances of hosting NCAA Tournament opening round games in Boulder. Oregon State has become a succinct form of Colorado kryptonite this season, with each of their three matchups being lost by exactly six points.
Thursday was a defining stretch in CU's tumultuous end-of-season saga, as it seemed that the Buffaloes had the Beavers on the ropes time and time again but could not quite put them away. Oregon State put together 10-0 and 13-0 runs late in the second and fourth quarters to rally and build momentum into overtime.
"We try to individually and collectively own where we are when things are really good and things are not the outcome we desire," Buffs head coach JR Payne said after the defeat. "We'll take it, we'll learn from it, and we'll be so prepared for whatever comes next."
OSU came out flat, opening 4-for-15 from the field, but was guided through much of the first half by Raegan Beers. The sophomore center was a handful in the trenches for CU's Aaronette Vonleh, finishing with 27 points on 12-for-17 shooting, grabbing 13 rebounds (five offensive), and collecting a pair of blocks and steals.
"Just trying to match her physicality," the junior noted of her mentality against Beers. "She's a really strong, physical, dominant player."
Vonleh struggled to contain Beers but excelled on the offensive end, scoring 20 with two blocks and battling around the basket for 41 minutes. Her night ended poorly, however, as she opened the second overtime period to score four quick points but picked up two even quicker fouls to be disqualified from closing the game on the floor.
The Buffs never go down without Jaylyn Sherrod putting up a fight, following a Batman-masked moniker to put on her cape and provide some heroics down the stretch.
The point guard led CU with 23 points on 21 shots, which included a turning, pivoting, fading jumper to tie the game at 63 and send it to its second overtime. The black and gold's heart and soul imposed her will throughout in nearly every aspect, logging seven assists, six rebounds, and four steals.
However, Sherrod's seven turnovers in the fourth quarter or later, including five in the fourth alone, left an ugly underbelly beneath an otherwise Dark Knight-esque performance. The graduate student was heavily disheartened about her miscues after the loss, but Payne displayed empathy.
"Coaches and point guards get all of the blame and all of the glory," explained Payne. "Of course, she's going to take responsibility, which in time she'll realize that that is not the case, and there was a hundred different plays that happened tonight that could have changed the outcome of the game."
Senior guard Frida Formann was the third and last of Colorado's double-digit scorers, springing alive for 17 of her 19 points in the second half or overtime.
Another major factor in the game's result was rebounding, as the Beavers outpaced the Buffs on the boards 47-37. Quay Miller did what she could with a team-leading eight rebounds, but sophomore OSU forward Timea Gardiner collected 11 along with Beers' 13.
Five Beavs logged double-digit scoring, including Czech guard Dominika Paurova. The freshman stepped up and scored all 13 of her points from the second half on, including a crucial three to put the Beavers up two leading into the final possession of the first overtime period and two tough lay-ins to aid Oregon State's cause in the second OT.
"She's just such a competitor," OSU head coach Scott Rueck said of Paurova's late-game play. "There's just something about her where you have so much confidence in those moments."
Payne's group hasn't quite looked like itself for a full 40 minutes of basketball in a long time. Thursday's loss may make Wednesday's thumping of Oregon look like somewhat of a fluke, but the black and gold have started to turn the corner and play more to the standards that placed them as high as No. 3 in this season's Associated Press polls.
"If you compare the way that we played the last two games with how we played some of the previous games, it's a no-brainer," Payne said of the team's play in the tournament. "Connectivity, our ball movement, our defensive energy, all of it, was significantly better than it had been."
The facts of the matter indicate an emotional uphill battle for the Buffs heading into March Madness. Colorado has lost six of their last eight games and will await their bid to the Big Dance as a likely five seed.
In a final journey in the Pac-12 that became as hyper-competitive as advertised, CU finished with 12 victories and eight defeats (regular and postseason) against conference opponents.
Cover photo by Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
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