The Colorado Buffaloes (17-9, 8-7 Big 12) took on the No. 19 Baylor Bears (23-5, 13-2 Big 12) in a conference matchup at the CU Events Center on Wednesday night. The Buffs were outmatched against the second-place squad in the Big 12, losing just their second game on home floor this season by a final score of 84-62.
Still missing key starters including Frida Formann, Kindyll Wetta and Sara-Rose Smith, CU started the matchup with yet another starting five. The Buffs have struggled with injuries throughout the season and relied heavily on their bench players to step up in the absence of such strong leaders. Kennedy Sanders and Johanna Teder were responsible for running the point this time around.
“We just have to continue to try to get healthy,” head coach JR Payne said postgame. “At full strength here in Boulder, it might’ve been a different outcome.”
Baylor has shown its depth throughout the season, with six players currently averaging double-digits.
While CU was able to compete well for the majority of the opening quarter, Baylor settled in and applied full-court pressure to jump out to an eight-point lead at the end of the first period.
Jade Masogayo had a tall task awaiting her in the paint – with two 6-foot-3 forwards including former Buff Aaronette Vonleh proving to be a challenge throughout the contest– and Payne soon brought in Ayianna Jackson for reinforcements inside.
The Bears’ defense was physical from the jump and forced the Buffs’ offense well beyond the 3-point line. Baylor forced 20 turnovers and converted the errors into 22 points.
The Bears went on a 15-2 run and forced Payne to burn two timeouts in an attempt to regroup.
CU went 0-for-7 from beyond the arc in the first half, making the mismatch in the paint all the more detrimental.
The Buffs were down 23 at the half, out-of-sorts going into the locker room. Masogayo had 10 hard-earned points at halftime, the only player for CU in double-digits, compared to Baylor’s three.
Offensive productivity was hard to come by for the Buffs, with very few clean looks inside and an inability to hit from long-range. Teder showed off her speed and found space to score with a few smooth midrange jumpers before meeting the strong Baylor presence inside. The Estonia native had nine points in the first half and finished with 14.
The Bears started the second half shooting 6-for-6 from 3 and stretched the lead to 38 by the end of the third quarter. Baylor finished with 14 made threes.
With the Buffaloes shooting just 21% from three, it was impossible to put together a comeback. Masogayo led the Buffs with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
There are currently no updates to the status of any starters for CU, beyond Wetta, who is in the process of returning to play.
CU will look to bounce back against the No. 24 Oklahoma State Cowgirls (21-5, 11-4 Big 12) on Saturday. Watch the Buffs on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. MT.