BOISE, Idaho – In a tight-knit defensive scrum that saw a combined 49 turnovers, 34 fouls and 33% field goal percentage, the Colorado Buffaloes (2-1) were handed their season’s first loss by the Boise State Broncos (2-0), 50-47.
The Buffs were the visitors where head coach JR Payne called home from 2005-2008 as an assistant, but Boise did not provide a warm welcome by any means.
CU sleepwalked throughout a lazy Sunday afternoon, turning the ball over 14 times and attempting just one free throw in the first half. They finished with 24 giveaways and 20 fouls, with six different players logging either four or more turnovers or at least four fouls.
The black and gold’s offensive sets were often telegraphed and poorly executed, becoming easily stifled by the Broncos’ tight point-of-attack defense. Neither side had a lead greater than five the entire way, and the lead changed hands 16 times. The Buffaloes gradually grew in urgency but could not quite lift off the runway.
Shooting 0-for-17 from beyond the arc, the Buffaloes’ 125-game streak with a 3-pointer made went by the wayside. 47 points is the fewest points scored by head coach JR Payne’s bunch since February 19, 2023 (42 at Arizona).
"I think we're getting decent looks," Payne mentioned. "[I] have to go back and watch the film, but I don't think they're bad looks. We have to be able to put them in. We were definitely disjointed from uncertain times and places on the floor. We have to figure out why we are disjointed."
Boise State was second in the NCAA last season in blocks per game and lived up to its scouting report, denying 10 different Colorado opportunities at the rim. Senior forward Abby Muse tied a career high with seven swatted shots. Despite this deterrence and an aimless offensive direction, the Buffs still managed 38 points in the paint.
What kept Colorado close until the final possession was its defense, forcing Boise State to just 24.1% shooting in the first half and 25 turnovers for the game. However, the Broncos managed to scratch across two 3-pointers each from guards Teryn Gardner, Mya Hansen and Natalie Pasco, making a massive difference in the low-scoring affair.
Junior forward Jade Masogayo led the Buffs with 13 points and seven boards. Kindyll Wetta had a little bit of good, bad and ugly: eight points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals, but the senior guard shot just 2-for-8 from the field and had a game-high six turnovers.
In a microcosm of the game’s sloppy nature, CU forward Sara-Rose Smith was blocked on an attempt for the lead from point-blank range with 37 seconds left. Veteran forward Nyamer Diew then swiped a steal and called timeout off a sloppy Bronco fast break, giving Colorado a mulligan to steal a road win. Payne drew up a play that tried to get Masogayo the ball in the post, but Diew threw the ball away to a lurking Muse with 17 seconds left, proving to be the decisive moment of the contest.
While still working out the kinks of a sweepingly-changed roster and missing its best offensive player in senior guard Frida Formann to what is still considered a "day-to-day" foot injury, CU appears ridden with chemistry worries through three games.
Now, the Buffaloes are whisked away in need of a reset for the Nevada Wolfpack (1-1) in Lake Tahoe, California on Tuesday. Tip-off from Tahoe Blue Event Center is set for 8:00 p.m. MT.
Cover photo by CUBuffsWBB/X
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