Buffs start season 2-0 after home opener win over Northern Colorado

Colorado point guard Kindyll Wetta pushes the ball up the court against Northern Colordo on Thursday. The senior had a career-high 10 assists against the Bears. (Photo by Remi Krupinski/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes (2-0) beat the University of Northern Colorado Bears (1-1) by a score of 81-66 in their home opener Thursday.

The Buffs got off to a hot start, gaining a quick 12-2 lead over the Bears. After ten unanswered points in two minutes, UNCo called a timeout. . The Bears responded with five straight points, but to no avail. CU kept the lead and ended the quarter up 25-15. 

The Bears started the second quarter by cutting the lead to five within the first three minutes. CU then grew their biggest lead to that point of 12 points in the next two minutes. After a three-minute scoring drought for the Buffs, they ended the half up 44-34.  

At halftime, the Buffs honored the program’s all-time winningest head coach, Ceal Barry, with her own banner in the CU Events Center rafters. 

Former Colorado head coach Ceal Barry (center) is congratulated following a halftime ceremony on Thursday honoring her coaching accomplishments. (Photo by Remi Krupinski/Sko Buffs Sports

The Buffs came out of halftime flat, allowing Northern Colorado to have multiple scoring chances and forcing head coach JR Payne to call a timeout after the Bears cut the lead to eight. The Buffs ended the quarter on a better note, going on a 6-0 run to grow the lead up to 17. They ended the quarter leading 60-44.

After a fourth quarter rally by UNCo, cutting the lead to nine with three minutes to go, the Buffs secured the dub after five unanswered points to win by 15. 

Throughout the game, the Buffs tallied 39 rebounds(12 offensive and 27 defensive) along with 26 assists. Their leading scorer was forward Jade Masogayo with 19 points on the night. The team shot 48% from the field, adding seven 3-point field goals along the way. Defensively, they turned over the Bears 22 times and won the turnover battle.

Coach Payne expressed how important it is to win out of conference games early in the season before Big 12 play. 

“Really important. So we’ve scheduled our opening few games as a pretty challenging stretch especially for a team with a lot of new players. Three of those first four games are on the road,” Payne stated. “But we feel good about the styles of play we’re seeing (and) the things we’re having to navigate as a group, and I think that it’ll help us be more prepared for Big 12 play.” 

The Buffs start the season 2-0 and head to Idaho to face off against the Boise State Broncos (1-0) on Sunday. Tip-off from ExtraMile Arena is set for 2 p.m. MT.

Cover image by Remi Krupinski/SBS