The Colorado Buffaloes (4-1) defeated the Southern University Jaguars (0-5) 65-45 on Sunday.
Heading into yesterday's game, the Buffs were returning from a two-game road trip, during which they secured a win against Nevada but suffered a loss to Boise State. This game marked the start of a two-game homestand and, most notably, the return of Frida Formann, playing her first game back from an ankle injury.
The Buffs got off to a slow start, turning the ball over on their first three possessions, which allowed Southern to score the opening basket of the game. However, coming out of a Southern timeout, the Buffs went on a 10-0 run, led by forward Tabitha Betson who scored five points during that stretch, pushing the lead to eight points. Formann also made her presence felt, scoring her first points of the season with a three-pointer two minutes before the end of the first quarter. The Buffs' largest lead was nine points, and they finished the quarter ahead 16-11.
In the second quarter, CU was tenacious on defense, allowing only six points on 2-for-15 shooting and two free throws. After starting the quarter on a 5-0 run, the Buffs hit a scoring drought heading into the media timeout. However, they regained their momentum after the timeout, with Formann draining a three-pointer to secure their largest lead of the game so far at 10 points. By the break, the Buffs had forced five turnovers, recorded four steals and dominated the glass with 24 rebounds, leading 31-17.
Coming out of the tunnel, the Buffs got off to a quick start, with forward Lior Garzon leading the charge by scoring five points. Southern called a timeout following a Jade Masogayo steal and a Sara-Rose Smith fastbreak layup, which extended the Buffs' lead to 38-20. Five minutes into the half, the Buffs reached their largest lead of the game after an Ayianna Johnson and-one play, pushing the score to 46-26. However, the Buffs then allowed a 10-0 run and ended the quarter with their lead reduced to 11 points, holding a 49-38 advantage.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Jaguars trimmed the Buffs' lead to six points just two minutes in. However, the Buffs quickly responded with 11 unanswered points, extending their advantage. They achieved their largest lead of the game—22 points—with two minutes remaining. CU closed the game on a dominant 16-2 run, securing a 65-34 victory. Formann expressed the importance of the 16-to-nothing run after only leading by six points.
“We had a group in with Jo[hanna Teder], Ken[nedy Sanders] and Lior [Garzon] that really just dug in and found something to get us back. I think that's something that we really need to harness and we can’t wait until six minutes left in the fourth quarter to find it. I think it’s good to see that we can do that. We can put together a run where we’re being aggressive, getting stops and that's something we want to be able to do,” Formann said.
Overall, the Buffs' victory was a team effort, with Tabitha Betson, Johanna Teder, and Garzon all scoring in double digits, while Sara Rose-Smith and Frida Formann contributed seven and nine points, respectively. Only two Buffs finished without scoring. The team recorded 41 total rebounds (14 offensive and 27 defensive) and added 37 points off the bench. Defensively, they held Southern to just 28% shooting from the field, forced 18 turnovers, and tallied 11 steals. Head coach JR Payne talked about her thoughts on how they played as a team.
“We have a lot of good players on our team. I don’t think we have anybody on our team that's going to score 25 points a night, but we have a lot of people that are confident to step up,” Payne said. “Thirty-seven points off the bench is huge and speaks to our depth.”
Their 20-point win is also their largest margin of victory this season. Coach Payne expressed confidence, noting that the team's best basketball is still ahead of them.
“When you have four freshmen, six transfers and three returners that have suited up, I think your best basketball is certainly further down the road. I think we’ll continue to get better as the season goes on,” Payne said.
The Buffaloes face Utah State on Tuesday; Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT at the CU Events Center (ESPN +).
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