The Colorado Buffaloes (9-2) took on the Denver Pioneers (4-5) in an in-state matchup at the CU Events Center on Tuesday night. CU showed their depth and versatility and secured a final non-conference win. Though the Buffs closed out the night with a 78-61 victory, the matchup was filled with runs as each team went on hot streaks and battled for four quarters. With 10 Buffs in the scoring column, CU utilized many different lineups throughout the night and was able to sub quickly and efficiently.
The Buffs have been building momentum throughout non-conference play, encouraged by exceptional shooting by the likes of Lior Garzon and Frida Formann.
However, with injuries to two major contributors at the guard position–Kindyll Wetta and Kennedy Sanders–head coach J.R. Payne has had to be creative with her substitutions and the team has had to be flexible.
“I’m proud of how we’ve persevered through the preseason,” Payne said. “We’ve responded really well. We’ve stayed together and we’ve stayed connected, but not for 40 minutes yet.”
While the Pioneers kept it close in the first, the Buffs were able to dominate the glass and push their lead to double-digits in the second, and maintain it for the rest of the game. Ayianna Johnson played a large role in this run, as DU had no response for her size and physicality. Effortlessly executing the pick-and-roll, attacking the offensive glass and securing rebounds on the defensive end, Johnson’s impact was felt each time she entered the game. Johnson said she knew she had an advantage on her defender ahead of time so she made sure to assert herself and let her teammates know when she was open to get her the ball. Her ability to finish through contact and battle for position made her unstoppable in Tuesday’s matchup, as she finished with 14 points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.
Payne’s post-players complemented each other well and stayed persistent inside, cleaning up misses with quick putbacks and strong offensive rebounds. The team finished with 15 offensive rebounds, with five coming from guard Sara-Rose Smith. A steady presence for CU, she finished with 10 points and nine rebounds and consistently hustled to keep possessions alive for her team. With zero turnovers, Smith was the glue for the Buffs against the Pioneers.
Jade Masogayo and Nyamer Diew were also a dynamic combination surrounding the hoop, swatting the ball into the stands on more than one occasion and deflecting passes left and right. The bigs joined forces and shut down any offensive productivity for the Pioneers on the inside. The Buffs held the Pioneers to just 12 points in the paint while pouring in 48 of their own.
Formann looked confident as ever knocking down three shots from deep in the first half. Showcasing her quick release, Formann gave the public address announcer plenty of practice counting to three in Danish, a tradition at the CU Events Center since the sharpshooter arrived in Boulder from overseas. In the absence of Kindyll Wetta, Johanna Teder stepped up and handled the ball cleanly for the Buffs.
Despite freshman Tabitha Betson only playing 10 minutes, she had seven points, made all three of her field goal attempts and gave the Buffs a boost right away. CU finished with 41 points from their bench, with all but one player who recorded minutes able to score. Shooting 51% from the floor, the whole squad was able to get in on the action.
“We have a really unselfish team… We like to share the ball,” Payne said.
With three Big 12 matchups awaiting them after an 11-day game break, the Buffs will have time to get healthy and prepare for challenging opponents including No. 15 West Virginia, No. 12 TCU and strong Baylor and Kansas teams.
The Buffaloes will need to focus on containing perimeter shots and limiting turnovers for the next stretch of their season. The Buffs will be back in action at the CU Events Center on December 21st at 6 p.m. MT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ for those who can’t make it.
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