Despite the Colorado Buffaloes' (10-2, 1-0 Big 12) offensive struggles in the first three quarters, the team mounted a fourth-quarter comeback that propelled them to a 65-60 victory in their Big 12 opener at home against the No. 14-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (9-2, 0-1 Big 12) on Saturday.
The comeback win is tied for the largest in head coach JR Payne’s tenure, as the Buffs trailed by 16 in the third quarter. In the fourth, the Buffs outscored the Mountaineers 25 to nine. The team’s two point guards Kindyll Wetta and Kennedy Sanders returned Saturday after not playing in the Buffs’ last two games. Coach Payne expressed her thoughts on the team's comeback win.
"I'm so proud of the entire team, the collective, because so many different people stepped up at different times, in different quarters, in different positions," Payne said. "We talked about having emotional stability throughout the game because we knew it would be lots of runs based on how they turn people over and things like that. I thought we were so locked in and [in] control the entire game. People who hadn't played much in the first part of the game came in and were amazing down the stretch.”
In the first quarter, Frida Formann led the charge for the Buffaloes, scoring seven of their first nine points. Both teams' defenses were aggressive, forcing three turnovers a piece early on. The Buffaloes held a narrow 9-7 lead with three minutes remaining in the first quarter, but the Mountaineers responded with a 7-0 run to lead 16-9 at the end of the quarter. West Virginia capitalized on turnovers, scoring eight points off the Buffaloes' mistakes.
The second quarter continued in a similar fashion, with the Mountaineers extending their lead to 19-9 early in the period. The Buffs then went on a 6-0 run in just 57 seconds to cut the deficit to four. After that burst, the Buffs struggled to score until Nyamer Diew and Formann hit a mid-range jumper and a 3-pointer, respectively, narrowing the gap back to three. After exchanging baskets to close out the first half, the Mountaineers led the Buffs 28-25. West Virginia continued to capitalize on the Buffalo turnovers, having 13 points off CU’s 12 miscues in the first 20 minutes.
Formann accounted for 15 of the Buffaloes' 25 first-half points, with the next closest scorer being Jade Masogayo, who contributed six points.
In the first seven minutes of the second half, WVU gained their largest lead of the game stretching their advantage to 16. The Buffs allowed six more points off turnovers during that stretch. However, Colorado managed to cut the Mountaineers' lead back down to 11 by the end of the quarter to trail 50-41. Through the first three quarters, Formann contributed 20 of her 22 total points, accounting for half of the team's 40 points heading into the fourth quarter. The Buffaloes allowed 22 points off of their 17 turnovers going into the fourth.
In the last 10 minutes of the game, A Masogayo layup and Lior Garzon's quick four points combined with a crucial defensive stop helped the Buffs cut the Mountaineers' lead to five with six minutes remaining in the game. Notably, the Buffs committed zero turnovers to start the fourth quarter, aiding the comeback effort.
WVU extended their lead to seven before Garzon's five unanswered points cut it to two, but the Mountaineers added free throws to push it back to four. On the next offensive possession, Grace Oliver sank a clutch 3-pointer, cutting the lead to one and igniting the CU Events Center. With another defensive stop, the Buffaloes then regained their first lead since the opening quarter, thanks to an assist from Formann to Masogayo putting the Buffs ahead 56-55.
Garzon would spearhead the comeback, scoring 12 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter. Colorado extended their lead to 58-55 after another layup by Masogayo, marking their largest advantage of the game with three minutes remaining.
The rest of the game was just window dressing, as CU would not give the lead back to win 65-60. Masogayo and Garzon combined for 20 of the Buffaloes’ 25 fourth-quarter points. Formann explained the significance of the comeback win.
“Coming back from being down 16 against a ranked opponent, I think we showed that we're still scrappy," Formann expressed. "We still have that underdog mentality of anyone who comes and wants to play with us, we're here to beat them. We're not going to give up for anyone.”
The Buffs now go on the road to Texas to face the No. 12-ranked Texas Christian University Horned Frogs (12-1) on New Year’s Day and the Baylor Bears (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) on Jan 4.
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