The Colorado women’s basketball team (6-2) hosted the No. 24-ranked Louisville Cardinals (5-2) this Saturday in a closely contested game, falling by a score of 79-71.
The Buffs came out of the gates hot, playing pressure-heavy defense and forcing eight turnovers in just the first quarter. The pressure they applied was especially notable from beyond the arc, as the Buffs allowed zero 3-pointers in the opening period.
Behind their stout defense, the Buffaloes led by six as the second quarter began. This type of play would not continue for very long, however, as the Cardinals would begin the second quarter on a 10-0 run.
“The film is everything,” CU head coach JR Payne said of how the team will make their first-quarter defense last. “Even pushing through fatigue is something you can see on the film so there was plenty to study on and continue to get better.”
As the second quarter continued, senior guard Frida Formann was keeping her team in the game, putting on a scoring clinic to end the quarter. By halftime, she’d registered 17 points and was a one-woman scoring machine, keeping the Buffs deficit within single digits.
They did still trail by two by half’s end, however, and that came as a direct result of their new-found turnover struggles. They finished the half with eleven, and this was a theme that would continue through the remainder of the game.
The third quarter began with brief CU success, as they continued to create turnovers along with and-1s. This burst came along with a successful run from forward Nyamer Diew, as she finished the quarter with 10 points. But as the third was winding down, the Buffs' turnover habits caught back up to them, and as they entered the fourth quarter with 18 turnovers, already above their season average, they also trailed 56-55.
In the final quarter, CU looked to close the game out with a statement. Despite Formann finishing the game with 25 points, the rest of her team hit an offensive standstill, with turnovers and foul trouble highlighting the quarter.
The final nail in the coffin was a 16-0 Louisville scoring run with just over seven minutes remaining in the game, and despite the Buffs pulling within six in the final three minutes, their efforts would not prove successful, as Louisville would hang on to improve their record to 5-2.
Coach Payne would go on to say this regarding their costly turnovers; “I think we turned the ball over in every way possible.”
Saturday's loss snapped a 38-game win streak Colorado has against nonconference opponents at home and is just the third defeat in these circumstances in Payne's tenure as head coach.
CU will hope to rebound in their coming games prior to conference play. Their next game will take place against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (5-2) right back at the CU Events Center on Tuesday at 11 a.m. MT (ESPN+).
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