WATCH: Terris Harris breaks down Colorado's 85-55 win over the Boston University Terriers. (Video by Cristian Blanco/Sko Buffs Sports)
BOULDER — After the young season's first loss to now No. 5-ranked North Carolina State and a four-spot drop in this week's Associated Press poll, the Colorado women's basketball team was in need of a bounce-back win.
They got a necessary victory on Tuesday night at the CU Events Center against Boston University by a score of 85-55. The win boosted the Buffs' record to 7-1.
Though it may have taken longer than expected for CU to take control of the contest, the black and gold were powered by a 38-5 run in the closing 12 minutes of play to pull away with the victory. After playing neck-and-neck through the first three quarters, including a stretch of the third where they trailed, the Buffaloes outscored the Terriers 30-4 in the fourth quarter of play.
"They didn't guard us any differently in the fourth quarter," said head coach JR Payne after the win. "We just made a decision that we were going to be more aggressive."
The most aggressive Buff of the night was, by far, Frida Formann. She led the way with 22 points (5-for-11 from three) and six steals. It was also a historic night for the senior guard, becoming the 34th player in CU history to reach 1,000 career points with a three-pointer early in the second quarter. This achievement earned her a pleasant standing ovation from the Boulder crowd.
"It's something that you obviously dream of, scoring a lot of points and contributing to the program," Formann said regarding her 1,000th point. "I'm really happy that I got to do that, especially here at CU."
She also hit her 200th career three-ball late in the fourth quarter, passing Kate Fagan (197) for the sixth-most made threes in Colorado history.
Aaronette Vonleh and Jaylyn Sherrod made their regularly impressive contributions as well, combining for 14 points during a 24-1 run in the fourth quarter to put away the Terriers. Quay Miller also added 12 points on the night and led the squad with nine rebounds.
After getting into foul trouble in the first half, Vonleh was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field down the stretch, piling up 14 points in just 11 minutes played in the second half (18 points, 8-for-9 shooting total). Sherrod orchestrated the offense and pushed the pace per usual, finishing with 14 points, four assists, and three steals. With her third assist, she passed (no pun intended) now assistant coach Shelley Sheetz for the third-most assists in CU history.
As the game wore on, it constantly felt as if the Buffs were on the verge of a run to put the game away, but BU continued to hang tough. Their zone defense in the first quarter forced Colorado to settle for three-pointers and jump shots, many of which weren't falling. CU shot just 7-for-19 from the field and 2-for-8 from three in the period, which ended tied at 16.
The second quarter was when the offense started to open up for the black and gold. Formann added nine of her 22 points in this period as the three-pointers CU was settling for started to fall without as many attempts (3-for-4 from distance). However, a sloppy end to the half combined with some referee calls not going the Buffs' way kept the Terriers within single digits, at 35-27.
In the third, the Terriers closed the gap. Junior guard Alex Giannaros and senior forward Caitlin Weimar combined for 14 points in the period to chip away at CU's advantage. Boston continued to draw fouls, forced an 0-for-9 three-point shooting quarter, and paced the Buffs' in their biggest strength: rebounding. BU eventually took the lead with 3:51 left in the quarter, holding on to it until an 8-1 Colorado run in the final two minutes shifted the energy of the entire contest.
This 8-1 run was representative of pebbles falling down a mountain before the avalanche that was the fourth quarter for CU. The unbelievable 30-4 scoring difference in the closing period can be explained by four simple words: points off of takeaways.
After scoring just 13 points off of 17 Terrier turnovers through three quarters, the Buffs finally translated BU's many mistakes into baskets. They forced 10 turnovers in the fourth alone, scoring 14 points off of them. Boston only took eight shots for the entire period.
"It didn't feel like we were getting anything out of our first [forced] turnovers early. We were turning them over, but we weren't reaping the reward," added coach Payne. "And so, it's great when we can do it, but it's even better when you can turn someone over and then score the ball out of that."
Vonleh (8), Formann (8), and Sherrod (6), combined for 22 of Colorado's 30 points in the fourth. Both Boston's offense and defense lost themselves, and their frontcourt's foul trouble allowed for more aggression on the interior. CU scored 14 of their 42 points in the paint in the closing period (30 of their 42 in the second half).
In the blink of an eye, the Buffaloes had turned an ugly performance into a contest that was getting ugly in the opposite direction. They turned a three-point deficit into a 30-point lead in just nine minutes and 43 seconds of game time between the third and fourth quarters.
For BU, this contest was their only of the season against a Power Five opponent. The loss drops them to 5-2 on the season. Despite the margin of defeat, however, this game is one they can be proud of for their play through three quarters.
For the No. 7 Buffs, they head back on the road this Saturday to continue their non-conference slate against the Air Force Falcons. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. MST.
Cover photo by Cristian Blanco/Sko Buffs Sports
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