WATCH: Harrison Simeon recaps the Colorado Buffaloes' dominant win over UT Arlington.
BOULDER – The No. 8-ranked Colorado women's basketball team (9-1) picked up another comfortable non-conference victory on Tuesday afternoon. They remain unbeaten at the CU Events Center with a 95-74 win over the UT Arlington Mavericks (1-8).
"What they have done in the first month of the season has not been easy, but they continue to work," said head coach JR Payne following the win. "They continue to have each other's back, and I think that's the sign of a great team."
Senior guard Frida Formann once again led the Buffaloes with 23 points, tying her own school record for threes made in a game (seven) and shattering the CU record with her six threes in the first half. Through 10 games, Formann is averaging a scorching-hot 48.6% from three on over seven attempts per game.
Graduate forward Quay Miller had her strongest game of the season, notching a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Aaronette Vonleh and Jaylyn Sherrod also added 14 and 11 points, respectively. Sherrod had her second career double-double with a career-high 13 assists.
The game was a bit uglier than the final score may suggest, especially on the defensive end. Despite the Buffaloes remaining in the lead the entire contest, the Mavericks never let the game get out of hand. Four different Mavs scored double figures, led by senior guard Keiori Lee with 18.
UT Arlington also won the turnover battle (16-15), had seven blocks to just two by Colorado, and got to the free throw line with volume, making 14 of their 19 attempts.
Despite these discrepancies, the Buffs stayed in control the entire way. CU used sharp three-point shooting to make 56.5% (13-for-23) of their long-distance baskets through three quarters. While they finished at 41.9%, eight of their 18 total misses were in the fourth quarter, when the game was out of reach.
Colorado's ball movement and rebounding were once again on point, with 28 assists dished out compared to just 10 by the Mavs, and 49 boards compared to UT's 32. Behind the team's leaders in these categories (Sherrod and Miller), Kindyll Wetta had four assists and Sara-Rose Smith grabbed eight rebounds on the afternoon.
"As coaches, we're kind of wired to look at the weaknesses or look at the areas that we can improve," Payne proclaimed. "But, I'm also smart enough to be able to celebrate the really great things that we did as well."
The game was a rather physical one, as there were 24 combined fouls between both sides. Senior CU guard Tameiya Sadler also went down with what appeared to be a bad ankle injury in the third quarter. She was helped to the locker room and later returned to the bench on crutches and an ice pack on her foot. However, she will be "fine" per Coach Payne and only suffered a "small" sprain to her ankle.
It was also Field Trip Day at the CU Events Center. Hundreds of raucously cheering children were in attendance, providing an electric atmosphere that the black and gold seemed to truly use as fuel during some of their better stretches of play.
“Kids, they’re just gonna bring high energy, they’re just excited to be here,” said Sherrod of the crowd. “So, I think it’s our responsibility to come out and play with great energy and feed off of that.”
The Buffs now get a much-needed period of rest before finishing off their non-conference schedule against the Northern Colorado Bears on Dec. 21. That game tips off at noon.
Cover photo by Alex Burns/Sko Buffs Sports
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