Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
5-13, 15-16
Oregon
16-2, 28-4
Buffs Fall To Top Seed Oregon In Pac-12 Quarterfinals
March 02, 2018 | Women's Basketball, Neill Woelk
SEATTLE – Colorado's dreams of a Pac-12 tournament upset came to an abrupt end Friday as the Buffs fell to No. 1 seed and sixth-ranked Oregon 84-47 in the tourney quarterfinals.
The loss ended Colorado's season at 15-16 while Oregon improved to 28-4.
The Buffs, who earned a spot in the quarterfinals with an opening win over Utah, couldn't keep up with the Ducks' offensive firepower. Oregon led 24-12 after one quarter, 45-18 at the half and pushed its cushion to as much as 51 points in the third quarter.
STAT LEADERS: The Buffs had two players in double figures, with Mya Hollingshed scoring 20 points to go with six rebounds and Kennedy Leonard chipping in 13 points. Annika Jank added nine points and four rebounds for the Buffs. Satou Sabally led the Ducks with 21 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs stayed close early, hitting three of their first four 3-point tries, with Hollingshed's second trey of the game pulling CU to within 14-9 with 6:02 to go in the first quarter.
But the Ducks, who were also hot from beyond the arc, maintained that pace while Colorado couldn't keep up. Oregon extended its lead to 24-12 by the end of the first quarter, then used a 14-0 run in the second period to push its lead to 45-18 by halftime.
Colorado missed its last 11 3-point tries of the half and finished the half 7-for-30 from the field while Oregon hit 17 of its 31 field goal tries, including 8-for-18 from beyond the arc.
The Ducks didn't let up in the third quarter. Oregon put together a 26-2 run to open the second half, taking a 51-point lead — 71-20 — with four minutes still to play in the third period.
Colorado then managed to outscore the Ducks 27-13 down the stretch, but could never make a serious dent in Oregon's lead.
KEY STATISTICS: Oregon shot 56 percent from the field (33-for-59), including 13-for-27 from 3-point range. Colorado endured an 18-for-58 day from the field, including just 5-for-25 from 3-point range as the Buffs hit just 2 of their last 21 tries from long distance. Oregon also held a 40-24 edge on the boards.
NOTES: Hollingshed had her second 20-point game this season ... CU's 45-18 (-27) halftime deficit was its largest this season ... the margin of defeat (-37) was the second-largest this season ... CU is now 6-6 all-time in the Pac-12 Tournament and 1-3 vs. No. 1 seeds ... Oregon's .559 field goal percentage was the highest for a CU opponent since Texas Tech's .560 field goal percentage on Feb. 12, 2011 ... Oregon's 13 3-pointers were the most CU has allowed since Kansas State hit 14 on Feb. 16, 2011.
UP NEXT: The loss ended the Buffs' season.
POSTGAME QUOTES: CU's JR Payne, head coach
General
"I would like to start by thanking the two seniors we have on our team, Zoe Correal and Brecca Thomas, who were here before I got to Colorado and will leave a legacy that will last much longer than any of us will be here. They played great tonight and have done a lot to keep this team together and grow this team the way they have.
"I'm always really proud of our team and we ran into a little bit of a buzzsaw today in Oregon. You don't get to be a top-10 team in the country by luck and they certainly showed why they're such a great team. I'm proud of the way they played and I'm proud of the way we played in the second half, especially. We could've easily gone into the locker room and turned on each other and tanked and started pointing fingers and being cranky and pouty. As a young team, you're susceptible to that. In the second half, I think we showed that our team has grown throughout the season. Two months ago, we would have done that. Today, Colorado basketball is tougher than that. We're more together than that. I'm really proud of the way we played and the future is very bright for our program."
On the culture of CU basketball with all of the support at the tournament
"I tell people all the time, the leadership that we have from the University of Colorado, from our chancellor Phil (DiStefano), who was here the last two days supporting the women's basketball program, through our athletic director, our senior women's administrators, and truthfully the entire coaching staff, the way we feel connected throughout the university and throughout our department is unlike any other place I've ever been."
"There is a genuine family atmosphere from our chancellor all the way down through our athletes. Chancellor Phil knows these girls. He knows their names, he's in the stands, he and his wife Yvonne. So that's a big part that's instrumental in giving us the tools and resources to build a program. But it starts there and works its way all the way down through us."
On what she learned that the team can build on going into 2019
"The way I would respond is really cheesy, but I would just say love trumps all. Every team has so much adversity throughout the season. On the court, off the court, in the classroom. There are so many things that can derail a team. When a team chooses to believe in each other and love each other and value each other and trust each other, it doesn't matter how young you are. The sky's the limit and that's how I feel about our team right now."
CU's Kennedy Leonard, junior
On what it'd like to play on day two of the Pac-12 Tournament:
"I learned it's a lot tougher than playing on day one, so that's good to know. Hopefully next year that helps us. Obviously Oregon is a really good team. We happened to draw them by being a No. 9 seed. If anything, this game taught us who we want to be and who we want to emulate down the road. Though we might have lost, I think it taught us a lot of good lessons."
On what she learned that the team can build on going into 2019:
"I think the one thing I learned is that tough times don't last. So obviously 15-16, it's not the record we maybe wanted or ending our season not where we wanted. So if we get in the gym this summer, get in the weight room, eat a little more food, lift a little more weight, shoot a little more shots, I think where we're going is the best possible place we can be going. So I'm excited. I know we are young this year, but Mya has been playing, Anni has been playing. Everybody has gotten minutes. Aubrey's been playing. So I think the biggest thing is just staying together and sticking together over this offseason. And bringing in the two new people we have coming in who are great kids. Trying to be leaders, me and Lexi, just trying to be leaders for them, I think would be huge."
CU's Mya Hollingshed, freshman
On what has changed for her over the past month
"I just settled into what Colorado basketball was. It was like a similar program to what I came from, like from high school and AAU basketball. It wasn't hard to adjust to that. It was a way to settle in and play the way I know how to play."
