Colorado University Athletics
Wednesday, December 21
Boulder, Colo.
7:00 PM
Colorado
vs
Wyoming
Photo by: Robert Trubia/Northern Colorado Athletics
No. 15 Buffs Eye Final Non-Conference Test On Wednesday Night
December 20, 2016 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
Unbeaten in first 10 games, CU faces Wyoming at Coors Events Center
BOULDER – Fresh from its 10th consecutive win at a destination that left many fans puzzled, the unbeaten Colorado women's basketball team returns to a more familiar locale on Wednesday to close out its non-conference schedule.
The Buffs, ranked No. 15 for the second consecutive week, face unranked Wyoming (7-3). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (Colorado Live Stream, AM 1600) at the Coors Events Center.
CU improved to 10-0 on Saturday afternoon with a 76-64 win against Mississippi Valley State (3-6) in rural Itta Bena, Miss. The game was a late fill-in contest added during the off-season when Boise State opted out of last Saturday's date with CU.
The Buffs flew into Memphis on Friday, then bused to their road headquarters in Greenwood, Miss. Saturday's game – the first meeting between the schools – attracted just under 800 fans and proved to be a genuine road test for the Buffs, whose 12-point win made them 3-0 in road contests this season after going winless (0-13) on the road in 2015-16.
Before they returned to Denver on Sunday afternoon, first-year coach JR Payne and the team toured the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
Payne, who spent much of her childhood near Jackson, Tenn., termed the museum tour "awesome . . . our players really enjoyed it, it was an eye-opening cultural experience and a good time together. We spent two hours there and could have spent another two."
It proved to be an enjoyable break in routine following Saturday's highly contested game, which Payne described as "not tons of fun." Although happy with the outcome and how the Buffs responded to being behind in a hostile environment – they trailed by seven points in the second quarter before taking a 32-30 halftime lead – Payne said "it was not the game we anticipated."
That goes for the challenge presented by the home team and the overall performance of the visitors. CU opened the second half with a 9-1 run and kept MVS at bay for the rest of the game.
But Payne called her team "rusty" after not having played in nearly a week – a 74-56 win against Colorado State – and said the athletic Devilettes "really challenged us attacking the basket."
Entering the game averaging 83.6 points, CU finished almost eight points shy of that total. Yet the Buffs compensated defensively; their 19 steals, which tied a season high, contributed to 32 MVS turnovers, a season high for a CU opponent.
Plus, Payne said her team's cohesiveness proved key in a hostile environment: "I told our players after how we responded in that scenario, which was really one of the most challenging environments we've been in, I was really proud of them. It was a great test, a fantastic test, of being down and having to rely on each other. There was no finger pointing, no pouting."
Starting guards Kennedy Leonard and Alexis Robinson scored 20 points each, with guard Ariana Freeman coming off the bench to score 15 points and add seven rebounds. In addition to hitting 8-of-16 from the floor, Robinson had five rebounds and three steals while Leonard added six steals and two rebounds.
Center Zoe Correal narrowly missed a double-double, contributing 11 points and nine rebounds.
Wyoming (7-3) is coming off its first road win of the season – a 67-42 victory on Sunday afternoon at Montana. The Cowgirls, winners of three of their past four, featured three players scoring in double figures, topped by Liv Roberts and Natalie Baker with 14 each. Roberts is Wyoming's scoring and rebounding leader at 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.
Payne said Wyoming would provide CU "one of our toughest games so far . . . they're extremely well-coached. Coach (Joe) Legerski is one of the best. In his time there he's taught them to win. They're disciplined and tough; they take care of business."
But Payne's team is no stranger to doing that either. At 10-0 – Sox Walseth's 1980 CU team opened 12-0 – the Buffs have pleasantly surprised their first-year coach, themselves, the team's followers and national observers.
Payne called the No. 15 national ranking "an added bonus" but noted that "from a basketball standpoint you're always so far from where you want to be. We need to continue to grow in our execution and our attention to detail.
"But we've gotten so much better in our cohesiveness and our maturing as individuals as well as a team. We're selfless . . . and we play hard and don't fear anybody. There's still a long ways to go for sure."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
The Buffs, ranked No. 15 for the second consecutive week, face unranked Wyoming (7-3). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (Colorado Live Stream, AM 1600) at the Coors Events Center.
CU improved to 10-0 on Saturday afternoon with a 76-64 win against Mississippi Valley State (3-6) in rural Itta Bena, Miss. The game was a late fill-in contest added during the off-season when Boise State opted out of last Saturday's date with CU.
The Buffs flew into Memphis on Friday, then bused to their road headquarters in Greenwood, Miss. Saturday's game – the first meeting between the schools – attracted just under 800 fans and proved to be a genuine road test for the Buffs, whose 12-point win made them 3-0 in road contests this season after going winless (0-13) on the road in 2015-16.
Before they returned to Denver on Sunday afternoon, first-year coach JR Payne and the team toured the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
Payne, who spent much of her childhood near Jackson, Tenn., termed the museum tour "awesome . . . our players really enjoyed it, it was an eye-opening cultural experience and a good time together. We spent two hours there and could have spent another two."
It proved to be an enjoyable break in routine following Saturday's highly contested game, which Payne described as "not tons of fun." Although happy with the outcome and how the Buffs responded to being behind in a hostile environment – they trailed by seven points in the second quarter before taking a 32-30 halftime lead – Payne said "it was not the game we anticipated."
That goes for the challenge presented by the home team and the overall performance of the visitors. CU opened the second half with a 9-1 run and kept MVS at bay for the rest of the game.
But Payne called her team "rusty" after not having played in nearly a week – a 74-56 win against Colorado State – and said the athletic Devilettes "really challenged us attacking the basket."
Entering the game averaging 83.6 points, CU finished almost eight points shy of that total. Yet the Buffs compensated defensively; their 19 steals, which tied a season high, contributed to 32 MVS turnovers, a season high for a CU opponent.
Plus, Payne said her team's cohesiveness proved key in a hostile environment: "I told our players after how we responded in that scenario, which was really one of the most challenging environments we've been in, I was really proud of them. It was a great test, a fantastic test, of being down and having to rely on each other. There was no finger pointing, no pouting."
Starting guards Kennedy Leonard and Alexis Robinson scored 20 points each, with guard Ariana Freeman coming off the bench to score 15 points and add seven rebounds. In addition to hitting 8-of-16 from the floor, Robinson had five rebounds and three steals while Leonard added six steals and two rebounds.
Center Zoe Correal narrowly missed a double-double, contributing 11 points and nine rebounds.
Wyoming (7-3) is coming off its first road win of the season – a 67-42 victory on Sunday afternoon at Montana. The Cowgirls, winners of three of their past four, featured three players scoring in double figures, topped by Liv Roberts and Natalie Baker with 14 each. Roberts is Wyoming's scoring and rebounding leader at 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.
Payne said Wyoming would provide CU "one of our toughest games so far . . . they're extremely well-coached. Coach (Joe) Legerski is one of the best. In his time there he's taught them to win. They're disciplined and tough; they take care of business."
But Payne's team is no stranger to doing that either. At 10-0 – Sox Walseth's 1980 CU team opened 12-0 – the Buffs have pleasantly surprised their first-year coach, themselves, the team's followers and national observers.
Payne called the No. 15 national ranking "an added bonus" but noted that "from a basketball standpoint you're always so far from where you want to be. We need to continue to grow in our execution and our attention to detail.
"But we've gotten so much better in our cohesiveness and our maturing as individuals as well as a team. We're selfless . . . and we play hard and don't fear anybody. There's still a long ways to go for sure."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballWBB: Colorado vs New Mexico | November 6th 2025
Friday, November 07
Desiree Wooten at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
Monday, October 13
Erianna Gooden at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
Monday, October 13
Jade Masogayo at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season | The Buffalo Stampede: Women's Basketball
Monday, October 13