Friday, December 30
Los Angeles, Calif.
7:00 PM
Colorado
10-2, 0-1
54
at
79
USC
10-2, 1-0
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado
10
10
18
16
54
USC
18
21
21
19
79
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Buffs Fall Hard To Trojans In Pac-12 Conference Opener
December 30, 2016 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
Sloppy first half helps put No. 20 CU in deep early hole in 79-54 loss
LOS ANGELES – A 19-point deficit after a turnover-plagued first half was too much for the Colorado women's basketball team to overcome here Friday night, costing the No. 20 Buffaloes a 79-54 loss to Southern California in their Pac-12 Conference opener at the Galen Center.
The Buffs, losing their second consecutive game after a 10-0 start, committed 15 first-half turnovers – one over their full-game average – and spent the rest of the night in catch-up mode. The Buffs finished with a season-high 24 turnovers.
CU, which suffered its first loss of the season on Dec. 21 – 82-75 to Wyoming at the Coors Events Center – pulled only as close as 15 points shortly after halftime but trailed 60-38 entering the last quarter.The Women of Troy led by as many as 30 (79-49) late in the final period.
Kennedy Leonard, after a 22-point fourth quarter (29 for the game) against Wyoming, paced the Buffs with 19 points but was the only CU player in double figures.
Sadie Edwards led USC (10-2, 1-0) with 16 points, Courtney Jaco scored 14, with Minyon Moore adding 12 and Aliyah Mazyck 11.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs scored the game's first basket – a Leonard layup – and took their only lead of the night. But that 2-0 lead quickly melted under a 12-2 USC run that was aided by six CU turnovers.
At the 4:07 mark of the opening quarter, the Buffs trailed 12-4 and had more turnovers – six – than points. But a 6-0 run, featuring four points by Leonard and two by Ariana Freeman – trimmed USC's lead to 12-10 before consecutive 3-pointers by Jaco pushed the Women of Troy ahead 18-12 at period's end.
With CU's turnover total reaching 13 at the midway point of the second quarter, USC's lead grew to nine points (25-16) and continued to grow. Missing their final nine field goal attempts of the second half – their last was scored by Leonard with 8:06 left before halftime – the Buffs quickly fell behind by double digits.
The turnovers continuing to mount and USC closing the half with an 8-0 run, CU trailed by a season-high 19 points (39-20) at the break. The Buffs finished the half with one more turnover (15) than their average and shot only 30 percent (8-of-27) from the field.
USC, meanwhile, was just under .500 in field goal percentage (47) and sitting at .500 in 3-point percentage (3-of-6).
Although the Buffs protected the ball better in the third quarter (two turnovers), the Women of Troy took a 22-point lead into the final period and pushed it to 30 (79-49) late in the fourth.
TURNING POINT: Early turnovers – 15 in the first half – and cold shooting by CU helped USC build a 39-20 lead at intermission that the Buffs couldn't overcome.
CU STANDOUTS: Along with her 19 points, Leonard grabbed 5 rebounds and had 1 assist . . . . Freshman Quinessa Caylao-Do scored 6 points, collected 6 rebounds and made 1 assist . . . . Zoe Correal had a team-best 11 rebounds, while teammate Haley Smith contributed 9 . . . . Zoe Beard-Fails, who missed the last two games due to concussion protocol, came off the bench to score 7 points.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs committed 24 turnovers – 10 over their average – and shot only 30.6 percent (19-of-62) from the field . . . . They were 1-of-9 (11.1 percent) from 3-point range . . . . CU outrebounded USC 44-38, including 17-12 in offensive boards.
WHAT IT MEANS: If a reminder was needed about the level of play going up in the Pac-12, CU got one. With a record seven ranked teams – and USC wasn't one of them – the conference is loaded with talented, athletic teams. While the road won't get any easier for the Buffs, they can minimize the pitfalls with better ball security and hopefully more balanced scoring.
NOTEWORTHY: Correal's 11 rebounds tied a career high (Southeastern Louisiana this season) ... Caylao-Do's six points are a career high for the freshman ... CU's previous largest deficit in a game this season was 10 points against Wyoming ... CU's 24 turnovers tied a season high (Mississippi Valley State) ... CU's .306 field goal percentage was a season low (previous was .366 against SMU) ... The 10 points scored each in the first and second quarters were the fewest points scored in a quarter this season ... The .296 field goal percentage at halftime was the lowest this season thanks to a season-low .188 in the second quarter ... USC closed the first half on an 8-0 run and also used a 13-4 run in the second quarter to lead 39-20 as CU went without a field goal in the final 8:07 of the half ... CU has lost 11 consecutive Pac-12 road games dating back to 2014-15.
QUOTEWORTHY: "They looked like an experienced Pac-12 team that was ready to be physical, ready to play fast. I thought they executed their style more by turning us over and creating opportunities, things that we've been able to do in the past." -- JR Payne on USC's play on Friday.
NEXT UP: The Buffs travel across LA to play UCLA on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. MST, UCLA Live Stream, 1600 am).
Postgame Quotes:
JR Payne, head coach
On the game in general
"I felt like we came out intimidated or shell-shocked. We've had a lot of success and we have good players on our team and we should have been more confident in ourselves than that. I thought we come out kind of skittish. We just weren't really ready to go against a great, athletic, fast-paced team. So that's disappointing. The assists to turnovers tonight, we typically turn people over, but we don't typically turn the ball over like that. Six assists and 24 turnovers will never really be successful. It doesn't matter who you play. I was proud of our effort on the glass. We outrebounded them by six, so that's a good thing to win the glass. But turning the ball over led to points for them and that doesn't work [in this league]."
On the play of Kennedy Leonard
"Kennedy scored and she was being aggressive to the basket. We were calling stuff for her to be aggressive, but we need more people to be aggressive. We need shooters to be ready to shoot and be able to get open and handle all of those things that are important to running and executing an offense."
On the play of Zoe Correal, Zoe Beard-Fails and Bri Watts in the post
"They were all good. Everybody that came into the game inside did a great job. Everybody rebounded. They have a couple of really good big kids inside and for them to be able to come in and defend and rebound was important."
On the physicality of the game and athleticism of USC
"We hadn't seen that physicality and athleticism all season. And overall, they were just more ready. They looked like an experienced Pac-12 team that was ready to be physical, ready to play fast. I thought they executed their style more by turning us over and creating opportunities, things that we've been able to do in the past. At halftime more than half of their points were off turnovers and we just can't afford to [let them] do that. If we have to slow down to be able to take care of the basketball, then that's what we need to do."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
The Buffs, losing their second consecutive game after a 10-0 start, committed 15 first-half turnovers – one over their full-game average – and spent the rest of the night in catch-up mode. The Buffs finished with a season-high 24 turnovers.
CU, which suffered its first loss of the season on Dec. 21 – 82-75 to Wyoming at the Coors Events Center – pulled only as close as 15 points shortly after halftime but trailed 60-38 entering the last quarter.The Women of Troy led by as many as 30 (79-49) late in the final period.
Kennedy Leonard, after a 22-point fourth quarter (29 for the game) against Wyoming, paced the Buffs with 19 points but was the only CU player in double figures.
Sadie Edwards led USC (10-2, 1-0) with 16 points, Courtney Jaco scored 14, with Minyon Moore adding 12 and Aliyah Mazyck 11.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs scored the game's first basket – a Leonard layup – and took their only lead of the night. But that 2-0 lead quickly melted under a 12-2 USC run that was aided by six CU turnovers.
At the 4:07 mark of the opening quarter, the Buffs trailed 12-4 and had more turnovers – six – than points. But a 6-0 run, featuring four points by Leonard and two by Ariana Freeman – trimmed USC's lead to 12-10 before consecutive 3-pointers by Jaco pushed the Women of Troy ahead 18-12 at period's end.
With CU's turnover total reaching 13 at the midway point of the second quarter, USC's lead grew to nine points (25-16) and continued to grow. Missing their final nine field goal attempts of the second half – their last was scored by Leonard with 8:06 left before halftime – the Buffs quickly fell behind by double digits.
The turnovers continuing to mount and USC closing the half with an 8-0 run, CU trailed by a season-high 19 points (39-20) at the break. The Buffs finished the half with one more turnover (15) than their average and shot only 30 percent (8-of-27) from the field.
USC, meanwhile, was just under .500 in field goal percentage (47) and sitting at .500 in 3-point percentage (3-of-6).
Although the Buffs protected the ball better in the third quarter (two turnovers), the Women of Troy took a 22-point lead into the final period and pushed it to 30 (79-49) late in the fourth.
TURNING POINT: Early turnovers – 15 in the first half – and cold shooting by CU helped USC build a 39-20 lead at intermission that the Buffs couldn't overcome.
CU STANDOUTS: Along with her 19 points, Leonard grabbed 5 rebounds and had 1 assist . . . . Freshman Quinessa Caylao-Do scored 6 points, collected 6 rebounds and made 1 assist . . . . Zoe Correal had a team-best 11 rebounds, while teammate Haley Smith contributed 9 . . . . Zoe Beard-Fails, who missed the last two games due to concussion protocol, came off the bench to score 7 points.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs committed 24 turnovers – 10 over their average – and shot only 30.6 percent (19-of-62) from the field . . . . They were 1-of-9 (11.1 percent) from 3-point range . . . . CU outrebounded USC 44-38, including 17-12 in offensive boards.
WHAT IT MEANS: If a reminder was needed about the level of play going up in the Pac-12, CU got one. With a record seven ranked teams – and USC wasn't one of them – the conference is loaded with talented, athletic teams. While the road won't get any easier for the Buffs, they can minimize the pitfalls with better ball security and hopefully more balanced scoring.
NOTEWORTHY: Correal's 11 rebounds tied a career high (Southeastern Louisiana this season) ... Caylao-Do's six points are a career high for the freshman ... CU's previous largest deficit in a game this season was 10 points against Wyoming ... CU's 24 turnovers tied a season high (Mississippi Valley State) ... CU's .306 field goal percentage was a season low (previous was .366 against SMU) ... The 10 points scored each in the first and second quarters were the fewest points scored in a quarter this season ... The .296 field goal percentage at halftime was the lowest this season thanks to a season-low .188 in the second quarter ... USC closed the first half on an 8-0 run and also used a 13-4 run in the second quarter to lead 39-20 as CU went without a field goal in the final 8:07 of the half ... CU has lost 11 consecutive Pac-12 road games dating back to 2014-15.
QUOTEWORTHY: "They looked like an experienced Pac-12 team that was ready to be physical, ready to play fast. I thought they executed their style more by turning us over and creating opportunities, things that we've been able to do in the past." -- JR Payne on USC's play on Friday.
NEXT UP: The Buffs travel across LA to play UCLA on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. MST, UCLA Live Stream, 1600 am).
Postgame Quotes:
JR Payne, head coach
On the game in general
"I felt like we came out intimidated or shell-shocked. We've had a lot of success and we have good players on our team and we should have been more confident in ourselves than that. I thought we come out kind of skittish. We just weren't really ready to go against a great, athletic, fast-paced team. So that's disappointing. The assists to turnovers tonight, we typically turn people over, but we don't typically turn the ball over like that. Six assists and 24 turnovers will never really be successful. It doesn't matter who you play. I was proud of our effort on the glass. We outrebounded them by six, so that's a good thing to win the glass. But turning the ball over led to points for them and that doesn't work [in this league]."
On the play of Kennedy Leonard
"Kennedy scored and she was being aggressive to the basket. We were calling stuff for her to be aggressive, but we need more people to be aggressive. We need shooters to be ready to shoot and be able to get open and handle all of those things that are important to running and executing an offense."
On the play of Zoe Correal, Zoe Beard-Fails and Bri Watts in the post
"They were all good. Everybody that came into the game inside did a great job. Everybody rebounded. They have a couple of really good big kids inside and for them to be able to come in and defend and rebound was important."
On the physicality of the game and athleticism of USC
"We hadn't seen that physicality and athleticism all season. And overall, they were just more ready. They looked like an experienced Pac-12 team that was ready to be physical, ready to play fast. I thought they executed their style more by turning us over and creating opportunities, things that we've been able to do in the past. At halftime more than half of their points were off turnovers and we just can't afford to [let them] do that. If we have to slow down to be able to take care of the basketball, then that's what we need to do."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Team Stats
COLO
USC
FG%
.306
.470
3FG%
.111
.222
FT%
.682
.650
RB
44
38
TO
24
20
STL
15
11
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
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