Buffs Ready To Challenge No. 19 Arizona State On Sunday

BOULDER - Colorado is fresh of its first Pac-12 victory of the season, but the Buffs cannot be complacent as No. 19 Arizona State comes to Boulder on Sunday. CU (11-3 overall, 1-2 Pac-12) has exceeded expectations already this season under first-year head coach JR Payne. But a win over the Sun Devils (11-3, 2-1) would be big.

Payne knows ASU will bring a tall challenge to the Coors Events Center.

"They'll defend you for 40 minutes and they're one of the best defensive teams in the country with great interior play," Payne said after Friday's 65-56 win over Arizona.

The Sun Devils allow just 53.9 points per game, ranking 16th in the nation in that category. Last night at Utah, ASU outscored the Utes 66-44. A big key will be rebounding. CU held a 46-35 edge on the boards last night, led by Haley Smith with nine and guard Ariana Freeman with a career-high eight. Arizona State outrebounds its opponents by over 11 per game (12th-best in the country) and held a 48-32 edge last night.

ASU is balanced, but is led by its interior play of 6-foot-1 senior Sophie Brunner (12.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG) and 6-foot-4 senior Quinn Dornstauder (9.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG). The Sun Devils will also provide full-court pressure.

"[They] do pressure really hard," sophomore forward Makenzie Ellis said. "I remember last year they were up in the full court ready to play you. You just have to come out calm and ready to go against them."

Last year's game is one CU would like to forget. Arizona State earned a 64-37 win over the Buffs in Tempe, but held CU to just 10 points at halftime, the second-worst half in school history. ASU outscored CU 38-18 in the paint, led by Dornstauder scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds off the bench.

A win on Sunday would be monumental for a rebuilding CU program--the Buffs have never defeated a ranked Pac-12 team during the regular season since joining the league in 2011-12. The only win over a ranked conference opponent came when the Buffs upset No. 8/9 Oregon State at the 2015 Pac-12 Tournament.

"It's a great challenge to have a top-20 team come into your home court and play you in the best conference in the country," Payne said.

Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at the Coors Events Center. It will also be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network.

Buffs Ready To Challenge No. 19 Arizona State On Sunday

Players Mentioned

Makenzie Ellis

Ariana Freeman

Haley Smith

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