Wednesday, December 6
Fort Collins, Colo.
7:00 PM
Colorado
7-1
70
at
67
Colorado State
5-3
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado
24
12
25
9
70
Colorado State
13
22
13
19
67
Photo by: Roger Carry
Buffs Hold On For Wild Win At CSU Behind Jank's Double-Double
December 06, 2017 | Women's Basketball
FORT COLLINS – Annika Jank scored a season-high 22 points and had 10 rebounds to lead Colorado to wild a 70-67 win at Colorado State on Wednesday night in Moby Arena. The Buffs improved to 7-1 this season with their sixth consecutive win, while CSU dropped to 5-3.
STAT LEADERS: Jank, a freshman from Edina, Minn., shot 9-of-15 from the floor and added two assists. Kennedy Leonard chipped in with 18 points and five assists, burying 8-of-11 free throws and forcing three steals. Zoe Correal provided 10 points off the bench and had six rebounds. Brecca Thomas scored nine points, including seven in the first quarter.
Grace Colaivalu led CSU with 13 points and eight assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Rams came out hot, scoring the first two baskets of the game on their first two possessions. But Jank responded with back-to-back scores to tie the game and that sparked a 22-4 run in the middle of the first quarter. CU led 24-13 after the frame, forcing 11 turnovers with seven steals in the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter was a near mirror image of the first with the Rams using a 22-8 run to take a 33-30 lead. But the Buffs responded with the final two baskets of the first half as Jank hit a layup just before the buzzer to send CU into the locker room with a 36-35 lead.
The Buffs blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring CSU 25-13 after shooting 58.3 percent. An 11-0 run stretched CU's lead to 54-42 at the three-minute mark as the Buffs hit 5-of-6 free throws during the stretch and Leonard scored five points. Colorado led 61-48 after the third.
Jank hit a 3-pointer with 8:44 remaining in the game to put the Buffs up 64-49, their largest lead of the night.
A key point in the fourth quarter helped stop a CSU run as Correal came down with two offensive rebounds in one possession and then hit two free throws, putting CU up 66-55 at the 3:00 mark.
But the Rams battled back and scored nine straight points after Correal's free throws, trimming the lead to 66-64 with 21.5 seconds left. Thomas then sank a pair of free throws with 14.7 seconds to go, but CSU's Callie Kaiser buried a 3-pointer just six seconds later, cutting the lead to 68-67. Leonard sunk two free throws before the Buffs got a defensive stop on the game's final possession to seal the win.
Altogether, there were seven lead changes and the score was tied three times.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado outrebounded the Rams 44-32 and forced 20 turnovers. CU shot just 39.3 percent from the floor, while allowing CSU to connect at a 45.3 percent rate. CSU also hit 9-of-17 (.529) from 3-point range, while the Buffs made just 3-of-16 (.188).
NOTES: Jank recorded her third double-double this season and her 22 points surpassed her previous high of 16 at Samford ... the 11 turnovers by CSU in the first quarter tied the school record for most turnovers forced in a quarter (SMU, Nov. 26, 2016) ... the seven steals in the first quarter also tied the record for most steals in a quarter (this was the sixth time CU has had seven steals in a quarter) ... the Buffs improved to 37-12 all-time against Colorado State, including 13-10 in Fort Collins.
UP NEXT: CU hosts Dartmouth (6-1) at 7 p.m. on Monday at the Coors Events Center.
POSTGAME QUOTES:
JR Payne, head coach
On the game
"We played against what we knew would be a fearless team, a team that was really aggressive. And this was an important game for both teams, being an in-state rival, so we knew that we would get their best effort. I don't know that we got our best effort—not a lack of effort, but a lack of aggressiveness. In the end, it went in the right column so we are excited that we were able to come to CSU and win a game."
On what led to the runs by both teams
"I think when we go back and see the film, we will see that we were not really pushing in transition [when CSU was going on its runs]. [When things were going well], not that we were scoring in transition, but we were pushing and creating the tempo we were looking for when we were scoring the ball and getting easy looks. In the halfcourt, we will see that we were more aggressive during the periods that we were scoring the basketball. The ball was moving more, getting it inside-out, creating some gaps that we could look to penetrate into. But I thought when we were passive, that it was not good for us."
On post play of Zoe Correal
"I thought Correal, when we were scoring, was giving us really good minutes. She's someone that's just reliable. She's been around us longer. She came in and gave us great rebounding effort, knocked down free throws, and I think in that third quarter stretch, she was pivotal.
On defending the 3-point shooting of CSU
"The difficulty against a team like this that's really skilled and can really shoot it is that we have true 5's. We're playing true post players that are not used to defending on the perimeter. Like we talked about before the game, against Samford it was a similar style. They play five out and they're going to kick, penetrate, kick, penetrate until you make a mistake and they'll hit a three. So that is difficult for us. I thought with their zone, they did a good job of negating our size because we weren't necessarily able to throw the ball inside and score effectively."
On rebounding
"Rebounding is something we work on every day and it's our primary focus and it's something that allows you to stay in the game when you're not shooting the ball that well and your opponent is."
Annika Jank, freshman
On changed from the first quarter
"I think we were just a little bit passive. We didn't pressure as much on defense as we should have. We knew Colorado State was going to come in for a dogfight because it's an in-state rivalry. We were expecting those runs and I'm glad our team battled it out and we finished on top in the end."
On facing CSU's 2-3 zone defense
"I just tried to be super strong and aggressive around the basket. Don't bring [the ball] down where the [shorter players] can swarm around it, and just go up strong and hopefully get the and-one or an easy layup."
On playing in transition
"[Kennedy] always looks for me and gives me great passes every single time so I can count on her to give me a nice pass."
STAT LEADERS: Jank, a freshman from Edina, Minn., shot 9-of-15 from the floor and added two assists. Kennedy Leonard chipped in with 18 points and five assists, burying 8-of-11 free throws and forcing three steals. Zoe Correal provided 10 points off the bench and had six rebounds. Brecca Thomas scored nine points, including seven in the first quarter.
Grace Colaivalu led CSU with 13 points and eight assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Rams came out hot, scoring the first two baskets of the game on their first two possessions. But Jank responded with back-to-back scores to tie the game and that sparked a 22-4 run in the middle of the first quarter. CU led 24-13 after the frame, forcing 11 turnovers with seven steals in the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter was a near mirror image of the first with the Rams using a 22-8 run to take a 33-30 lead. But the Buffs responded with the final two baskets of the first half as Jank hit a layup just before the buzzer to send CU into the locker room with a 36-35 lead.
The Buffs blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring CSU 25-13 after shooting 58.3 percent. An 11-0 run stretched CU's lead to 54-42 at the three-minute mark as the Buffs hit 5-of-6 free throws during the stretch and Leonard scored five points. Colorado led 61-48 after the third.
Jank hit a 3-pointer with 8:44 remaining in the game to put the Buffs up 64-49, their largest lead of the night.
A key point in the fourth quarter helped stop a CSU run as Correal came down with two offensive rebounds in one possession and then hit two free throws, putting CU up 66-55 at the 3:00 mark.
But the Rams battled back and scored nine straight points after Correal's free throws, trimming the lead to 66-64 with 21.5 seconds left. Thomas then sank a pair of free throws with 14.7 seconds to go, but CSU's Callie Kaiser buried a 3-pointer just six seconds later, cutting the lead to 68-67. Leonard sunk two free throws before the Buffs got a defensive stop on the game's final possession to seal the win.
Altogether, there were seven lead changes and the score was tied three times.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado outrebounded the Rams 44-32 and forced 20 turnovers. CU shot just 39.3 percent from the floor, while allowing CSU to connect at a 45.3 percent rate. CSU also hit 9-of-17 (.529) from 3-point range, while the Buffs made just 3-of-16 (.188).
NOTES: Jank recorded her third double-double this season and her 22 points surpassed her previous high of 16 at Samford ... the 11 turnovers by CSU in the first quarter tied the school record for most turnovers forced in a quarter (SMU, Nov. 26, 2016) ... the seven steals in the first quarter also tied the record for most steals in a quarter (this was the sixth time CU has had seven steals in a quarter) ... the Buffs improved to 37-12 all-time against Colorado State, including 13-10 in Fort Collins.
UP NEXT: CU hosts Dartmouth (6-1) at 7 p.m. on Monday at the Coors Events Center.
POSTGAME QUOTES:
JR Payne, head coach
On the game
"We played against what we knew would be a fearless team, a team that was really aggressive. And this was an important game for both teams, being an in-state rival, so we knew that we would get their best effort. I don't know that we got our best effort—not a lack of effort, but a lack of aggressiveness. In the end, it went in the right column so we are excited that we were able to come to CSU and win a game."
On what led to the runs by both teams
"I think when we go back and see the film, we will see that we were not really pushing in transition [when CSU was going on its runs]. [When things were going well], not that we were scoring in transition, but we were pushing and creating the tempo we were looking for when we were scoring the ball and getting easy looks. In the halfcourt, we will see that we were more aggressive during the periods that we were scoring the basketball. The ball was moving more, getting it inside-out, creating some gaps that we could look to penetrate into. But I thought when we were passive, that it was not good for us."
On post play of Zoe Correal
"I thought Correal, when we were scoring, was giving us really good minutes. She's someone that's just reliable. She's been around us longer. She came in and gave us great rebounding effort, knocked down free throws, and I think in that third quarter stretch, she was pivotal.
On defending the 3-point shooting of CSU
"The difficulty against a team like this that's really skilled and can really shoot it is that we have true 5's. We're playing true post players that are not used to defending on the perimeter. Like we talked about before the game, against Samford it was a similar style. They play five out and they're going to kick, penetrate, kick, penetrate until you make a mistake and they'll hit a three. So that is difficult for us. I thought with their zone, they did a good job of negating our size because we weren't necessarily able to throw the ball inside and score effectively."
On rebounding
"Rebounding is something we work on every day and it's our primary focus and it's something that allows you to stay in the game when you're not shooting the ball that well and your opponent is."
Annika Jank, freshman
On changed from the first quarter
"I think we were just a little bit passive. We didn't pressure as much on defense as we should have. We knew Colorado State was going to come in for a dogfight because it's an in-state rivalry. We were expecting those runs and I'm glad our team battled it out and we finished on top in the end."
On facing CSU's 2-3 zone defense
"I just tried to be super strong and aggressive around the basket. Don't bring [the ball] down where the [shorter players] can swarm around it, and just go up strong and hopefully get the and-one or an easy layup."
On playing in transition
"[Kennedy] always looks for me and gives me great passes every single time so I can count on her to give me a nice pass."
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Team Stats
COLO
CSU
FG%
.393
.453
3FG%
.188
.529
FT%
.731
.667
RB
44
32
TO
18
20
STL
10
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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