Thursday, February 23
Seattle, Wash.
9:00 PM
Colorado
at
Washington
CU coach JR Payne takes the Buffs to UW, WSU to close out the regular season.
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Brooks: Payne’s First Season Goes Squarely In The ‘W’ Column
February 22, 2017 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
After Buffs close with road trip, Pac-12 tourney, WNIT is possible
BOULDER – It's a little early – maybe by as much as a month – to offer a first-season retrospective on JR Payne's debut as the Colorado women's basketball coach.
Yet with CU's final regular-season road trip looming and the Pac-12 Conference women's tournament beginning next week, Payne was willing a couple of days ago to take a quick look back. Of course, it came after a longer look ahead at Thursday's game at No. 11 Washington (9 p.m. MST) and Saturday's regular-season finale at Washington State (2 p.m. MST).
The Buffs head to the Pacific Northwest with a 15-12 overall record that assures them of a winning regular season for the first time since 2013-14 (17-14) and offers the possibility of postseason play.
CU's most recent postseason appearance was in 2014 in the WNIT when the Buffs defeated TCU and Southern Utah in Boulder before losing in the third round at UTEP to finish 19-15.
With a split on this week's trip and one win in the Pac-12 tourney, CU could match the 2013-14 regular season's 17 wins. Already, the Buffs' five Pac-12 wins (11 losses) exceeds the two 'W's (16 losses) from last season.
Payne obviously wants the win totals to trend upward in succeeding seasons but her team's overall competitiveness and progress in Year One provides a solid launch point.
"Definitely, oh gosh, yeah," she said. "If we were playing in a style we wouldn't have allowed, if our team was lazy, had zero execution, if we weren't still competing on a daily basis that would be extremely disappointing. We're not, and people tell me after games, 'Gosh, your kids play really hard' – which always makes me proud of our team.
"I think we've been very successful. Our players have played their hearts out, our seniors have been really good leaders and encouraged our younger ones. So I'm really, really proud of our first season. I just hope we can continue to play (in the postseason)."
HOWEVER, THAT'S NOT HER IMMEDIATE focus. The trip to Washington has CU's full attention. Thursday night's game in Seattle features the first of two senior celebrations – this one for guard Kelsey Plum, the nation's leading scorer (30.9 ppg) and the NCAA's No. 2 all-time career scorer.
Plum's 35 points against USC last weekend elevated her into the second spot behind former Missouri State star Jackie Stiles. Plum has 3,315 career points, Stiles had 3,393.
On Saturday afternoon in the second senior celebration, UW will honor Chantel Osahor, the nation's top rebounder (14.8 rpg) and the school's top career rebounder (1,150). Osahor also averages 15.6 points a game.
The Huskies – second in the Pac-12 in home attendance to Oregon State (3,819 to 3,251 per game) – expect large crowds on both Thursday and Saturday. Payne expects the atmosphere in Alaska Airlines Arena to be frenetic but "a cool experience . . . it'll be a big hurrah and a really neat environment for our players."
Road games are a 180-degree turn from home games, but earlier this month in the Coors Events Center the Buffs took the Huskies to the final minute before losing 79-75. CU trailed by 17 points in the third period and 11 in the fourth before closing to within four points twice in the final quarter.
Payne knew that Plum (28 points) and Osahor (20 points, 16 rebounds) likely would match their averages. And when she showed her players tape of that game earlier this week she didn't dwell so much on shutting down either player in the rematch as much as focusing on the Buffs' inconsistency.
"You can see the parts where we did well in the game," Payne said. "We were being really aggressive – we were going in transition, attacking the basket, attacking the baseline, creating for other people. And in the parts that dug that hole for us we were the opposite – we were slower, not flying around defensively. It was like two different ball clubs.
"We've already shown them (tape) and we'll show it again, but we have to be able to recognize that Team A is very successful, Team B is not at all successful. We have to play like that if we want to beat both teams (UW, WSU)."
Washington (25-4, 13-3) leads the Pac-12 in a handful of statistical categories, including scoring offense (85.5 ppg) and scoring margin (+22.5 points). With a chuckle, Payne offered, "Honestly, I don't know if they scout (opponents). They very much just do what they do and (challenge) you to guard them. And it's so good . . . they're a great team and those two stars are obviously hard to contain."
The Buffs gained a weekend split at home when UW-WSU visited the CEC, defeating the Cougars 70-58. But the win required rallying from a 14-point third-quarter deficit. It was accomplished with an 18-2 run to open the fourth quarter – and that was accomplished largely through a ramped up defense with a smaller lineup that forced a school-record 12 turnovers (WSU had 27 overall) in the final period.
Plus, CU leading scorer Kennedy Leonard accounted for 16 of her 25 points in the last quarter.
Payne wasn't surprised by her team's grit but having it surface after a rancid third quarter did leave her mildly stunned. "Early in the third quarter of that game I thought, 'We really couldn't be any worse than we are right now. Like, this is the worst we've played all year,'" she said. "It was really bad."
WSU (10-17, 5-11) is one of four teams tied for sixth in the Pac-12 standings. All – CU, California, USC – are 5-11 and jockeying for higher seeds in next week's conference tournament.
THE BUFFS ARE 4-4 OVER THEIR PAST eight games while the Cougars have lost four straight. WSU is 7-6 at home with the most notable home win an 82-73 upset of then No. 9 UCLA. In last weekend's rematch in L.A., the Bruins cruised 67-48.
But Payne says Wazzu "for some reason is a different team in Pullman. They're very tough. There are no guaranteed wins anywhere . . . no gimmes. But we've played hard enough, tough enough all season to force some opportunities for good wins."
In the season's final stretch, Payne says several players have elevated their games – most notably senior Haley Smith, who returns to her home state (Sammamish) for the final time as a Buff.
"Really at times she's almost carried us," Payne said. "Kennedy is our leading scorer (17.6 ppg) and leads us pretty much in every statistical category except rebounding. But the times we've been really good have been the times that Haley's played really well. Haley and Alexis (Robinson). Those two can really give us something from an offensive standpoint, and that's when our team does well."
Robinson (11.4 points, 3.3 rebounds) is second on the team in scoring while Smith scored 23 points in CU's win last Sunday over Oregon, giving her 1,000 for her career. She's the 29th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. Smith averages 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds.
Payne also mentioned starter Makenzie Ellis (6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds) and reserve Ariana Freeman (7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds). Ellis is shooting a team-best 40 percent from beyond the arc (68 or more attempts) and has reached double figures in three of the last five games.
When league play began in January, the Pac-12 had a record seven ranked teams, including No. 20 CU. That number has dwindled to four in the AP top 25 – No. 8 Stanford, No. 10 Oregon State, No. 11 UW and No. 15 UCLA.
That number, plus more top-to-bottom league parity, should mean a highly competitive, possibly surprising, Pac-12 tournament next week in Seattle. Only two teams – WSU at 10-17, Arizona at 13-14 – have overall losing records.
"In this conference, as good as it is, we've seen that anyone can beat anyone," Payne said. "Everyone has lost and a handful of teams have lost to people that they really shouldn't have. It'll be an awesome tournament; I have no doubt there will be upsets and I hope we're one of them and we'll just keep playing as long as we can."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Yet with CU's final regular-season road trip looming and the Pac-12 Conference women's tournament beginning next week, Payne was willing a couple of days ago to take a quick look back. Of course, it came after a longer look ahead at Thursday's game at No. 11 Washington (9 p.m. MST) and Saturday's regular-season finale at Washington State (2 p.m. MST).
The Buffs head to the Pacific Northwest with a 15-12 overall record that assures them of a winning regular season for the first time since 2013-14 (17-14) and offers the possibility of postseason play.
CU's most recent postseason appearance was in 2014 in the WNIT when the Buffs defeated TCU and Southern Utah in Boulder before losing in the third round at UTEP to finish 19-15.
With a split on this week's trip and one win in the Pac-12 tourney, CU could match the 2013-14 regular season's 17 wins. Already, the Buffs' five Pac-12 wins (11 losses) exceeds the two 'W's (16 losses) from last season.
Payne obviously wants the win totals to trend upward in succeeding seasons but her team's overall competitiveness and progress in Year One provides a solid launch point.
"Definitely, oh gosh, yeah," she said. "If we were playing in a style we wouldn't have allowed, if our team was lazy, had zero execution, if we weren't still competing on a daily basis that would be extremely disappointing. We're not, and people tell me after games, 'Gosh, your kids play really hard' – which always makes me proud of our team.
"I think we've been very successful. Our players have played their hearts out, our seniors have been really good leaders and encouraged our younger ones. So I'm really, really proud of our first season. I just hope we can continue to play (in the postseason)."
HOWEVER, THAT'S NOT HER IMMEDIATE focus. The trip to Washington has CU's full attention. Thursday night's game in Seattle features the first of two senior celebrations – this one for guard Kelsey Plum, the nation's leading scorer (30.9 ppg) and the NCAA's No. 2 all-time career scorer.
Plum's 35 points against USC last weekend elevated her into the second spot behind former Missouri State star Jackie Stiles. Plum has 3,315 career points, Stiles had 3,393.
On Saturday afternoon in the second senior celebration, UW will honor Chantel Osahor, the nation's top rebounder (14.8 rpg) and the school's top career rebounder (1,150). Osahor also averages 15.6 points a game.
The Huskies – second in the Pac-12 in home attendance to Oregon State (3,819 to 3,251 per game) – expect large crowds on both Thursday and Saturday. Payne expects the atmosphere in Alaska Airlines Arena to be frenetic but "a cool experience . . . it'll be a big hurrah and a really neat environment for our players."
Road games are a 180-degree turn from home games, but earlier this month in the Coors Events Center the Buffs took the Huskies to the final minute before losing 79-75. CU trailed by 17 points in the third period and 11 in the fourth before closing to within four points twice in the final quarter.
Payne knew that Plum (28 points) and Osahor (20 points, 16 rebounds) likely would match their averages. And when she showed her players tape of that game earlier this week she didn't dwell so much on shutting down either player in the rematch as much as focusing on the Buffs' inconsistency.
"You can see the parts where we did well in the game," Payne said. "We were being really aggressive – we were going in transition, attacking the basket, attacking the baseline, creating for other people. And in the parts that dug that hole for us we were the opposite – we were slower, not flying around defensively. It was like two different ball clubs.
"We've already shown them (tape) and we'll show it again, but we have to be able to recognize that Team A is very successful, Team B is not at all successful. We have to play like that if we want to beat both teams (UW, WSU)."
Washington (25-4, 13-3) leads the Pac-12 in a handful of statistical categories, including scoring offense (85.5 ppg) and scoring margin (+22.5 points). With a chuckle, Payne offered, "Honestly, I don't know if they scout (opponents). They very much just do what they do and (challenge) you to guard them. And it's so good . . . they're a great team and those two stars are obviously hard to contain."
The Buffs gained a weekend split at home when UW-WSU visited the CEC, defeating the Cougars 70-58. But the win required rallying from a 14-point third-quarter deficit. It was accomplished with an 18-2 run to open the fourth quarter – and that was accomplished largely through a ramped up defense with a smaller lineup that forced a school-record 12 turnovers (WSU had 27 overall) in the final period.
Plus, CU leading scorer Kennedy Leonard accounted for 16 of her 25 points in the last quarter.
Payne wasn't surprised by her team's grit but having it surface after a rancid third quarter did leave her mildly stunned. "Early in the third quarter of that game I thought, 'We really couldn't be any worse than we are right now. Like, this is the worst we've played all year,'" she said. "It was really bad."
WSU (10-17, 5-11) is one of four teams tied for sixth in the Pac-12 standings. All – CU, California, USC – are 5-11 and jockeying for higher seeds in next week's conference tournament.
THE BUFFS ARE 4-4 OVER THEIR PAST eight games while the Cougars have lost four straight. WSU is 7-6 at home with the most notable home win an 82-73 upset of then No. 9 UCLA. In last weekend's rematch in L.A., the Bruins cruised 67-48.
But Payne says Wazzu "for some reason is a different team in Pullman. They're very tough. There are no guaranteed wins anywhere . . . no gimmes. But we've played hard enough, tough enough all season to force some opportunities for good wins."
In the season's final stretch, Payne says several players have elevated their games – most notably senior Haley Smith, who returns to her home state (Sammamish) for the final time as a Buff.
"Really at times she's almost carried us," Payne said. "Kennedy is our leading scorer (17.6 ppg) and leads us pretty much in every statistical category except rebounding. But the times we've been really good have been the times that Haley's played really well. Haley and Alexis (Robinson). Those two can really give us something from an offensive standpoint, and that's when our team does well."
Robinson (11.4 points, 3.3 rebounds) is second on the team in scoring while Smith scored 23 points in CU's win last Sunday over Oregon, giving her 1,000 for her career. She's the 29th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. Smith averages 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds.
Payne also mentioned starter Makenzie Ellis (6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds) and reserve Ariana Freeman (7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds). Ellis is shooting a team-best 40 percent from beyond the arc (68 or more attempts) and has reached double figures in three of the last five games.
When league play began in January, the Pac-12 had a record seven ranked teams, including No. 20 CU. That number has dwindled to four in the AP top 25 – No. 8 Stanford, No. 10 Oregon State, No. 11 UW and No. 15 UCLA.
That number, plus more top-to-bottom league parity, should mean a highly competitive, possibly surprising, Pac-12 tournament next week in Seattle. Only two teams – WSU at 10-17, Arizona at 13-14 – have overall losing records.
"In this conference, as good as it is, we've seen that anyone can beat anyone," Payne said. "Everyone has lost and a handful of teams have lost to people that they really shouldn't have. It'll be an awesome tournament; I have no doubt there will be upsets and I hope we're one of them and we'll just keep playing as long as we can."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
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