Friday, February 16
Boulder, Colo.
7:00 PM
Colorado
13-13, 4-11
76
vs
56
Washington
7-19,1-14Pac-12
1
2
3
4
F
Washington
17
18
9
12
56
Colorado
29
19
14
14
76
Photo by: Brendan Mackey
Leonard And Robinson Lead CU Past Washington 76-56
February 16, 2018 | Women's Basketball
BOULDER – Kennedy Leonard had her seventh career double-double with 14 points and 13 assists, and Alexis Robinson scored 18 points as Colorado cruised past Washington 76-56 on Friday night at the Coors Events Center. CU snapped three-game losing streak to improve to 13-13 this season and 4-11 in the Pac-12, while the Huskies lost their seventh straight game to drop to 7-19 and 1-14.
STAT LEADERS: Leonard shot 5-of-9 from the floor and committed just two turnovers. She also had six of CU's 12 steals, tying a season high, and helping the team to its highest steal total since Jan. 5 on the road against Washington.
Robinson shot 7-of-15 and had six rebounds and four assists. Mya Hollingshed poured in 14 points off the bench, burying four 3-pointers and shooting 5-of-6 from the floor. Zoe Correal and Quinessa Caylao-Do each had eight points. Aubrey Knight pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Amber Melgoza led the Huskies with 15 points, scoring all of her points in the first half.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Leonard led CU to a dominating first quarter as the team shot a 67 percent from the floor and led 29-17 after she had eight points and a school-record seven assists.
The Buffs jumped out to an 11-3 lead midway through the period and then buried three late 3-pointers to close on a 9-2 stretch.
The shooting cooled a bit in the second quarter, but CU maintained a 48-35 halftime lead with the 48 points being the most in a half in Pac-12 play this season for the Buffs. Leonard assisted on her 10th basket of the game at the 4:39 mark when Robinson drilled a 3-pointer for a 42-28 lead.
CU turned up its defense in the third quarter, holding the Huskies to just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting to lead 62-44 after three periods.
Colorado outscored Washington 14-12 in the fourth quarter, stretching its lead to a game-high 24 points at 73-49 with 5:28 remaining.
KEY STATISTICS: CU put together its most dominant game statistically in Pac-12 play this season. CU shot 51.8 percent from the floor, its highest field goal percentage in a Pac-12 regular-season game since 2015. Defensively, the Buffs held Washington to just 36.4 percent shooting.
CU also forced 20 turnovers with 12 steals, while committing only 16. The Buffs also outrebounded the Huskies 33-28.
NOTES: Leonard broke the CU record for assists in a quarter with seven in the first (she held the previous record of five) and assists in a half with 10 in the first half (previous was nine, done three times, by Whitney Law in 2005, Lexy Kresl in 2014 and Leonard in 2015) ... Leonard accounted for 25 of CU's 29 points in the first quarter between points and assists, and 33 of the team's 48 first-half points ... Leonard's double-double was the seventh of her career and her 13 assists tied a career high ... Leonard eclipsed 500 career assists in the game and currently has 506, third all-time at CU and eight behind Shelley Sheetz for second ... CU's 29 points in the first quarter and 48 points in the first half were both season highs for any quarter or half in Pac-12 play this season ... CU's .518 FG percentage was its highest in a Pac-12 regular-season game since shooting .579 vs. UCLA on 1/11/15 ... CU outscored UW in all four quarters, the first time since Dec. 31 vs. Arizona.
UP NEXT: CU will wrap up its home schedule on Sunday when it hosts Washington State at noon.
CU Top Assists Games All-Time
15, Whitney Law, Cal State-Fullerton, 11/18/05
14, Lori Mills, BYU, 11/18/83
14, LaShena Graham, Missouri, 2/25/98
13, Kennedy Leonard, California, 2/21/16
13, Kennedy Leonard, Washington, 2/16/18
12, Sandy Bean, Northern Colorado, 2/1/79
12, Kennedy Leonard, Kentucky, 11/19/16
12, Ann Troyan, Northern Arizona, 1/21/80
POSTGAME QUOTES:
JR Payne, head coach
General
"We have worked so hard, we have played so well, we have gotten so much better, and I'm beyond happy for all of our players to finally get that reward. Like I said, we've been playing good basketball, we've gotten so much better and so much more confident, we just haven't had the reward of a victory. I'm thrilled to finally have that reward, we're going to enjoy it tonight and get back to work tomorrow."
On up and down tempo in first half, and whether pushing the pace was part of the game plan
"We love to push tempo whenever we have the opportunity to. We really felt like this game would be an opportunity for us to push tempo and be aggressive in transition. I think our team really bought into that and everybody went out there and executed. Kennedy obviously as our point guard, but Lexi [Robinson] was pushing the ball, Quinessa [Caylao-Do] was pushing the ball, Brecca [Thomas] was pushing the ball, so it was a great team effort."
On finishing both halves strong
"It really felt to me like our game plan was executed much more consistently throughout the game. There were very few lulls where we were giving up uncontested threes or were slow in transition. We didn't stray from our game plan."
On whether the team is better when Kennedy Leonard has a pass-first mindset
"Kennedy [Leonard] is really a score-first point guard, but when her assist numbers are this high, it tells me our offense is moving, it tells me we're sharing the basketball, we're getting out in transition and having opportunities to distribute and score. I think when Kennedy's assist numbers are that high, it tells me our offense is clicking."
On Aubrey Knight's injury
"She came back (to the sideline) and was smiling and laughing and that's kind of her nature, is to stay upbeat and positive. We're hoping that she can play this weekend of course, and if not she'll be the same upbeat, positive spirit she always is."
On Mya Hollingshed's shooting performance
"She has the ability to really stretch the defense. I think she's our highest percentage three-point shooter. When she gets to a spot that she's comfortable with and she's on balance, she's going to make that shot at a very clip. It's good for our offense, it opens things up for other players to penetrate, so it's big when she can (shoot like that) for us."
Kennedy Leonard, Jr., G
On if she keeps track of her assists in games
"Yeah, I don't really have any idea. Assists are kind of weird because if someone dribbles twice or something you don't get an assist. It's too much work to count in games so I just focus on trying to find open people and then they hit shots. I don't really do much."
On her six steals tonight
"Coach T (Towns) always yells at us to pressure, so everybody was pressuring and getting their hands on balls and I just happened to be in the right area at the right time. I just took the ball and stole it."
Alexis Robinson, Jr., G
On the confidence this game provided
"Yeah, it's definitely a huge confidence booster and we got a lot of momentum from this game so hopefully we'll take it to our next game."
On her shooting mindset and what she saw offensively tonight
"I don't know. When I'm open, I shoot it. They were pressuring a lot so they were having to scramble a lot. Fatigue was getting to them a lot, which let us have open shots and was why we had so many open shots I think. Just the fatigue for sure."
STAT LEADERS: Leonard shot 5-of-9 from the floor and committed just two turnovers. She also had six of CU's 12 steals, tying a season high, and helping the team to its highest steal total since Jan. 5 on the road against Washington.
Robinson shot 7-of-15 and had six rebounds and four assists. Mya Hollingshed poured in 14 points off the bench, burying four 3-pointers and shooting 5-of-6 from the floor. Zoe Correal and Quinessa Caylao-Do each had eight points. Aubrey Knight pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Amber Melgoza led the Huskies with 15 points, scoring all of her points in the first half.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Leonard led CU to a dominating first quarter as the team shot a 67 percent from the floor and led 29-17 after she had eight points and a school-record seven assists.
The Buffs jumped out to an 11-3 lead midway through the period and then buried three late 3-pointers to close on a 9-2 stretch.
The shooting cooled a bit in the second quarter, but CU maintained a 48-35 halftime lead with the 48 points being the most in a half in Pac-12 play this season for the Buffs. Leonard assisted on her 10th basket of the game at the 4:39 mark when Robinson drilled a 3-pointer for a 42-28 lead.
CU turned up its defense in the third quarter, holding the Huskies to just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting to lead 62-44 after three periods.
Colorado outscored Washington 14-12 in the fourth quarter, stretching its lead to a game-high 24 points at 73-49 with 5:28 remaining.
KEY STATISTICS: CU put together its most dominant game statistically in Pac-12 play this season. CU shot 51.8 percent from the floor, its highest field goal percentage in a Pac-12 regular-season game since 2015. Defensively, the Buffs held Washington to just 36.4 percent shooting.
CU also forced 20 turnovers with 12 steals, while committing only 16. The Buffs also outrebounded the Huskies 33-28.
NOTES: Leonard broke the CU record for assists in a quarter with seven in the first (she held the previous record of five) and assists in a half with 10 in the first half (previous was nine, done three times, by Whitney Law in 2005, Lexy Kresl in 2014 and Leonard in 2015) ... Leonard accounted for 25 of CU's 29 points in the first quarter between points and assists, and 33 of the team's 48 first-half points ... Leonard's double-double was the seventh of her career and her 13 assists tied a career high ... Leonard eclipsed 500 career assists in the game and currently has 506, third all-time at CU and eight behind Shelley Sheetz for second ... CU's 29 points in the first quarter and 48 points in the first half were both season highs for any quarter or half in Pac-12 play this season ... CU's .518 FG percentage was its highest in a Pac-12 regular-season game since shooting .579 vs. UCLA on 1/11/15 ... CU outscored UW in all four quarters, the first time since Dec. 31 vs. Arizona.
UP NEXT: CU will wrap up its home schedule on Sunday when it hosts Washington State at noon.
CU Top Assists Games All-Time
15, Whitney Law, Cal State-Fullerton, 11/18/05
14, Lori Mills, BYU, 11/18/83
14, LaShena Graham, Missouri, 2/25/98
13, Kennedy Leonard, California, 2/21/16
13, Kennedy Leonard, Washington, 2/16/18
12, Sandy Bean, Northern Colorado, 2/1/79
12, Kennedy Leonard, Kentucky, 11/19/16
12, Ann Troyan, Northern Arizona, 1/21/80
POSTGAME QUOTES:
JR Payne, head coach
General
"We have worked so hard, we have played so well, we have gotten so much better, and I'm beyond happy for all of our players to finally get that reward. Like I said, we've been playing good basketball, we've gotten so much better and so much more confident, we just haven't had the reward of a victory. I'm thrilled to finally have that reward, we're going to enjoy it tonight and get back to work tomorrow."
On up and down tempo in first half, and whether pushing the pace was part of the game plan
"We love to push tempo whenever we have the opportunity to. We really felt like this game would be an opportunity for us to push tempo and be aggressive in transition. I think our team really bought into that and everybody went out there and executed. Kennedy obviously as our point guard, but Lexi [Robinson] was pushing the ball, Quinessa [Caylao-Do] was pushing the ball, Brecca [Thomas] was pushing the ball, so it was a great team effort."
On finishing both halves strong
"It really felt to me like our game plan was executed much more consistently throughout the game. There were very few lulls where we were giving up uncontested threes or were slow in transition. We didn't stray from our game plan."
On whether the team is better when Kennedy Leonard has a pass-first mindset
"Kennedy [Leonard] is really a score-first point guard, but when her assist numbers are this high, it tells me our offense is moving, it tells me we're sharing the basketball, we're getting out in transition and having opportunities to distribute and score. I think when Kennedy's assist numbers are that high, it tells me our offense is clicking."
On Aubrey Knight's injury
"She came back (to the sideline) and was smiling and laughing and that's kind of her nature, is to stay upbeat and positive. We're hoping that she can play this weekend of course, and if not she'll be the same upbeat, positive spirit she always is."
On Mya Hollingshed's shooting performance
"She has the ability to really stretch the defense. I think she's our highest percentage three-point shooter. When she gets to a spot that she's comfortable with and she's on balance, she's going to make that shot at a very clip. It's good for our offense, it opens things up for other players to penetrate, so it's big when she can (shoot like that) for us."
Kennedy Leonard, Jr., G
On if she keeps track of her assists in games
"Yeah, I don't really have any idea. Assists are kind of weird because if someone dribbles twice or something you don't get an assist. It's too much work to count in games so I just focus on trying to find open people and then they hit shots. I don't really do much."
On her six steals tonight
"Coach T (Towns) always yells at us to pressure, so everybody was pressuring and getting their hands on balls and I just happened to be in the right area at the right time. I just took the ball and stole it."
Alexis Robinson, Jr., G
On the confidence this game provided
"Yeah, it's definitely a huge confidence booster and we got a lot of momentum from this game so hopefully we'll take it to our next game."
On her shooting mindset and what she saw offensively tonight
"I don't know. When I'm open, I shoot it. They were pressuring a lot so they were having to scramble a lot. Fatigue was getting to them a lot, which let us have open shots and was why we had so many open shots I think. Just the fatigue for sure."
Team Stats
WASH
COLO
FG%
.364
.518
3FG%
.250
.360
FT%
.818
.900
RB
28
33
TO
20
16
STL
6
12
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballColorado Women's Basketball: Cooking with the Buffs
Friday, July 18
Colorado Women's Basketball WBIT second Round Press Conference
Sunday, March 23
Women's Basketball: Colorado vs Gonzaga Highlights | Mar 23, 2025
Sunday, March 23
Colorado Women's Basketball WBIT First Round Press Conference
Friday, March 21