Friday, November 22
Ft. Collins, Colo.
5:00 PM
Colorado
79
at
75
Colorado State
Jaylon Sherrod (1) scored a season-high 15 points in CU's 79-75 win over Colorado State.
Photo by: Tim Benko, Benko Photographics
Caylao-Do Leads Buffs Past CSU, 79-75
November 22, 2019 | Women's Basketball
Colorado shoots 55 percent in hard-earned win
FORT COLLINS — The University of Colorado women's basketball team eked out another close game up Interstate 25, as a combination of deadly three-point shooting and clutch free throw makes paved the way for a 79-75 win.
Colorado (4-0), defeated the Rams for the fourth straight time and for the 15th time in the last 18 meetings, but it was another battle at Moby Gym. The last four games there have been decided by a total of 13 points, and Friday night's affair was no different, as the game featured 25 lead changes, including eight in the fourth quarter.
After CSU's Megan Jacobs hit a three to give CSU its last lead at 67-66 with three minutes to play, the Buffs got two big three-point baskets on back-to-back possessions from Lesila Finau and Quinessa Caylao-Do to put CU back up by five, 72-67, with 2:04 on the clock.
Tori Williams cut the lead to three with a pair of free throws for the Rams, and after a CU turnover, CSU had a chance to cut the lead to one but Katia Stamatelopoulos missed two freebies. Following a quick timeout by CU head coach JR Payne, Jaylyn Sherrod hit another trey to extend the lead back to six, 75-69, with 34 seconds to go.
CSU (3-3) still had some fight left, as Annie Brady answered 10 seconds later with the Rams' ninth third-pointer to pull her team back to within three, but Sherrod was fouled on the inbounds pass and coolly sank two free throws to keep it a two-score game at 77-72. The teams traded free throw the remainder of the way with CSU never getting closer than the final margin.
Colorado did not have the services of its leading scorer, junior Mya Hollingshed, who was suspended for one game for violating team rules, but her teammates more than made up for her 15.3 average.
Caylao-Do scored a season-high 22 points, one shy of her career high, making seven-of-10 field goals, including three-of-four three-pointers, and hit five-of-six free throws. Sherrod had 15 points with a team-high six assists, while Finau added 14 points, matching her career-high, along with five rebounds and five assists.
The Buffs had season best performances in field goal shooting (55.1 percent, 27-of-49) also from three-point range (47.6 percent, 10-of-21). CU shot exactly 50 percent in each of the first three quarters, then 8-of-11 from the field in the fourth (73 percent), including 4-of-5 from behind the arc.
Colorado was able to overcome a 17-10 deficit in turnovers by owning a 33-21 on the boards, limiting CSU to just one offensive rebound in each half.
CU led 18-14 after the first quarter, finishing the period on a 10-5 run keyed by Charlotte Whittaker, who scored the first five points in the spree. CU led by six on three different occasions in the second quarter, last at 31-25 with five minutes remaining, but the Rams battled back to outscore the Buffs, 12-5, over the last half of the period to take a 37-36 halftime lead.
The third quarter ended with Buffs owning a 51-49 edge, as Caylao-Do scored seven in the stanza, including a three-pointer with 29 seconds left to account for the CU advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Brady led the Rams with 26 points, while Jacobs added 13.
NOTES
It was never more than a two-score game, as CU's largest lead was six while CSU's was three … Colorado now leads the all-time series by a 39-12 count, 14-10 in Fort Collins … It was CU's second road win of the year, coming after another tough affair at Wyoming in a 66-56 verdict … Caylao-Do's career-high is 23 points which she scored against Northern Colorado on Nov. 6, 2018 … CU's win tied this year's Rocky Mountain Showdown series at two apiece; the Buffs won in football and the Rams won both volleyball matches; the Colorado men will travel to Fort Collins for a Dec. 13 contest, the next scheduled contest across all sports between the two rivals … The Buffaloes have a quick turnaround, hosting Jacksonville Sunday at the CU Events Center in a 6:00 p.m. tip.
QUOTES
CU Head Coach JR Payne
GENERAL—"I expected a back-and-forth battle, this is a really good basketball team. They had a lot of secret weapons in that they had a lot of good players redshirting last year. Their team transformed quickly in a year. We knew they could shoot the three, any team that can do that is always in it. We expected it to be an absolute dog fight."
ON STRATEGY DOWN THE STRETCH—"I try to save some timeouts with a young team, I'm glad I did. We were running some plays out there that we've never even talked about, and they were able to go in and execute and play off each other. Free throws down the stretch by a freshmen. A lot of really good things."
ON TEAM DEPTH—"A lot of people have done good things on different nights, it speaks to our depth and we need to continue to make everybody feel like they can impact the game."
ON MY HOLLINGSHEAD BEING INACTIVE—"Mya had a violation of team rules. She told the team she'll be out there in spirit and be the biggest cheerleader, I'm glad we faced that adversity and persevered. This is a tough place to play, we knew it would be a close game and different people would have to step up down the stretch."
ON REDSHIRT FRESHMAN CHARLOTTE WHITTAKER—"Charlotte's been playing really well. We've been playing all these teams with three-point shooters, and she's a big and strong player and in 18 years of playing basketball she's probably never seen that.
Guard Lesila Finau
GENERAL—"We knew it was going to be a game of runs, it doesn't matter what conference you're in, they're here to win just like we are. Coach kept telling us to crash the boards, it really helped because we were able to go in transition easier. The rebounds were big, coach kept emphasizing it, they kept shooting threes and long shots cause long rebounds and we were able to get them."
"The three's down the stretch were big, they were a big part of us winning the game."
Guard Quinessa Caylao-Do
GENERAL—"It was really fun, I've never played at Colorado State and we got the W, so it was fun. Coach T (assistant coach Toriano Towns) told us in the beginning it was going to be a game of runs, and of course it's a rival, he told us to be calm and confident. Hitting those three-pointers really boosted our energy and kept us going. I had my family here, so it was fun to score 22 points in front of all of them."
ON TEAM CHEMISTRY—"We're all supporting each other and everybody trusted their role and played well and stepped up and it showed on the court. This was a good game to figure out where we're at early in the season. It will be a good step for us the rest of the season and we have a lot of games here in a short period, so this is a good stepping stone."
BOXSCORE
Colorado (79)
Caylao-Do 7-10 5-6 22, Clarke 2-8 0-0 5, Finau 4-5 4-7 14, Knight 1-3 1-2 5, Tuitele 3-6 0-0 6, Sherrod 4-8 5-6 15, Jank 1-3 0-0 3, Volcy 0-0 0-0 0, Whittaker 5-6 0-0 11. Totals 27-49 15-21 79.
Colorado State (75)
Williams 3-6 2-2 9, Jacobs 4-6 2-2 13, Ellis 5-11 0-0 11, Bonnarens 0-4 0-0 0, Brady 10-19 2-5 26, Mole 0-0 0-0 0, Stamatelopoulos 2-4 4-6 8, Brocke 0-1 0-0 0, Davis 3-5 2-2 8. Totals 27-56 12-17 75.
Three Point Field Goals—Colorado 10-21 (Caylao-Do 3-4, Finau 2-2, Sherrod 2-5, Whittaker 1-1, Clarke 1-3, Knight 0-2, Tuitele 0-2), Colorado State 9-19 (Brady 4-8, Jacobs 3-4, Ellis 1-1, Williams 1-2, Stamatelopoulos 0-1, Bonnarens 0-3). Rebounds—Colorado 33 (Knight 11), Colorado State 21 (Brady 6). Assists—Colorado 17 (Sherrod 6), Colorado State 13 (Williams 6). Steals—Colorado 5 (Finau 2, Tuitele 2), Colorado State 6 (Brady 2, Williams 2
Turnovers—Colorado 17 (Finau 4), Colorado State 10 (Williams 4). Fouls—Colorado 19, Colorado State 16.
Time—1:51. Attendance—1,194.
Colorado (4-0), defeated the Rams for the fourth straight time and for the 15th time in the last 18 meetings, but it was another battle at Moby Gym. The last four games there have been decided by a total of 13 points, and Friday night's affair was no different, as the game featured 25 lead changes, including eight in the fourth quarter.
After CSU's Megan Jacobs hit a three to give CSU its last lead at 67-66 with three minutes to play, the Buffs got two big three-point baskets on back-to-back possessions from Lesila Finau and Quinessa Caylao-Do to put CU back up by five, 72-67, with 2:04 on the clock.
Tori Williams cut the lead to three with a pair of free throws for the Rams, and after a CU turnover, CSU had a chance to cut the lead to one but Katia Stamatelopoulos missed two freebies. Following a quick timeout by CU head coach JR Payne, Jaylyn Sherrod hit another trey to extend the lead back to six, 75-69, with 34 seconds to go.
CSU (3-3) still had some fight left, as Annie Brady answered 10 seconds later with the Rams' ninth third-pointer to pull her team back to within three, but Sherrod was fouled on the inbounds pass and coolly sank two free throws to keep it a two-score game at 77-72. The teams traded free throw the remainder of the way with CSU never getting closer than the final margin.
Colorado did not have the services of its leading scorer, junior Mya Hollingshed, who was suspended for one game for violating team rules, but her teammates more than made up for her 15.3 average.
Caylao-Do scored a season-high 22 points, one shy of her career high, making seven-of-10 field goals, including three-of-four three-pointers, and hit five-of-six free throws. Sherrod had 15 points with a team-high six assists, while Finau added 14 points, matching her career-high, along with five rebounds and five assists.
The Buffs had season best performances in field goal shooting (55.1 percent, 27-of-49) also from three-point range (47.6 percent, 10-of-21). CU shot exactly 50 percent in each of the first three quarters, then 8-of-11 from the field in the fourth (73 percent), including 4-of-5 from behind the arc.
Colorado was able to overcome a 17-10 deficit in turnovers by owning a 33-21 on the boards, limiting CSU to just one offensive rebound in each half.
CU led 18-14 after the first quarter, finishing the period on a 10-5 run keyed by Charlotte Whittaker, who scored the first five points in the spree. CU led by six on three different occasions in the second quarter, last at 31-25 with five minutes remaining, but the Rams battled back to outscore the Buffs, 12-5, over the last half of the period to take a 37-36 halftime lead.
The third quarter ended with Buffs owning a 51-49 edge, as Caylao-Do scored seven in the stanza, including a three-pointer with 29 seconds left to account for the CU advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Brady led the Rams with 26 points, while Jacobs added 13.
NOTES
It was never more than a two-score game, as CU's largest lead was six while CSU's was three … Colorado now leads the all-time series by a 39-12 count, 14-10 in Fort Collins … It was CU's second road win of the year, coming after another tough affair at Wyoming in a 66-56 verdict … Caylao-Do's career-high is 23 points which she scored against Northern Colorado on Nov. 6, 2018 … CU's win tied this year's Rocky Mountain Showdown series at two apiece; the Buffs won in football and the Rams won both volleyball matches; the Colorado men will travel to Fort Collins for a Dec. 13 contest, the next scheduled contest across all sports between the two rivals … The Buffaloes have a quick turnaround, hosting Jacksonville Sunday at the CU Events Center in a 6:00 p.m. tip.
QUOTES
CU Head Coach JR Payne
GENERAL—"I expected a back-and-forth battle, this is a really good basketball team. They had a lot of secret weapons in that they had a lot of good players redshirting last year. Their team transformed quickly in a year. We knew they could shoot the three, any team that can do that is always in it. We expected it to be an absolute dog fight."
ON STRATEGY DOWN THE STRETCH—"I try to save some timeouts with a young team, I'm glad I did. We were running some plays out there that we've never even talked about, and they were able to go in and execute and play off each other. Free throws down the stretch by a freshmen. A lot of really good things."
ON TEAM DEPTH—"A lot of people have done good things on different nights, it speaks to our depth and we need to continue to make everybody feel like they can impact the game."
ON MY HOLLINGSHEAD BEING INACTIVE—"Mya had a violation of team rules. She told the team she'll be out there in spirit and be the biggest cheerleader, I'm glad we faced that adversity and persevered. This is a tough place to play, we knew it would be a close game and different people would have to step up down the stretch."
ON REDSHIRT FRESHMAN CHARLOTTE WHITTAKER—"Charlotte's been playing really well. We've been playing all these teams with three-point shooters, and she's a big and strong player and in 18 years of playing basketball she's probably never seen that.
Guard Lesila Finau
GENERAL—"We knew it was going to be a game of runs, it doesn't matter what conference you're in, they're here to win just like we are. Coach kept telling us to crash the boards, it really helped because we were able to go in transition easier. The rebounds were big, coach kept emphasizing it, they kept shooting threes and long shots cause long rebounds and we were able to get them."
"The three's down the stretch were big, they were a big part of us winning the game."
Guard Quinessa Caylao-Do
GENERAL—"It was really fun, I've never played at Colorado State and we got the W, so it was fun. Coach T (assistant coach Toriano Towns) told us in the beginning it was going to be a game of runs, and of course it's a rival, he told us to be calm and confident. Hitting those three-pointers really boosted our energy and kept us going. I had my family here, so it was fun to score 22 points in front of all of them."
ON TEAM CHEMISTRY—"We're all supporting each other and everybody trusted their role and played well and stepped up and it showed on the court. This was a good game to figure out where we're at early in the season. It will be a good step for us the rest of the season and we have a lot of games here in a short period, so this is a good stepping stone."
BOXSCORE
Colorado (79)
Caylao-Do 7-10 5-6 22, Clarke 2-8 0-0 5, Finau 4-5 4-7 14, Knight 1-3 1-2 5, Tuitele 3-6 0-0 6, Sherrod 4-8 5-6 15, Jank 1-3 0-0 3, Volcy 0-0 0-0 0, Whittaker 5-6 0-0 11. Totals 27-49 15-21 79.
Colorado State (75)
Williams 3-6 2-2 9, Jacobs 4-6 2-2 13, Ellis 5-11 0-0 11, Bonnarens 0-4 0-0 0, Brady 10-19 2-5 26, Mole 0-0 0-0 0, Stamatelopoulos 2-4 4-6 8, Brocke 0-1 0-0 0, Davis 3-5 2-2 8. Totals 27-56 12-17 75.
Three Point Field Goals—Colorado 10-21 (Caylao-Do 3-4, Finau 2-2, Sherrod 2-5, Whittaker 1-1, Clarke 1-3, Knight 0-2, Tuitele 0-2), Colorado State 9-19 (Brady 4-8, Jacobs 3-4, Ellis 1-1, Williams 1-2, Stamatelopoulos 0-1, Bonnarens 0-3). Rebounds—Colorado 33 (Knight 11), Colorado State 21 (Brady 6). Assists—Colorado 17 (Sherrod 6), Colorado State 13 (Williams 6). Steals—Colorado 5 (Finau 2, Tuitele 2), Colorado State 6 (Brady 2, Williams 2
Turnovers—Colorado 17 (Finau 4), Colorado State 10 (Williams 4). Fouls—Colorado 19, Colorado State 16.
Time—1:51. Attendance—1,194.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballDesiree Wooten at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season #gobuffs
Monday, October 13
Erianna Gooden at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season #gobuffs
Monday, October 13
Jade Masogayo at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season #gobuffs
Monday, October 13
JoJo Nworie at media day ahead of the 2025-26 season #gobuffs
Monday, October 13