Colorado
6-0,0-0Pac-12
Indiana State
2-3,0-0MVC
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Strong Third Quarter Leads Buffs to Victory
November 26, 2019 | Women's Basketball
CU moves to 6-0 to start the season
0OULDER — The cold temperatures and two feet of snow were not enough to cool down Colorado's hot start to the season. The Buffaloes women's basketball team scored its sixth consecutive win, taking care of Indiana State, 59-46.
The CU Events Center was a quieter atmosphere due to the conditions outside on Tuesday, but the Buffs put on a defensive clinic in the third quarter for die-hards in attendance. Colorado held a five-point halftime lead, 32-27, but outscored the Sycamores by 14 in the third quarter to take command of the afternoon.
Sophomore Emma Clarke led all players with 14 points. She closed one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with a team-high nine boards. Freshman Charlotte Whittaker continued her strong offensive streak. She put in 11 for the Buffs, recording her third straight game in double-digits. Jaylyn Sherrod rounded out CU's top-scorers with 10 points and four assists.
CeCe Mayo led Indiana State (2-3) with 10 points off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colorado had flashbacks to Sunday night's game at the start. The Buffs opened with turnovers on its first two possessions, after giving the ball up 11 times in the first quarter against Jacksonville. CU reeled it back in after getting down 5-0 in the opening minutes. A Whittaker layup tied the game at 7-7 then the Buffs took the lead momentarily off an inside basket by Mya Hollingshed.
The Sycamores hit a 3 to regain a 10-9 lead, but the Buffs countered on the next possession to jump back out, 11-10. Colorado didn't trail the rest of the day, using a 44.4 percent (8-18) performance from the floor in the opening quarter to hold off the Sycamores 6-for-12 start.
The offense slowed down for both sides in the second quarter. Colorado was just 4-of-11 at the media break while holding Indiana State to just 2-for-8. CU's lead grew to seven, 28-21, off a Sherrod layup with 2:26 to go in the second quarter. A 3 from Clarke put the Buffs back up by seven, 31-24, with 1:26 to go.
Indiana State scored the first basket in the third quarter, cutting the CU lead to three, 32-29. ISU would hit a free-throw just over two minutes into the quarter, but it was all CU from there. The Buffs would score the next 16 points, beginning with a pair of Sherrod free throws. Sherrod would score six points in the run that was punctuated by a strong drive to the basket to put Colorado comfortably in the lead, 50-30.
Colorado took a 19-point cushion into the fourth quarter, allowing for the CU bench to get into the action. Indiana State would outscore the Buffs 15-9 in the final quarter, but the Buffs were already well on their way to the win.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado held Indiana State to 1-of-11 from the floor in the third quarter. The Sycamores went 0-for-10 to finish the quarter.
NOTES: Whittaker got her first career start on Tuesday…Colorado improves to 25-1 in November under Coach Payne...CU's turnovers were still high, totaling 20 on the day…CU's six-game winning streak is it's first since winning six in a row last season (Nov. 6-Nov. 27)…Indiana State's four points in the third quarter were the fewest allowed by the Buffs since limiting Samford to a three-point second quarter last season (12/20/18)…CU's bench totaled 26 points, making it the fifth straight game with at least 20 points off the bench…the Buffs matched a season-high with 40 points in the paint (NJIT)…matching technical fouls were giving to Peanut Tuitele and LeAndra Echi with 51 seconds left in the game.
NEXT UP: The Buffs have some time off before their next game. Colorado resumes practice on Friday, getting ready for Texas Southern on Dec. 3.
QUOTES
Head Coach JR Payne
Overall Thoughts
"I'm excited that we're 6-0. I just told the team I'm kind of bummed because we didn't play a great game today and as a coach, I always want us to be at our very best. I'm proud of how we rebounded the basketball, Emma [Clarke] had nine of them, but we outrebounded a really athletic team by 15 (47-32) and that's a great thing. I know we're better than this. Even in a win, I feel like we can do more. The season has just barely started, and we have a lot of basketball to play. I know that we're going to continue to improve as the season goes on, but three games in five days would be tough for even the most veteran basketball team and we're definitely young. I'm excited about how we persevered through that. A lot of good things to take away."
On Early Season Struggle
"We have had some early season kinks against very different basketball teams. We were talking about the NBA and the WNBA the other day saying that those guys play Friday night in Atlanta and they get on a red-eye to Los Angeles and it's a whole new ballgame. We basically have played a pro schedule for the last five days. Like I said, even the most veteran team would struggle with that. It would have been nice if they had all been similar teams because we could have said you know what, it's the same game plan, just do what you've been doing, but it was not like that. It was a different scout and a different game plan for three nights and that is very hard to do. I'm really proud of our ability to do that. It wasn't pretty, but I think that our ability to sort of persevere and get through is good for our future."
On Shutting Down ISU in the Third Quarter
"I thought it was our activity. We were just way more aggressive defensively, and that kickstarted our offense in transition. We were forcing turnovers and getting easier looks at the basket. I think during that 16-0 run there was probably a lot of that when that happened."
Sophomore Emma Clarke
On Playing with a Smaller Sized Crowd
"We just had to bring our own energy. Warm-ups at the start were a little slow because we were relying on the crowd and the band that usually bring all the excitement and happiness before the game. We just had to bring all of that ourselves. We came together as a team and knew we needed to turn it up and get ready for the game by ourselves. I think that we came into the game energized."
On Holding ISU to One Field Goal in the Third Quarter
"For me, I think it was just what we were working on yesterday and this morning in shootaround, jumping to the ball and just doing the basics."
Freshman Jaylyn Sherrod
On the 16-0 Run
"I think that we really just settled in. We knew that they were tired coming out, even after the first quarter. We just pushed the ball, got open shots, got it to our shooters and kept driving down their throats. We were just hoping that it would all pay off, which it did."
On Having the Big Lead Going into the Fourth Quarter
"It was nice to not be in a situation where there is a lot of pressure. At the same time, we still have to execute our stuff. I don't think we were executing our stuff, but we are working on it. We had the space to make mistakes, but those mistakes shouldn't have been made."