Sunday, February 10
Boulder, Colo.
1:00 PM
Colorado
11-12
81
vs
76
USC
14-9
1
2
3
4
F
Southern California
26
12
20
18
76
Colorado
29
14
19
19
81
Photo by: Cliff Grassmick
Hollingshed, Robinson Lead Buffs To First Pac-12 Win
February 10, 2019 | Women's Basketball
BOULDER – The Colorado women's basketball team avoided the wrong side of history of Sunday. The Buffaloes snapped its 11-game losing streak with an 81-76 win over Southern California at the CU Events Center.
Alexis Robinson drilled a 3-pointer with 32.7 seconds remaining to give Colorado a five-point lead, and the Buffs held on for an 81-76 win over the Women of Troy.
"I say every game how proud I am of this team," head coach JR Payne stated after the win. "I'm really proud of our effort today. Four players in double figures, only 12 turnovers and a few of them were late in the game against a team that forces a lot of turnovers. We outrebounded them by 12. I think every hustle category we won today and I'm really, really proud of our team tonight."
CU had four players score in double figures. Mya Hollingshed hit a pair of free throws with 17 seconds to play to give the Buffs the five-point cushion. She Colorado with 21 points. Hollingshed and Robinson (16 points) combined for 37 on the afternoon, and freshmen Lesila Finau and Emma Clarke had 14 and 10 points, respectively.
It was CU's first Pac-12 win of the season as the Buffs improved to 11-12 overall and 1-11 in conference play. USC falls to 14-8 and 4-8 in the Pac-12.
"I feel like we've been knocking on the door so many times," Payne added. "The first two conference games at home were two, three- or four-point games and Friday night's game was a four-point game. We've had a lot of really good games, we just haven't been able to come out with a victory. For me, I'm most excited for these guys to be able to celebrate, to be able to reap the reward of all their hard work tonight, and we'll just continue to work hard keep getting better."
Freshman Peanut Tuitele was giant on the glass for Colorado. She snagged a game-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore Annika Jank aided with seven points and eight boards in relief.
Mariya Moore led Southern California with a game-high 22 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado held a 14-point lead, 72-58, two and half minutes into the fourth quarter. The Trojans battled back with a 12-1 run over the next 2:38 to clip the Buffs' lead to three, 73-30. Both teams took turns from the free-throw line over the next few possessions as USC evened the score at 74 with 1:28 to play.
Hollingshed toed the line for the first time with 1:07 to go, sinking both attempts to put CU back up 76-74. Minyon Moore missed a layup for the Trojans on the ensuing possession and Peanut Tuitele came up big on the defensive glass for the Buffaloes. The ball found the hands of Robinson just off the CU bench as she drilled her third 3-pointer of the game, sending the bench and all 2,215 fans into a ruckus.
Minyon Moore hit two free throws with 19 seconds to play, getting USC back within three (79-76). The Trojans were forced to foul on the next inbound play for the Buffs, sending Hollingshed back to the line. She hit both shots to close the afternoon's scoring.
"I love free throws" Hollingshed noted. "I'm open and can take my time. I've just got to focus and knock them down."
The Trojans missed three consecutive chances down low in the in final seconds and Tuitele secured the final rebound to run out the clock.
Colorado had one of its best first-half showings of the season. The Buffs shot 56.5 percent (13-23) and scored 29 points in the opening quarter. Early 3's from Clarke and Finau helped CU gain a nine-point advantage (23-14) with six minutes gone in the period. The Buffs lead grew to 11 with just over two minutes to go in the quarter.
USC charged back to close the gap to three at the end of the first, 29-26. The Trojans outshot Colorado in the quarter, closing 61.5 percent (8-13) from the floor. USC was the beneficiary of early foul calls, outscoring Colorado 8-0 in the period from the line.
Both team's offensive pace slowed in the second quarter. Each side shot 29.4 percent, keeping the game close through the remainder of the half. CU gained a six-point advantage (32-26) in the early minutes but saw USC go on a 7-3 run to take a 33-32 lead. Both sides took turns with a one-point lead when Robinson hit a 3 to put Colorado back up 48-38. Hollingshed closed the half with 3, giving CU a 43-38 halftime lead.
USC came out of the half and cut the Buffs' lead down to one, 43-42, in the first 90 seconds. Clarke stopped the 4-0 run with a big 3-pointer out of the Colorado timeout. Hollingshed hit CU's second 3 of the quarter, giving CU the 49-44 advantage. The Trojans did not break, answering with a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 51-49. The visitors got up by as many as four in the quarter, outscoring CU 20-19 in the period.
Colorado stood its ground, closing the third quarter on a 6-0 run to regain the lead at 63-58. The Buffs run continued into the early portion of the fourth. Hollingshed made good on her third 3-pointer and Quinessa Caylao-Do put in seven consecutive points to cap the 14-0 run, giving CU a 72-58 lead with 6:27 left to play.
"It was a team effort on both offense and defense," Finau said. "On offense, we knew we had to push in transition and score, and on defense, we just had to get stops."
TURNING POINT: Caylao-Do's 3 with at the 8:34 mark of the fourth quarter gave CU a 10-point lead, 68-58, early on in the fourth. For Caylao-Do it snapped a 0-for-7 shooting slump. She struggled through the first three quarters and went on to finish 3-for-12 from the field. Her three field goals could not have come at a better time though. She went 3-for-3 to start the fourth quarter, helping CU get its largest lead of the game—a lead that was just enough for the Buffs to close out the win.
WHAT IT MEANS: CU avoided the programs first-ever 12-game losing streak. The Buffs' win also means that Colorado avoids its first-ever winless conference season.
KEY STATISTICS: CU's bench outscored USC, 21-8. All nine players that entered the contest for Colorado got in the scoring column.
NOTEWORTHY: Colorado was without senior Kennedy Leonard for the ninth consecutive game…she continues to be day-to-day…CU's 29-point first quarter was the highest-scoring quarter of the season…the Buffs 43 first-half points were the most in a Pac-12 game this season… Colorado outrebounded USC 44-32…Caylao-Do tied her career-high with six assists…Robinson's 16 points give her 1,237 for her career…
QUOTEWORTHY: "I thought we had a great weekend of basketball. I thought we had a great week of practice. I just told the team in the locker room that a lot of teams that have been through the adversity that we have in the past couple months would have splintered and gone their own way or turned on each other. This group remains to be close and really hard working. I just love that about this group. I think it speaks to their character and I think it speaks to where we're going as a team."– CU's JR Payne
"They [Jank and Clarke] were both instrumental in our success tonight. I thought Emma's effort on the offensive glass was phenomenal. She was in there mixing it up with older, bigger, more athletic kids and played fearlessly. Annika did the same thing on the defensive end of the floor; her rebounding was great. I just think that everybody on the team was fantastic today, nobody was perfect. We don't ever ask for perfection other than in our effort. Even some that didn't get a chance to play as much were great on the bench and we just did a great job today." – CU's JR Payne
"Every game we say that we're going to play hard and compete no matter what the score is. We've just got to keep our foot on the gas and compete." – CU's Mya Hollingshed
"It felt great, I had a feeling when I woke up this morning that we were going to win. I don't know how to describe it, It just feels great" – CU's Lesila Finau
NEXT UP: Colorado will look to carry its success out on the road next week. The Buffs will visit Arizona State and Arizona in a pair of early season rematches.
Alexis Robinson drilled a 3-pointer with 32.7 seconds remaining to give Colorado a five-point lead, and the Buffs held on for an 81-76 win over the Women of Troy.
"I say every game how proud I am of this team," head coach JR Payne stated after the win. "I'm really proud of our effort today. Four players in double figures, only 12 turnovers and a few of them were late in the game against a team that forces a lot of turnovers. We outrebounded them by 12. I think every hustle category we won today and I'm really, really proud of our team tonight."
CU had four players score in double figures. Mya Hollingshed hit a pair of free throws with 17 seconds to play to give the Buffs the five-point cushion. She Colorado with 21 points. Hollingshed and Robinson (16 points) combined for 37 on the afternoon, and freshmen Lesila Finau and Emma Clarke had 14 and 10 points, respectively.
It was CU's first Pac-12 win of the season as the Buffs improved to 11-12 overall and 1-11 in conference play. USC falls to 14-8 and 4-8 in the Pac-12.
"I feel like we've been knocking on the door so many times," Payne added. "The first two conference games at home were two, three- or four-point games and Friday night's game was a four-point game. We've had a lot of really good games, we just haven't been able to come out with a victory. For me, I'm most excited for these guys to be able to celebrate, to be able to reap the reward of all their hard work tonight, and we'll just continue to work hard keep getting better."
Freshman Peanut Tuitele was giant on the glass for Colorado. She snagged a game-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore Annika Jank aided with seven points and eight boards in relief.
Mariya Moore led Southern California with a game-high 22 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado held a 14-point lead, 72-58, two and half minutes into the fourth quarter. The Trojans battled back with a 12-1 run over the next 2:38 to clip the Buffs' lead to three, 73-30. Both teams took turns from the free-throw line over the next few possessions as USC evened the score at 74 with 1:28 to play.
Hollingshed toed the line for the first time with 1:07 to go, sinking both attempts to put CU back up 76-74. Minyon Moore missed a layup for the Trojans on the ensuing possession and Peanut Tuitele came up big on the defensive glass for the Buffaloes. The ball found the hands of Robinson just off the CU bench as she drilled her third 3-pointer of the game, sending the bench and all 2,215 fans into a ruckus.
Minyon Moore hit two free throws with 19 seconds to play, getting USC back within three (79-76). The Trojans were forced to foul on the next inbound play for the Buffs, sending Hollingshed back to the line. She hit both shots to close the afternoon's scoring.
"I love free throws" Hollingshed noted. "I'm open and can take my time. I've just got to focus and knock them down."
The Trojans missed three consecutive chances down low in the in final seconds and Tuitele secured the final rebound to run out the clock.
Colorado had one of its best first-half showings of the season. The Buffs shot 56.5 percent (13-23) and scored 29 points in the opening quarter. Early 3's from Clarke and Finau helped CU gain a nine-point advantage (23-14) with six minutes gone in the period. The Buffs lead grew to 11 with just over two minutes to go in the quarter.
USC charged back to close the gap to three at the end of the first, 29-26. The Trojans outshot Colorado in the quarter, closing 61.5 percent (8-13) from the floor. USC was the beneficiary of early foul calls, outscoring Colorado 8-0 in the period from the line.
Both team's offensive pace slowed in the second quarter. Each side shot 29.4 percent, keeping the game close through the remainder of the half. CU gained a six-point advantage (32-26) in the early minutes but saw USC go on a 7-3 run to take a 33-32 lead. Both sides took turns with a one-point lead when Robinson hit a 3 to put Colorado back up 48-38. Hollingshed closed the half with 3, giving CU a 43-38 halftime lead.
USC came out of the half and cut the Buffs' lead down to one, 43-42, in the first 90 seconds. Clarke stopped the 4-0 run with a big 3-pointer out of the Colorado timeout. Hollingshed hit CU's second 3 of the quarter, giving CU the 49-44 advantage. The Trojans did not break, answering with a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 51-49. The visitors got up by as many as four in the quarter, outscoring CU 20-19 in the period.
Colorado stood its ground, closing the third quarter on a 6-0 run to regain the lead at 63-58. The Buffs run continued into the early portion of the fourth. Hollingshed made good on her third 3-pointer and Quinessa Caylao-Do put in seven consecutive points to cap the 14-0 run, giving CU a 72-58 lead with 6:27 left to play.
"It was a team effort on both offense and defense," Finau said. "On offense, we knew we had to push in transition and score, and on defense, we just had to get stops."
TURNING POINT: Caylao-Do's 3 with at the 8:34 mark of the fourth quarter gave CU a 10-point lead, 68-58, early on in the fourth. For Caylao-Do it snapped a 0-for-7 shooting slump. She struggled through the first three quarters and went on to finish 3-for-12 from the field. Her three field goals could not have come at a better time though. She went 3-for-3 to start the fourth quarter, helping CU get its largest lead of the game—a lead that was just enough for the Buffs to close out the win.
WHAT IT MEANS: CU avoided the programs first-ever 12-game losing streak. The Buffs' win also means that Colorado avoids its first-ever winless conference season.
KEY STATISTICS: CU's bench outscored USC, 21-8. All nine players that entered the contest for Colorado got in the scoring column.
NOTEWORTHY: Colorado was without senior Kennedy Leonard for the ninth consecutive game…she continues to be day-to-day…CU's 29-point first quarter was the highest-scoring quarter of the season…the Buffs 43 first-half points were the most in a Pac-12 game this season… Colorado outrebounded USC 44-32…Caylao-Do tied her career-high with six assists…Robinson's 16 points give her 1,237 for her career…
QUOTEWORTHY: "I thought we had a great weekend of basketball. I thought we had a great week of practice. I just told the team in the locker room that a lot of teams that have been through the adversity that we have in the past couple months would have splintered and gone their own way or turned on each other. This group remains to be close and really hard working. I just love that about this group. I think it speaks to their character and I think it speaks to where we're going as a team."– CU's JR Payne
"They [Jank and Clarke] were both instrumental in our success tonight. I thought Emma's effort on the offensive glass was phenomenal. She was in there mixing it up with older, bigger, more athletic kids and played fearlessly. Annika did the same thing on the defensive end of the floor; her rebounding was great. I just think that everybody on the team was fantastic today, nobody was perfect. We don't ever ask for perfection other than in our effort. Even some that didn't get a chance to play as much were great on the bench and we just did a great job today." – CU's JR Payne
"Every game we say that we're going to play hard and compete no matter what the score is. We've just got to keep our foot on the gas and compete." – CU's Mya Hollingshed
"It felt great, I had a feeling when I woke up this morning that we were going to win. I don't know how to describe it, It just feels great" – CU's Lesila Finau
NEXT UP: Colorado will look to carry its success out on the road next week. The Buffs will visit Arizona State and Arizona in a pair of early season rematches.
Team Stats
USC
COLO
FG%
.433
.455
3FG%
.348
.423
FT%
.727
.625
RB
32
44
TO
14
12
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
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