Sunday, February 17
Tucson, Ariz.
12:00 PM
Colorado
11-14
51
at
63
Arizona
17-8
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado
12
13
14
12
51
Arizona
18
16
16
13
63
Team Stats
COLO
ARIZ
FG%
.306
.369
3FG%
.208
.292
FT%
.571
.727
RB
42
43
TO
18
12
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballPhoto by: Gary Breedlove
Buffs Battle Hard in Tucson
February 17, 2019 | Women's Basketball
Colorado returns home next Friday
TUCSON, Ariz. – The highs and lows of the season continued for the Colorado women's basketball team in its 63-51 loss at Arizona on Sunday.
The Buffaloes walked into the McKale Center knowing that senior Kennedy Leonard would return to the court. What was unexpected was the loss of senior Alexis Robinson, who was ruled due to injury prior to the game.
Head coach JR Payne inserted freshman Emma Clarke into the starting lineup in place of Robinson, giving the Australian her first career start. The Buffs went with three freshmen in the starting lineup (Clarke, Lesila Finau, Peanut Tuitele) for the first time since Feb. 27, 2016.
"We talked before the game about how everybody has to do just a little bit more," Payne noted. "We were trying to get to the free-throw line and tried to be aggressive. We just need to knock down our free throws when we get there."
The Buffs were able to keep Arizona within reach throughout the afternoon. The Wildcats got an 18-point lead in the third quarter, but Colorado did not go away. The Buffs continued to battle, getting to within seven in the fourth quarter.
"We really competed throughout the second half," Payne explained. "I think that was definitely a bright spot. I thought the first half was a little bit sluggish. We need to play the way we did the last 20 minutes for the entire 40 minutes."
Tuitele was CU's leading scorer, notching 10 points on her birthday. Quinessa Caylao-Do and Clarke finished with eight points apiece. Leonard finished with five points and three assists in her 12 minutes off the bench.
"It was great to be out here again," Leonard exclaimed. "I haven't played in a month or so. To be able to come back out and play with my team and kind of get back in the flow of things was good."
Cate Reese led all scorers with 17 points for Arizona. Dominique McBryde and Aari McDonald each finished with 13.
The loss drops Colorado to 11-14 overall and 1-13 in the Pac-12. Arizona improves to .500 in conference play (7-7) and 17-8 overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Clarke did not waste any time in her first start. She got Colorado's first points, hitting her first 3 of the afternoon. Finau followed with a layup to even the score at 5-5 in the first minutes of the contest. Shots came few and far between for both teams in the period. Arizona shot 5-for-15 (33.3 percent) to Colorado's 4-for-14 (28.6 percent).
The difference in the quarter came from the free-throw line. Arizona was the beneficiary of early calls against the Buffs, hitting 8-of-9 from the line. Colorado visited the line just once, netting a pair of free throws from Finau. The six-point advantage at the line mirrored Arizona's 18-12 lead.
Tuitele battled to the rim to open the second quarter, cutting the Arizona lead to 18-14. The Wildcats kept the CU offense quiet in the first half of the period. The ben-not-break Buffs battled through a 0-for-6 shooting. Arizona's lead increased to 27-14 before Clarke hit a long jumper to get CU back on the board. Leonard capitalized on a three-point play and a key 3-pointer by Hollingshed helped CU put together a 9-0 run, cutting Arizona's lead to 27-23.
The Wildcats closed the half on a 7-2 run to take a 34-25 lead at the break. The run continued in at the start of the third quarter with Arizona scoring the first seven points to go up 41-25. Colorado got outscored 14-5 in the first 5:42 of the period, getting behind 48-30.
The Buffs' offense was able to regroup and put together a 7-0 run. Mya Hollingshed got the ball rolling and a three-point play from Tuitele helped bring CU back to within 11, 48-37.
Tuitele and Leonard combined for CU's first points in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 53-43. Colorado went 3-for-5 to start the period. A three-point play from Caylao-Do brought Colorado to within seven, 53-46, with 7:40 left on the clock.
Arizona responded with a 5-0 run to get its lead back to 12 with 6:42 to go. A Caylao-Do layup got it back to 10, 58-48, with just over six minutes to play. Both teams struggled down the stretch, going scoreless for more than three minutes each. Colorado closed the game with one field goal in the final 4:52. CU finished 1-for-5, while the Buffs' defense kept Arizona to 1-for-8.
TURNING POINT: Colorado got was able to get the lead down to seven and seemed to have momentum on its side. Key 3's from Semja Smith and Sam Thomas put Arizona back up by 13 with just over five minutes to go. Colorado turned the ball over five times in the final five minutes, getting its only field goal with 1:09 to play.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado finishes the regulars season 0-4 against the Arizona schools and has now lost its last three meetings with the Wildcats.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado's defense held McDonald to just 13 points. McDonald entered the game second in the NCAA with 25.3 points per game…Arizona outscored CU 30-16 in the paint.
NOTEWORTHY: Colorado started three freshmen for the first time since Feb. 27, 2016 (Leonard, Robinson, Makenzie Ellis)…Leonard added three assists to her growing school-record (633)…She is 15 points shy of 1,600…Robinson had played in 55 consecutive games.
QUOTEWORTHY: "It was great to see Kennedy out there. She's a great player and makes people better. She gives everybody some confidence. I think she can feel confident moving forward, knowing she can do this. It's like riding a bike." – CU's JR Payne
"I feel like we can beat any team in the league. We played UCLA to four points. It's no different for us for the Washington schools. We are thrilled to be home. Senior Night is Sunday. That will be a special night. Hopefully, we are healthy and ready to go." – CU's JR Payne
"It is really hard to sit and watch. Even when I was playing and sitting on the bench it is hard for me to watch. I wish I could be out there every minute. I'll take what I can get right now. I'll try to do whatever I can to help my team." – CU's Kennedy Leonard
NEXT UP: The Buffaloes return to the CU Events Center next week to close out the home season against Washington State and Washington. Colorado will open with the Huskies on Friday (7 p.m.).
The Buffaloes walked into the McKale Center knowing that senior Kennedy Leonard would return to the court. What was unexpected was the loss of senior Alexis Robinson, who was ruled due to injury prior to the game.
Head coach JR Payne inserted freshman Emma Clarke into the starting lineup in place of Robinson, giving the Australian her first career start. The Buffs went with three freshmen in the starting lineup (Clarke, Lesila Finau, Peanut Tuitele) for the first time since Feb. 27, 2016.
"We talked before the game about how everybody has to do just a little bit more," Payne noted. "We were trying to get to the free-throw line and tried to be aggressive. We just need to knock down our free throws when we get there."
The Buffs were able to keep Arizona within reach throughout the afternoon. The Wildcats got an 18-point lead in the third quarter, but Colorado did not go away. The Buffs continued to battle, getting to within seven in the fourth quarter.
"We really competed throughout the second half," Payne explained. "I think that was definitely a bright spot. I thought the first half was a little bit sluggish. We need to play the way we did the last 20 minutes for the entire 40 minutes."
Tuitele was CU's leading scorer, notching 10 points on her birthday. Quinessa Caylao-Do and Clarke finished with eight points apiece. Leonard finished with five points and three assists in her 12 minutes off the bench.
"It was great to be out here again," Leonard exclaimed. "I haven't played in a month or so. To be able to come back out and play with my team and kind of get back in the flow of things was good."
Cate Reese led all scorers with 17 points for Arizona. Dominique McBryde and Aari McDonald each finished with 13.
The loss drops Colorado to 11-14 overall and 1-13 in the Pac-12. Arizona improves to .500 in conference play (7-7) and 17-8 overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Clarke did not waste any time in her first start. She got Colorado's first points, hitting her first 3 of the afternoon. Finau followed with a layup to even the score at 5-5 in the first minutes of the contest. Shots came few and far between for both teams in the period. Arizona shot 5-for-15 (33.3 percent) to Colorado's 4-for-14 (28.6 percent).
The difference in the quarter came from the free-throw line. Arizona was the beneficiary of early calls against the Buffs, hitting 8-of-9 from the line. Colorado visited the line just once, netting a pair of free throws from Finau. The six-point advantage at the line mirrored Arizona's 18-12 lead.
Tuitele battled to the rim to open the second quarter, cutting the Arizona lead to 18-14. The Wildcats kept the CU offense quiet in the first half of the period. The ben-not-break Buffs battled through a 0-for-6 shooting. Arizona's lead increased to 27-14 before Clarke hit a long jumper to get CU back on the board. Leonard capitalized on a three-point play and a key 3-pointer by Hollingshed helped CU put together a 9-0 run, cutting Arizona's lead to 27-23.
The Wildcats closed the half on a 7-2 run to take a 34-25 lead at the break. The run continued in at the start of the third quarter with Arizona scoring the first seven points to go up 41-25. Colorado got outscored 14-5 in the first 5:42 of the period, getting behind 48-30.
The Buffs' offense was able to regroup and put together a 7-0 run. Mya Hollingshed got the ball rolling and a three-point play from Tuitele helped bring CU back to within 11, 48-37.
Tuitele and Leonard combined for CU's first points in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 53-43. Colorado went 3-for-5 to start the period. A three-point play from Caylao-Do brought Colorado to within seven, 53-46, with 7:40 left on the clock.
Arizona responded with a 5-0 run to get its lead back to 12 with 6:42 to go. A Caylao-Do layup got it back to 10, 58-48, with just over six minutes to play. Both teams struggled down the stretch, going scoreless for more than three minutes each. Colorado closed the game with one field goal in the final 4:52. CU finished 1-for-5, while the Buffs' defense kept Arizona to 1-for-8.
TURNING POINT: Colorado got was able to get the lead down to seven and seemed to have momentum on its side. Key 3's from Semja Smith and Sam Thomas put Arizona back up by 13 with just over five minutes to go. Colorado turned the ball over five times in the final five minutes, getting its only field goal with 1:09 to play.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado finishes the regulars season 0-4 against the Arizona schools and has now lost its last three meetings with the Wildcats.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado's defense held McDonald to just 13 points. McDonald entered the game second in the NCAA with 25.3 points per game…Arizona outscored CU 30-16 in the paint.
NOTEWORTHY: Colorado started three freshmen for the first time since Feb. 27, 2016 (Leonard, Robinson, Makenzie Ellis)…Leonard added three assists to her growing school-record (633)…She is 15 points shy of 1,600…Robinson had played in 55 consecutive games.
QUOTEWORTHY: "It was great to see Kennedy out there. She's a great player and makes people better. She gives everybody some confidence. I think she can feel confident moving forward, knowing she can do this. It's like riding a bike." – CU's JR Payne
"I feel like we can beat any team in the league. We played UCLA to four points. It's no different for us for the Washington schools. We are thrilled to be home. Senior Night is Sunday. That will be a special night. Hopefully, we are healthy and ready to go." – CU's JR Payne
"It is really hard to sit and watch. Even when I was playing and sitting on the bench it is hard for me to watch. I wish I could be out there every minute. I'll take what I can get right now. I'll try to do whatever I can to help my team." – CU's Kennedy Leonard
NEXT UP: The Buffaloes return to the CU Events Center next week to close out the home season against Washington State and Washington. Colorado will open with the Huskies on Friday (7 p.m.).
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