Colorado
12-1,1-1Pac-12
Oregon
11-1,1-0Pac-12
Buffs Drop First of the Season
January 03, 2020 | Women's Basketball
No. 2 Oregon hands CU its first loss
EUGENE, Ore. — All good things must come to end. That was the case for the Colorado women's basketball team who saw its 12-game winning streak come to an ended at the hands of No. 2 Oregon, 104-46.
The loss puts Colorado at 12-1 on the season and an even 1-1 in the Pac-12. Oregon improves to 11-1 and 1-0 in conference play.
Offense was hard to come by for the Buffs, playing in front of 10,483 fans clad in green and yellow. Freshman Jaylyn Sherrod and redshirt sophomore Aubrey Knight led the Buff with nine points. Colorado finished the game with a season-low 16 made field goals. The Buffs finished just 26.7 percent shooting on the night.
The Ducks had five players in double figures. UO was led by Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu with 21 points apiece. Oregon's dynamic duo also hit a pair of career milestones. Hebard surpassed 2,000 career points and Ionescu became the 12th player in NCAA women's basketball to reach 900 career assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Things started on a positive note for the Buffs. Sherrod hit a 3-pointer in CU's opening possession, but that would be the Buffs only basket in the early minutes. The Buffs opened 2-for-13 from the field and saw the Ducks go on 20-5 run to take control. Oregon put the full-court pressure on early and kept the Buffs out of rhythm. CU finished the quarter just 4-for-17 shooting with six turnovers. Oregon countered with a 10-for-19 start and led by as many as 17 in the frame.
CU's offensive troubles continued in the second quarter. The Buffs shot 4-for-11 in the period and turned the ball over seven more times. Oregon continued its offensive success, shooting 50 percent (9-18). Ionescu went 4-for-6 for the Ducks, scoring 10 points in the quarter. UO's lead hit 29 points, 51-22, by the half making the Buffs' comeback attempt insurmountable.
Oregon opened the third quarter on a 13-3 run, getting up 64-25, and wouldn't stumble the rest of the way. The Ducks posted 31 points in the third quarter and cruised to finish.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado's shooting woes couldn't have come on a more inopportune night. CU shot a season-low 26.7 percent. Oregon's offensive efficiency (58.0 percent) was the highest of any CU opponent this season.
NOTES: Coming into tonight Colorado hadn't trailed by more than 11 points all season…Oregon's 104 points were the sixth most allowed in CU history…CU's 46 points were its fewest since scoring 49 against Arizona State in the Pac-12 Tournament last season...CU is now 0 for its last 16 against ranked opponents…the 58 point deficit is the fifth largest in CU history…Colorado failed to have a player reach double-figure scoring for the first time since Jan. 22, 2016 also against Oregon (59-46 loss)
NEXT UP: The road trip concludes on Sunday for the Buffs. Colorado heads to Corvallis to take on No. 3 Oregon State.
QUOTES
Head Coach JR Payne
Overall thoughts
"I thought we really shot ourselves in the foot against what I believe is the best team in the country. You can't afford to do that. You don't have to play perfect but you got to be able to knock down free throws, make layups and rebound. I was really proud of our rebounding effort. I thought we took care of the ball more efficiently in the second half, but the turnovers and [playing] in transition in the first half just were really hard to come back from."
On bouncing back against Oregon State on Sunday
"There's no choice. You just have to. Even if we had one tonight, I would say the same thing. You need to have a short memory because we got a great team waiting for us and in Corvallis on Sunday. You have to flush it, learn and move on."
