Colorado
14-8,3-8Pac-12
Washington State
11-12,4-7Pac-12
Buffs Stumble on the Road to Cougars
February 07, 2020 | Women's Basketball
Mya Hollingshed scores 18 in the loss
PULLMAN, Wash. – It was a case of the good, the bad and the ugly for the Colorado women's basketball on Friday. The Buffaloes led by 15 at the half but were unable to keep the lead in the second half, falling 69-59.
Colorado (14-8, 3-8 Pac-12) shot 50 percent in the first quarter and everything went downhill from there. CU used a 17-for-35 performance (48.6 percent) in the first half and only hit 22.2 percent (6-27) in the second half. Junior Mya Hollingshed led CU with 18 points. Freshman Jaylyn Sherrod added 12 points.
Washington State got 27 points from Chanelle Molina, 23 of which came in the second half. Borislava Hristova scored 13 points in the second half and finished with 17. Jovana Subasic added 13 points for the Cougars.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both Colorado and Washington State got off to strong starts in the first quarter. CU got the upper hand early, starting 3-for-6 to jump out 6-2 in the first three minutes. WSU countered with a 4-for-4 shooting streak, gaining a brief 14-13 lead. A Clarke layup gave the lead back to the Buffs, 15-14. Colorado closed the quarter with Sherrod layup to beat the buzzer, 19-18.
The Buffs hit an even 50 percent from the field in the first quarter, going 9-for-18. Hollingshed helped pace CU with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting. CU did most of its work in the paint, getting 12 points down low.
Colorado's hot hand continued into the second quarter. CU stayed in front of WSU the entire quarter, thanks in part to a 4-for-8 start to the quarter. The Buffs fought through a 0-for-4 slum, but maintained a four-point lead, 27-23. CU's defense stepped up in the quarter, holding the Cougars to just seven points. The Buffs used a 13-2 run to gain control of the contest capped off with a Hollingshed 3-pointer at the buzzer to close the half, 38-25.
CU's lead hit 15 points at the start of the third quarter. Sherrod hit the Buffs first basket, but CU only recorded two more field goals the rest of the quarter. The Buffs finished 3-for-14 in the quarter, totaling only eight points. WSU doubled the Buffs total, scoring 16 points, cutting the CU lead to five, 46-41 at the end of the quarter.
Washington State took control in the fourth, completing an 8-3 run at the start of the quarter. Hristova completed a three-point play to tie the game at 49 with just under eight minutes to play. WSU got its first lead, 53-52, off Hristova jumper with 3:40 on the clock. CU got back in front momentarily, 54-53, but wouldn't lead the rest of the way.
The Cougars scored 28 points in the quarter, outscoring CU 16-5 in the final three minutes of play.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado went just 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) at the free-throw line. CU went 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) in the second half.
NOTES: CU is now 1-8 all-time in Pullman…CU outscored WSU 34-28 in the paint…the 15 point lead at the half was the largest in a loss for CU this season…Hollingshed hit two 3-pointers giving her 86 in her career (17th all-time)…CU had 19 offensive rebounds and scored 14 second-chance points.
NEXT UP: The Buffs head to Seattle to take on the Huskies on Sunday (1 p.m. MT).
QUOTES
Head Coach JR Payne
On changes from the first to the second half
"I thought we missed so many easy looks early in the second half that we got pretty gun shy. We were getting good looks at the hoop –layups and free throws and a lot of offensive boards and things like that but when those weren't falling, I don't know I just thought we tightened up a little bit. Then it continued when you tighten up and you're worried about what happened two possessions ago, it's very hard to be in the moment"
On Colorado's missed opportunities
"We're all capable of making contested layups. We know that. The girls know that. Everybody knows that. In the end, you still got to knock them down and you got to be able to stay present, not get frustrated and disappointed to where it takes you out of it. You have to get back to the right mind space to be able to complete the next shot."
