Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
16-13,5-13Pac-12
USC
16-13,8-10Pac-12
Buffs Come Up Short in LA
March 01, 2020 | Women's Basketball
Aubrey Knight led CU with 20 points
LOS ANGELES – Redshirt sophomore Aubrey Knight scored a team-high 20 points in Colorado's regular-season finale on Sunday. Knight's efforts were not enough to help Buffaloes hold off Southern California, falling 66-55.
Colorado finishes the season with a 16-13 record and closes out the Pac-12 season 5-13. USC enters the Pac-12 Tournament with a 16-13 record and an 8-10 mark in conference play.
The Buffaloes couldn't get their offense on track, shooting just 30.5 percent (18-59) on the day. CU went 0-for-12 from 3-point range. Knight was the most consistent offensive threat for the Buffs, going 7-for-11 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. Freshman Jaylyn Sherrod and Peanut Tuitele also hit double figures, both finishing with 10 points.
Alissa Pili and Endyia Rogers each totaled 20 points for the Trojans. Pili also finished with a game-high 13 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colorado's afternoon started with a spark. The Buffs debuted a new starting line that injected new energy from the opening tip. Freshman Zuzana Kulinska opened the afternoon with CU's first basket in the opening possession and the Buffs got out to a 4-0 start.
The energy did not last long though. After an even, 11-11, first quarter the Buffs got outscored 18-6 in the second and had a season-low 17 points at the break. CU shot just 5-for-25 in the first half and didn't get a field goal in the second quarter until nine minutes into the period.
Knight scored 14 points in the second half, including the opening basket of the third quarter to cut the USC lead to 29-19. The Trojans followed with a 6-0 run to that put the Buffs in a 16-point hole with 8:15 to go in the quarter. Colorado was able to score 20 points in the quarter, but the Trojans matched the scoring output to keep the 12 points lead.
The Trojans maintained the double-digit lead for much of the fourth quarter. Junior Mya Hollingshed hit her lone basket of the game with 1:37 to play to get within 11 and a Knight layup cut the USC lead to nine, 63-54, in the final minute.
KEY STATISTIC: Colorado struggled to find the basket in the second quarter, going just 1-for-11. CU totaled only six points in the frame with the air of four free throws.
NOTES: First career start for Kulinska…CU played 11 players in the first 5:19 of the game…All 12 players got into the game in the first half…Only four players recorded points for CU in the first half…Colorado failed to hit a 3 (0-12) for the second time in six games…CU won on the battle on the glass, outrebounding USC by 10 (40-30)…CU's bench scored 32 points, marking the fourth time this season and first in Pac-12 play…The Buffs fall to 2-8 all-time on the road against USC.
NEXT UP: Colorado will be the No. 10 seed in next week's Pac-12 Tournament and will face No. 7 USC on Thursday (7 p.m. MT). The tournament will be hosted at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Quotes
Head Coach JR Payne
On Colorado's rotation of players
"Bottom line. The group that started the game outworked everybody in practice yesterday. When we turned on the film from Friday night the first, three, four minutes we were making a lot of mental errors. When we turned it on our players said 'oh yeah, I know I'm supposed to do this or I know I'm supposed to do that.' We had a great practice yesterday, but the group that started today was very competitive. They had a great pace; they had a great intensity and those are things that I thought we needed against USC. That one group brought that type of intensity and that's what we needed. So that's what we went with."
On looking forward to the tournament
"I mean we're capable of playing great basketball. We need to things dial in and figure it out. What are the things that help us be successful offensively, defensively and a rebounding standpoint we need to be ready to go. Postseason play is always a new season. Everybody seems to be playing good basketball right now."
