Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
7-2,0-0Pac-12
Boise State
3-6,0-0Mountain West
Colorado Shuts Down Boise State, 71-48
December 04, 2022 | Women's Basketball
BOISE, Idaho – Colorado picked up its third consecutive win and seventh of the season at ExtraMile Arena on Sunday. The Buffaloes, who never trailed in the contest, had four players in double figures and led by as many as 31 points in the 71-48 triumph.
Fifth-year senior Tayanna Jones led the way for Colorado (7-2). She finished just shy of her first career double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Senior Quay Miller put in 13 points to go with her eight rebounds and Aaronette Vonleh and Jaylyn Sherrod closed the day with 12 points apiece.
"I think Tay is really just pouring into her senior season," head coach JR Payne commented. "This is her third year and is finally in a place where she's like, 'I'm all in,' for whatever the team needs me to do. If rebounding is her role, then she's going to be the best rebounder on the floor. She's seeing that when she plays like that it also kick-starts her scoring and provides opportunities for her to get put-backs, get to the free-throw line and things like that."
CU's defense continued to set the tone on Sunday, holding BSU to 34.5% (19-55). The Broncos had just 21 points in the first half and the Buffs led by 23, 44-21, at the half.
"We were really trying to prioritize our pace offensively, and our discipline on both sides of the floor," Payne explained. "I think we did pretty good at both of those things. We started a little sluggish, which we have to fix, but I love how we played. I think we're getting contributions from different people on different nights and if you can rely on that consistency from various people contributing in different ways, it's really going to help us throughout the season."
Boise State (3-6) was led by Mya Hansen and her 11 points.
How It Happened
Colorado's offense came out of the chute fast on Sunday. Sherrod opened the afternoon with a 4-point play, sparking an 8-2 open. CU's defense continued to limit the opposing team, holding Boise State to a 1-for-5 start to the quarter. Colorado made three consecutive 3-pointers late in the quarter, including back-to-back triples from Miller, to hand CU a 22-15 lead.
The defense remained staunch in the second quarter, holding the Broncos to two baskets in the period. BSU got to within six points, 24-18, and then went cold. The Broncos missed their next nine attempts and saw the Buffs increase the lead to 42-18. Jones totaled seven of her nine points in the quarter, in CU's 22-3 close to the quarter, taking a 44-21 lead at the half.
"I think our team, especially our veterans, take a lot of pride in defending," Payne added. "They know that defense helped us be successful last year, and we feel like we're built on the defensive end. We also recognize that defense can create offense for us and we players that like to defend and like to get out and go in transition. I think the two kind of go hand in hand.
The Buffs' offensive production slowed out of the half with Colorado getting outscored 15-12 in the third quarter. The Buffs were just 5-for-17 in the period, but also limited BSU to 5-for-14 shooting. Tameiya Sadler beat the buzzer with a layup to close the quarter, giving Colorado the 56-36 lead.
CU flipped the script in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Broncos 15-12. Jones helped close out the game with five points in the quarter.
Turning Point
The late first-quarter 3's from Miller and Sherrod helped establish the Buffs' dominance on Sunday. Miller's first 3-pointer put the Buffs up six, 16-10, and she followed up with a second on CU's next possession to maintain the six-point lead, 19-13. Sherrod drained the third straight trey for the Buffs to give Cu a 22-13 lead with 48 seconds to go in the opening quarter.
Notes
Sunday was the first game Colorado led from start to finish…It's the first time CU held three consecutive opponents to under 50 points since last season (Samford 48, Texas Southern 47, Louisiana Tech 48)…CU is 4-0 all-time against DI schools nicknamed Broncos…The Buffs scored 36 points in the paint, marking the sixth time this season CU has scored 30+ in the paint…Colorado scored 28 points off of 18 Boise State turnovers…Sunday was the third consecutive game CU has held a team to under 10 points in a quarter (6, 2nd quarter)…Miller has scored in double figures in eight of nine games this season.
