Colorado
24-8,12-5Pac-12
Middle Tennessee
-285,182 CUSA
Formann Shoots Buffs Into Second Round
March 18, 2023 | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C.—Junior FridaFormann scored 21 points and hit five 3-pointers as the hot-shooting Colorado Buffaloes looked impressive in dismantling Middle Tennessee State 82-60 Saturday evening in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The win was CU's first tournament victory since the second round of the 2003 tournament.
"It feels incredible," head coach JR Payne expressed. " This entire year has been incredible. I've said it in postgame press conferences before, I freaking love my team. I absolutely love them. They work hard, they are selfless, they celebrate each other. Every opportunity that I have to get to be with these guys and then to win a game, it is a blessing. An absolute blessing. I am super excited. When I left the hotel, I was looking around thinking, man, I hope I am happy when I get back here. I definitely will be. I'm so excited."
Formann's five 3s are the second most in an NCAA Tournament game for the program, and as a team, the Buffs hit 13-of-27 from deep, setting a new CU season-high and NCAA Tournament record for the Buffs.
"We just found our shooters wide open," Formann said after the win. "Even though it wasn't something we have done before, it that is what they are giving us, we are good at taking advantage of it. As Jaylyn [Sherrod] said, people told us it was a shooter's gym, maybe that is just it."
Seven different Buffs hit a 3-pointer in the game, with Tayanna Jones getting things started with back-to-back 3s in the start of a 12-0 run that opened up the game in the first quarter. Kindyll Wetta also had a pair of triples, including one at the halftime buzzer that ended another 9-0 run and gave the Buffs a 42-28 lead at the break. Jaylyn Sherrod, Quay Miller, Tameiya Sadler and Jada Wynn each hit a 3-poitner as well.
Sherrod finished with 13 points and six assists and Aaronette Vonleh finished with 11 points. Miller led the rebounding effort with eight as five Buffs had five-plus rebounds, helping Colorado win the rebounding battle 43-29. Wetta matched Sherrod's assist mark with six and Sadler added five assists as the Buffs finished with 21 assists on their 30 field goals.
Sadler and Wetta both had 5-5-5 games, Wetta with six points, six assists and five rebounds and Sadler with seven points, six rebounds and five assists.
Saturday's win was a year to the date of the Buffs' opening-round loss to Creighton last season.
"I think it gave another chip to put on our shoulders," Sherrod reflected. "We are a team that feeds off of that. I told the team before the game, 'You have an opportunity to earn more respect tonight.' There are a lot of people who still have a question mark next to Colorado. It was an opportunity for us to answer questions that people may have about our team, and people may not know about our team. That was just my mentality, what I told the team."
CU will now take on host and number three-seeded Duke at 7 p.m. MT (ESPNU) on Monday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Buffs scored 17 points in the final five minutes of the first quarter to open up a 22-11 lead after the first quarter. CU hit five 3s in the first quarter, the first from Formann to open CU's scoring. Midway through the quarter, the Buffs hit four consecutive 3-pointers in a 12-0 run to open up a 17-6 lead, and the two teams played even the final three minutes of the quarter for CU's 11-point lead. Vonleh had a traditional 3-point play to end the scoring in the quarter. Formann led the way with eight points, including two 3-pointers, in the opening quarter. CU averages just 5.7 3- pointers per game but hit five in the first quarter.
The two teams traded scoring chances in the first part of the second quarter, with the lead remaining between nine and 11 points in the first three-and-a-half minutes. MTSU closed the deficit to five points at 33-28 before the Buffs ended the quarter on a 9-0 run in the final 1:21 of the half. Sherrod hit a contested mid-range jumper with the shot clock winding down to start the run. Sadler hit a layup and got fouled with :48 left to make it 37-28 Buffs. She missed the free throw, but McLeod cleaned up the mess and made it 39-28 just seconds later. Wetta then went to work, getting a steal with 18 seconds left and hitting a 3-pointer, her first make of the game, as the buzzer sounded to give the Buffs a 14-point advantage, 42-28. The Buffs' seven 3-pointers at the half tied for the second most this season.
The third quarter turned into the Formann Show as she hit three 3-pointers in the early goings. MTSU cut the lead to 12, but another 9-0 run in less than a minute of game clock catapulted the Buffs to a 21-point lead at 56-35. CU then ended the quarter on a 7-0 run with a Miller layup fed by Wetta, a McLeod layup and Wetta 3-pointer, and it was a 12-2 run over the final 2:45 of the quarter to open up a 70-44 lead.
In the quarter, the Buffs tied the CU record by going 6-of-9 from behind the arc and 11-of-17 from the field overall.
The fourth quarter saw the Buffs gain its largest lead of 31 at 80-49 after a Sherrod jumper with 6:21 to play. Sherrod hit three field goals and Formann four free throws, both off flagrant fouls from MTSU, and aside from a Vonleh layup with 4:05 left in the game, that was the extent of the CU scoring in the quarter. MTSU outscored the Buffs 16-12, but CU ended with a 22-point win, 82-60.
KEY MOMENT
Two key moments were, starting when the Buffs were down 6-5, Jones hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, the start of a 12-0 run, to unleash the Buffs' hot shooting for the entire game and open up a 17-6 lead. In the second quarter after MTSU cut the lead to 5 at 33-28, CU ended the half on a 9-0 run to take a 42-28 lead at the break. Wetta's steal with 18 seconds left and a 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Buffs a commanding lead at the break.
"We are just so happy with how we are playing, who we are and what we are about," Payne added. "Even Kindyll, that shot is not just a shot. Kindyll is someone who worked extremely hard. How many did she hit, two? Even to take six threes for Kindyll is a big deal. We are always telling her, 'Shoot the ball. Shoot the ball.' For her to step up with confidence--it was a beautiful play. We penetrated, kicked back, made the extra pass. For her to shoot that with confidence, I thought it was huge for her and for us."
NOTES
Colorado improves to 18-14 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 4-3 at a No. 6 seed in the Big Dance … It's the program's first NCAA Tournament win for JR Payne and first in 20 years since March 24, 2003, in the second round of that tournament against North Carolina … CU is now 24-8 on the season, the most wins since 25 in the 2012-13 season … The Buffs hit 13-of-27 from behind the arc, the most 3s made in a game this season and setting a new NCAA Tournament record for the program for both makes and attempts … The 13 3-pointers are tied for seventh most in CU history and are the most in over a decade since hitting 15 against Oklahoma State in a WNIT game on 3/25/12 … CU's 48.2 percentage from deep is the second-highest of the season since hitting 6-of-12 (.500) against New Mexico in the season opener ... CU's CU hit 6-of-9 from deep in the third quarter, matching the overall program record for most 3-pointers in a quarter set against Idaho State on 12/3/16 … The Buffs assisted on 21 of 30 made buckets ... The 21 assists are two off the season high of 23, and CU is now 8-0 this season with 20-plus assists … CU is also 7-0 this season when hitting 30-plus field goals ... CU was 9-of-10 (.900) from the free throw line, the second-best percentage of the season behind a 14-of-15 performance (.933) at Chicago State ... CU's six blocks tied the second-most of the season behind seven at Washington and matching six against Jackson State ... Formann was 5-of-8 from deep, one off the CU record for an NCAA Tournament game and matching her season best (also 5-of-8 against Arizona on 1/13/23), which is also CU's season best ... Formann now has 70 3-pointers this season, tied for seventh most in CU history along with Kate Fagan, who was in attendance tonight ... Formann is now 70-of-177 (.395) on the season, good for 17th in CU history for 35-plus makes but the percentage is fourth-best for players with 70-plus makes ... Formann was 4-of-4 from the line and is now 47-of-52 (.904) on the season, and if she can hit three more she will be just the second player to shoot 90 percent with 50-plus free throws in a season ... Vonleh was 4-of-7 from the field and is now 172-of-293 (.587) on the season, on pace for the eighth best shooting percentage in CU history and best since Jackie McFarland shot .605 in 2006-07 ... Miller's eight rebounds gives her 273 on the season, 16th most in CU history, and her 8.5 average ranks 14th ... Miller's 200 defensive rebounds are sixth most in CU history ... Sherrod's six assists gives her 155 on the season, eclipsing her total in 2019-20 and ranks eighth best in CU history ... Sherrod was credited with one steal, giving her 75 this season, good for a tie for 10th most in CU history.
