Tuesday, December 10
7 p.m.
Colorado
78
vs
61
Denver
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Buffs Fend off Pioneers in Non-Conference Finale
December 10, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Colorado wins the Front Range battle 78-61
BOULDER – Colorado women's basketball wrapped the non-conference season with a 78-61 win over neighboring Denver on Tuesday at the CU Events Center.
It was CU's bench unit that provided the spark on Tuesday. Colorado (9-2) entered the night leading the Big 12 with 30.1 points per game. The Buffs had five different bench players hit the score column on the night, totaling 41 points as a unit. Ayianna Johnson and Lior Garzon led the way with 14 points apiece in relief.
"I don't know where we rank as far as points off the bench, but it has to be pretty high," head coach JR Payne commented after the win. "There have been a handful of games where at least half our points are coming from the bench. We have a really unselfish team. Our assist numbers are really high, and our bench points are high. I think that's because we like to share the ball. As a coach, it's awesome to have firepower coming off the bench."
Frida Formann continued to succeed since her return to the court, posting her sixth game in double figures with 11 points on the night. Sara-Rose Smith was a rebound shy from her second double-double of the season, closing with a team-high nine boards and 10 points.
The Buffaloes built up a 25-point lead in the third quarter, but Denver didn't go away quietly. The Pioneers hit seven second-half 3-pointers and 12 on the night to keep Colorado on its toes until late in the fourth quarter.
"We knew that they all could shoot," Payne noted about Denver's perimeter. "We recognized that a lot of them have taken a ton of 3s. Not a lot of them have made a lot at a high percentage yet. Anytime a team is taking that many, they can shoot. Otherwise, their coaches wouldn't let them continue with the volume of shooting. I thought that they got great looks, some our fault and some, they're just good at what they do. It's just an area we have to get better, for sure."
Colorado played its second consecutive game without their top two point guards, Kindyll Wetta and Kennedy Sanders. Grad transfer Johanna Teder once again filled the starting role and recorded four of the team's 19 assists. The Buffs dominated the paint against the undersized Pioneers, outscoring DU 48-12 down low.
"We're also two really different teams. They run a five-out system where they don't even go to the paint unless they're penetrating," Payne added. "I'm not surprised the number was different because we're a different type of team, but we wanted to get the ball inside. We even repped it out in practice, basic actions that allowed us to get the ball inside. We wanted to do that, and I thought every post that played did a pretty good job of that. AJ [Johnson], in particular, was really good."
Denver (4-5) had three players hit double figures. Jordan Jones finished the night as the top Pioneer with 15 points.
How it Happened
Colorado opened the night with five quick points from Jade Masogayo and Formann. But Denver rushed back with a 7-0 run to take its largest lead of the night. Freshman Tabitha Betson put the Buffs back up momentarily before an Emma Smith 3-pointer, but DU was back in front 10-9.
That would mark the last lead of the night for Denver, with Colorado outscoring DU 12-7 in the final four minutes of the period. Johnson led the Buffs in the quarter, going 3-for-3 from the field with seven points in just 3:16 of playing time.
The Buffs grew the lead to eight, 27-19, in the early goings of the second quarter off back-to-back 3-balls from Garzon and Nyamer Diew. Formann added another 3-pointer for the Buffs in the middle of an 11-0 run that extended the CU lead to 40-25 at the break. Colorado outscored DU 19-8 in the quarter and held DU scoreless in the final six minutes as the visitors shot an ice-cold 0-for-8 to end the half.
DU's shooting woes leaked into the third quarter as the slump hit 0-for-16 from the field. CU was able to capitalize with a 7-0 run to start the second half, pushing the lead to 22. Emily Counsel hit a 3 to get the Pioneers back on the board, but the Buffs continued to find the basket, extending the run to 14-4 to its largest lead of the night, 54-29.
Denver cut the Buffs' lead down to 10, 58-48, with just over three minutes gone in the fourth quarter, but that would be as close as the Pioneers would get the rest of the night. Garzon scored seven of her 14 points in the final quarter, putting the finishing touches on the win.
Up Next
The Buffaloes will get Big 12 play started on Dec. 21 when West Virginia comes to Boulder for the first meeting between the two schools.
Notes
CU improved to 10-3 all-time against Denver…CU was +20 on the glass, outrebounding Denver 45-25…it was the largest rebounding margin since +21 against Drake in last year's NCAA Tournament…The Buffs had 15 offensive boards and a season-high 18 second-chance points…Tuesday was the third consecutive game CU's bench contributed 40 or more points…
Formann made her 109th career start, moving her to 13th all-time at CU….Garzon's 14 points move her closer to 1400 on her career (1,396)…CU's 13 fouls tied for the fewest of the season.
It was CU's bench unit that provided the spark on Tuesday. Colorado (9-2) entered the night leading the Big 12 with 30.1 points per game. The Buffs had five different bench players hit the score column on the night, totaling 41 points as a unit. Ayianna Johnson and Lior Garzon led the way with 14 points apiece in relief.
"I don't know where we rank as far as points off the bench, but it has to be pretty high," head coach JR Payne commented after the win. "There have been a handful of games where at least half our points are coming from the bench. We have a really unselfish team. Our assist numbers are really high, and our bench points are high. I think that's because we like to share the ball. As a coach, it's awesome to have firepower coming off the bench."
Frida Formann continued to succeed since her return to the court, posting her sixth game in double figures with 11 points on the night. Sara-Rose Smith was a rebound shy from her second double-double of the season, closing with a team-high nine boards and 10 points.
The Buffaloes built up a 25-point lead in the third quarter, but Denver didn't go away quietly. The Pioneers hit seven second-half 3-pointers and 12 on the night to keep Colorado on its toes until late in the fourth quarter.
"We knew that they all could shoot," Payne noted about Denver's perimeter. "We recognized that a lot of them have taken a ton of 3s. Not a lot of them have made a lot at a high percentage yet. Anytime a team is taking that many, they can shoot. Otherwise, their coaches wouldn't let them continue with the volume of shooting. I thought that they got great looks, some our fault and some, they're just good at what they do. It's just an area we have to get better, for sure."
Colorado played its second consecutive game without their top two point guards, Kindyll Wetta and Kennedy Sanders. Grad transfer Johanna Teder once again filled the starting role and recorded four of the team's 19 assists. The Buffs dominated the paint against the undersized Pioneers, outscoring DU 48-12 down low.
"We're also two really different teams. They run a five-out system where they don't even go to the paint unless they're penetrating," Payne added. "I'm not surprised the number was different because we're a different type of team, but we wanted to get the ball inside. We even repped it out in practice, basic actions that allowed us to get the ball inside. We wanted to do that, and I thought every post that played did a pretty good job of that. AJ [Johnson], in particular, was really good."
Denver (4-5) had three players hit double figures. Jordan Jones finished the night as the top Pioneer with 15 points.
How it Happened
Colorado opened the night with five quick points from Jade Masogayo and Formann. But Denver rushed back with a 7-0 run to take its largest lead of the night. Freshman Tabitha Betson put the Buffs back up momentarily before an Emma Smith 3-pointer, but DU was back in front 10-9.
That would mark the last lead of the night for Denver, with Colorado outscoring DU 12-7 in the final four minutes of the period. Johnson led the Buffs in the quarter, going 3-for-3 from the field with seven points in just 3:16 of playing time.
The Buffs grew the lead to eight, 27-19, in the early goings of the second quarter off back-to-back 3-balls from Garzon and Nyamer Diew. Formann added another 3-pointer for the Buffs in the middle of an 11-0 run that extended the CU lead to 40-25 at the break. Colorado outscored DU 19-8 in the quarter and held DU scoreless in the final six minutes as the visitors shot an ice-cold 0-for-8 to end the half.
DU's shooting woes leaked into the third quarter as the slump hit 0-for-16 from the field. CU was able to capitalize with a 7-0 run to start the second half, pushing the lead to 22. Emily Counsel hit a 3 to get the Pioneers back on the board, but the Buffs continued to find the basket, extending the run to 14-4 to its largest lead of the night, 54-29.
Denver cut the Buffs' lead down to 10, 58-48, with just over three minutes gone in the fourth quarter, but that would be as close as the Pioneers would get the rest of the night. Garzon scored seven of her 14 points in the final quarter, putting the finishing touches on the win.
Up Next
The Buffaloes will get Big 12 play started on Dec. 21 when West Virginia comes to Boulder for the first meeting between the two schools.
Notes
CU improved to 10-3 all-time against Denver…CU was +20 on the glass, outrebounding Denver 45-25…it was the largest rebounding margin since +21 against Drake in last year's NCAA Tournament…The Buffs had 15 offensive boards and a season-high 18 second-chance points…Tuesday was the third consecutive game CU's bench contributed 40 or more points…
Formann made her 109th career start, moving her to 13th all-time at CU….Garzon's 14 points move her closer to 1400 on her career (1,396)…CU's 13 fouls tied for the fewest of the season.
Players Mentioned
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