Colorado
20-5,10-4Pac-12
Utah
19-7,9-5Pac-12
No. 8 Buffaloes Late Rally Falls Short
February 16, 2024 | Women's Basketball
The Buffs make a late fourth-quarter comeback push but come up short against Utah
SALT LAKE CITY – No. 8 Colorado staged an incredible comeback late in the fourth quarter but fell 77-76 to No. 22 Utah at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Friday.
The loss, just the third on the road this season for the Buffaloes, drops the team to 20-5 overall and 10-4 in the Pac-12. Utah (19-7, 9-5 Pac-12) splits the season series with CU, notching its second consecutive win and moving to 10-2 at home.
Utah led by as many as 18 to start the second half and Colorado stormed back in the fourth, outscoring the Utes 26-15 and took its first lead of the game with 19 seconds remaining. CU's tenacious defense forced seven turnovers in the final frame including three critical turnovers in the last 60 seconds.
The Buffaloes outscored Utah 52-38 in the second half but the offensive struggles that plagued CU in the first 20 minutes proved to be too much to overcome.
"We just want to play great basketball and we didn't" head coach JR Payne emphasized. "We totally did not execute the scout [report] collectively in the first half. Every possession is crucial so I don't understand how we can just not do what we're supposed to do for longer periods of time.
"We dialed up the pressure. The zone was great. The press was great." Payne expressed when asked about their uptick in defensive tenacity in the fourth quarter. "We talked about being aggressive [and] getting downhill – attacking their feet. In the second half, we did that a lot. That got us free touches and good looks at the rim. I thought overall aggressiveness on both sides helped us."
Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 candidate Jaylyn Sherrod and Frida Formann led Colorado with 15 points. Sherrod fought through adversity late in the game and tallied a team-high nine assists and two steals. Formann shot 3-for-44 from 3-point range with all three coming in the second half. Aaronette Vonleh was the only other Buff to get into double-figure scoring (14) while also blocking three shots.
Colorado shot 50.0% (32-64) on the day, helped by a 62.9% (22-35) effort in the second half. The Utes shot 29-of-56 (51.7%) from the field and shot 12-of-16 from the free-throw line, including 8-for-10 to secure the win in the final moments.
"We just have to be better at our basics – our execution at this point in the season" Formann noted. "These games really matter. We're going to have some good practices. We really have to dial in [for this final stretch of Pac-12 regular season games]."
Alissa Pili led the Utes' offense with 18 points, scoring five points in the final quarter. Ines Viera posted a near triple-double, going for 16 points, 8 boards, and 7 assists. Dasia Young posted 13 points and five rebounds including a buzzer-beating layup to secure the win for Utah.
How It Happened
Colorado's offense could never get going in the opening half, totaling fourteen points in the first quarter and just 24 in the half, tying their lowest-scoring half of the season.
The Buffs faced their largest deficit of the half down 39-22 after Utah made back-to-back 3-pointers. Frida Formann played just six minutes in the first half after picking up two quick fouls in the first quarter. Utah finished the first half shooting 17-of-33 (51.5%) from the field and 4-for-10 (40%) from three while the Buffaloes shot 10-29 (34%) on field goals and 1-3 (33%) from deep.
"The whole first half, I was in foul trouble," Formann said. "In the second half, I tried to take more responsibility for creating my shots and seizing opportunities."
The Utes started hot in the second half, making a 3-point on their first attempt to build their largest lead of the game of 18 points (42-24). Quay Miller and Formann helped the Buffaloes climb back with back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half. CU cut the Utah lead down to seven, 57-50, with a Sherrod jump shot at the 1:21 mark of the third quarter.
Colorado outscored Utah 25-11 in the third quarter as they battled back in the frame.
Utah extended its lead to 13 early in the fourth quarter. Then the Buffaloes' urgency kicked up as they narrowed the Utes lead to three with 50.7 seconds remaining in the game. CU forced four turnovers in the final 10 minutes and Formann had six points to lead CU in the 14-8 final-quarter run.
The Buffs mounted a 6-0 run in the final minute to achieve their first lead, 76-75, off a Vonleh put-back layup. Colorado's valiant effort fell short as Utah hit the winner as time expired.
Vonleh and Formann were both key for the Buffs in the closing quarter combining for 18 points and shooting 7-for-10 (70.0%) from the field. Formann willed the Buffs' comeback as she made two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Vonleh went 4-for-6 in the quarter and made an astounding put-back layup to give the Buffs a 76-75 lead with nine seconds remaining.
Up Next
Colorado heads back on the road next week for a two-game stretch at USC on Friday and UCLA on Monday.
Notes
CU falls to 22-22 all-time against Utah…The Buffs are now 6-13 in Salt Lake City…First consecutive losses for Colorado since Feb. 19 and Feb. 23, 2023 (at Arizona and at Stanford)...24 first-half points tied for the fewest this season (last, Oregon State)...Utah led for all but 30 seconds (39:30)...CU's first lead came at 19 seconds in the fourth quarter…Sherrod surpassed 444 field goals made with 451 to move into 23rd all-time…CU outscored Utah in the paint 46-40…CU's bench outscored Utah 18-13…CU outscored Utah 24-13 off of forced turnovers…CU outscored Utah on fast breaks 12-8…CU outscored Utah 14-13 on second-chance baskets.
