Friday, February 9
Boulder, Colo.
7:00 PM

Colorado

20-3,10-2Pac-12

90
vs
57

Oregon

11-13,2-9Pac-12

1
2
3
4
F
Oregon
16
15
14
12
57
Colorado
22
27
29
12
90
Photo by: CUBuffs.com

Nolan’s Hot Hand Lifts No. 4 Buffs Over Oregon

February 09, 2024 | Women's Basketball

Colorado records season-high 32 assists

BOULDER – The No. 4 Colorado women's basketball team returned to the CU Events Center after four games on the road and staged a dominant 90-57 victory over Oregon on Pride Night. 

Maddie Nolan erupted for 14 points in the second quarter and helped the Buffaloes (20-3, 10-2 Pac-12) to separate from the Ducks (11-13, 2-9 Pac-12) just before halftime. She continued to shoot lights-out from behind the arc for the remainder of the game, knocking down five 3s and totaling her best scoring output as a Buff with a seasonn-high 19 points.

Nolan rounded out her best game as a Buff with six assists and four rebounds.

"I pride myself on every game," Nolan commented. "I know I'm not going to score 19 in some games and in others, I won't score at all. So trying to figure out what I need to do for the team to be successful. A lot of times it's being solid on defense. But tonight, I rebounded and I got some assists. Someone told me I had a block which is really exciting. So trying to do the little things because I know our team is so talented that anyone can go off any given night." 


All season, the Buffs have played their best basketball when they share the ball on offense and Friday night was no different. Nine players recorded an assist and the team had a school-record 19 helpers in the first half. Colorado closed the night with a season-high 32 assists on 36 field goals. The backcourt of Jaylyn Sherrod and Kindyll Wetta combined for 13 assists as Wetta led the team with seven off the bench.

The team's 32 assists tied for the fifth most in program history and were the most since CU had 35 assists against St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 28, 1994.

"I'm really proud of our preparation all week long," head coach JR Payne explained. "We're striking a great balance of focus, keeping things light, making sure we're prepared, knowing what we're supposed to do. We are in a really good place right now as far as that dynamic. I thought we shared the ball - we've talked a lot about letting the ball find the shot - let the ball find the best shot for our team. Clearly, the assists show that that happened. I'm just really proud of how we played and our energy was really good. We made some defensive adjustments in the second half that I thought were good. Just overall a really good game, I'm proud of our group."


CU's frontcourt of Quay Miller and Aaronette Vonleh combined for 24 points. Miller finished with her ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 boards, surpassing 1,000 points at Colorado. Vonleh finished with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting. 

Colorado also flourished in transition, scoring 24 fast break points compared to Oregon's one. 

The 33-point win was the team's largest win margin in Pac-12 play this season and its largest in conference play since beating Nebraska by 35 points (95-60) in the 2002-03 season. 

The Buffs have a tough task ahead of them in the No. 17 Oregon State Beavers. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
After trailing by just one early in the game, the Buffs went on an 11-1 scoring run to take a 14-5 lead at the 5:18 mark. Colorado shot 52.9% in the opening period and a Frida Formann fastbreak layup gave the Buffs a 22-16 lead at the end of the quarter. 

Oregon cut the Buffs' lead down to four, 26-22, early on in the second. Colorado responded with an 8-2 spurt that featured 3's from Miler and Nolan to bo back up by 10, 34-24.

Nolan got the crowd on its feet after scoring 11 straight points, including three straight 3-pointers in an 11-2 close to the half. That gave CU a commanding 18-point lead at 49-31. 

Just a minute into the third quarter, it was Formann's turn from behind the arc as she hit two 3s to put the Buffs up 55-33. Shortly after, Sherrod scored on a fast break extending the lead to 59-35 and forcing Oregon into a timeout.

Nolan's fifth 3 of the night pushed the Buffs' advantage to 30, 69-39, just ahead of the five-minute mark of the third. 

Colorado went on to extend its lead up to 34 points with just 1:27 left before the fourth. Formann and Tameiya Sadler led the way in the quarter for the Buffs, combining for 15 of the team's game-high 29 points.  

The fourth quarter was back-and-forth scoring as Colorado emptied its bench. Both teams recorded 12 points in the final frame. 

KEY MOMENT
Nolan scored the final 11 points of the second quarter for the Buffs after hitting three 3-pointers with under 1:03 remaining.

NEXT
No. 4 Colorado is set to take on No. 17 Oregon State on Sunday, Feb. 11th at noon.

NOTES
CU is now 12-19 all-time against Oregon…all nine Colorado players who saw game action in the first quarter scored at least two points in the quarter…the Buffs had the most assists in a half with 19 on 20 baskets (prior 18 2x, last at Washington, Feb. 4, 2024)…season-high 32 assists overall on 36 FGs…Friday was CU's first 30-assist game since 31 against Bowling Green (Nov. 23, 2001)...Formann reached 1200 career points with 1209…Formann moved past Brittany Spears for third all-time in 3FGM with 238…Miller became the 35th player in CU history to reach 1,000 points (1,002 at CU)...CU outscored the Ducks in fast-break points 22-0 in the third quarter…CU's bench outscored Oregon 29-14…CU outscored the Ducks in the paint 40-12.

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