Colorado
23-9,11-7Pac-12
Drake
29-6,19-1MVC
Colorado Advances to Second Round with Win Over Drake
March 22, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Four Buffs hit double figures
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The No. 17 Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball team took down the Drake Bulldogs 86-72 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night at Bramlage Coliseum. The victory sets up a second-round matchup with Kansas State on Sunday.
"I'm just really proud of how we played tonight," head coach JR Payne said after the game. "I thought we had a great week-and-a-half of practice and preparation.
"Drake is such a good and such a different team. I was very nervous about this game, not that I didn't think we were capable, it's just such a different style. We have not played a team like Drake all year. So I'm really proud of how our team prepared."
The Buffs (23-9) found themselves in a tight game with the Bulldogs (29-6) at the end of the first half, but Colorado put together a huge third quarter to pull away from Drake and secure the victory.
Aaronette Vonleh and Jaylyn Sherrod led the offensive attack for Colorado tonight. Vonleh recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Sherrod was two assists shy of a double-double of her own, scoring 16 and dishing out eight assists.
Kindyll Wetta turned in a career night off the bench. In last year's NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16, Wetta had 15 points combined in three tournament games. Tonight, she scored a career-high 16 on 7-of-10 shooting from the field.
"So proud of the whole team, of course, but so unbelievably proud of Kindyll for her aggressiveness, the way she caught and shot without thinking about it," Payne stated. "Her defense is always incredible. I've said to many that I think she's one of the best defensive players I've ever coached, but to see her that aggressive and confident offensively was brilliant."
Maddie Nolan also had a great performance with 12 points, six boards and zero turnovers. She played 30 minutes, the second most minutes behind Sherrod's 33.
The Buffs dominated the glass, outrebounding the Bulldogs 39-to-18 in the contest. Drake's 18 rebounds were the fewest allowed in program history. Of those 39 boards, 12 came in the third quarter. Colorado also had 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 16 second-chance points.
"They're [Drake] incredible on the offensive glass," Payne added. "They shoot so many 3s that sometimes those are long rebounds. We felt like we could guard but we've got to be able to finish plays, and then also we felt like we could offensively crash [the basket]. We felt like that was going to be an important factor for us. It almost felt like our size could be an advantage on the offensive end more than the defensive end of the glass."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Buffs fell to an early 11-3 deficit within the first three minutes after giving up the game's first nine points. Following a timeout, Colorado responded with a 10-0 run to take a 13-11 lead after Sherrod converted on an AND-1 layup.
The rest of the first was neck-and-neck before the Buffs took a three-point lead, 24-21, off a Tameiya Sadler steal and scored to end the quarter.
"We've had a few games this year where we have started slow, so it's not really anything new," Wetta explained. "It's obviously not ideal. But we're comfortable in that spot knowing that just because we're down early doesn't mean we can't come back."
Colorado scored five unanswered to start the second before Drake knocked down a 3-pointer to end the run early. Later in the quarter, the Buffs took a 36-24 lead following a 3 from Sadler and a layup from Sherrod.
The Bulldogs came back with the help of a 7-0 run to come within just one at 40-39 with just over three minutes left in the half. Colorado got late contributions from Quay Miller, Vonleh and Sherrod to take a 46-41 lead into the break.
Colorado scored the first six points out of the half and extended its lead to 11, 52-41. Back-to-back buckets from Wetta helped Colorado go on a 6-0 run and claim its largest lead of the quarter at 60-44.
CU maintained its lead through the remainder of the quarter and headed into the final 10 minutes up 71-53.
Back-to-back 3s from Wetta put a seal on the night, putting Buffs comfortably in the lead, 81-62.
KEY MOMENT
The Buffs opened the third quarter by outscoring Drake 14-3 in the first five minutes. The scoring run extended Colorado's lead to 16, putting the game out of the Bulldogs' reach.
NEXT
Colorado will face off against fourth-seeded Kansas State in the second round on Sunday, March 24. Game time is still to be determined.
NOTES
20th all-time NCAA Tournament win (20-15)...CU is now 1-1 all-time against Drake…Most points in an NCAA Tournament game since Mar. 24, 2003 (86-67 win over North Carolina)...Wetta surpasses 500 career points with 513…Wetta with a career-high 16 points, had 15 in three NCAA tournament games last season...Vonleh recorded her first tournament double-double with NCAA tournament highs of 18 pts and 10 rebs…CU outscored Drake in the paint 54-32…Drake's 18 rebounds were the fewest allowed in school history (prev. 19 vs Northern Arizona, Feb. 7, 1981)…CU's bench outscored Drake 30-11…CU outscored Drake in fast-break points 15-6.
