Buffs Dull Wildcats’ Claws, 56-47

Thursday, January 29

Manhattan, Kan.

5:30 PM

Colorado

14-7,5-4Big 12

Kansas State

11-11,4-5Big 12

Colorado

Kansas St.

January 29, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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By: Malala Pyle, Assistant Director of Athletic Communication

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Colorado women's basketball team (14-7, 5-4 Big 12) defeated Kansas State (11-11, 4-5 Big 12), 56-47, at Bramlage Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 29.

Colorado took the lead early in the first quarter over Kansas State, with the defense not allowing the Wildcats to score for the first three minutes. The Buffs maintained their lead into the second until K-State battled back. CU ended the half ahead by four, keeping the lead throughout the third quarter. The Wildcats tried to come back in the fourth, but the Buffaloes went on a final run to secure the win, 56-47.

"I thought our execution was really good," head coach JR Payne stated. "I think we have a really unselfish group. You can tell kind of by the scoring: it's very balanced. Every night, we don't really have a 20-point scorer, but we [have] a bunch of 10-point scorers. We love to share the ball, and I thought we did that. We scored in a handful of different ways, executed, knocked down a couple shots, which always helps, and just unselfish play."

The Buffs had more rebounds (41-33), bench points (27-18), assists (15-11) and second-chance points (15-4) than the Wildcats. Colorado held Kansas State to 13% from beyond the arc throughout the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Buffs opened scoring with a three-point jumper from So. F Tabitha Betson (3-0, CU). A steal and fast-break layup from Jr. G Zyanna Walker extended Colorado's lead to five (5-0, CU). The Wildcats responded with a layup and a jumper, but Walker scored a three, sending the teams into the media timeout (8-4, CU). The Buffs and the Wildcats traded layups, with Jr. G Desiree Wooten scoring twice for Colorado (12-8, CU). Wooten was sent to the line for a free throw, and Kansas State made a final jumper to end the quarter, 13-10 (CU).

The second quarter started with a 6-0 run from the Wildcats, but a jumper from Fr. G Erianna Gooden, assisted by Sr. F Jade Masogayo, ended the streak (16-15, KSU). Kansas State made a jumper before Fr. F Logyn Greer made one of her own (18-17, KSU). Colorado extended the run to seven points, including a three-point jumper from Gooden and two free throws from Masogayo, ending the quarter with Colorado back in the lead (22-18, CU).

The Wildcats scored three points early in the third quarter, but a jumper from Masogayo and a free throw from Walker kept the Buffs in the lead (25-21, CU). Colorado went on a 6-0 run after a K-State layup, including two layups from Wooten and a jumper from Masogayo (31-23, CU). The Wildcats were forced to call a timeout after the Buffs took an eight-point lead, but KSU returned to the court for a layup and two free throws (31-27, CU). Greer ended the Wildcats' momentum with a jumper, assisted by Gooden (33-27, CU). Masogayo ended a short run from Kansas State with a layup (35-31, CU). K-State made a layup, but Walker scored one of her own for the Black and Gold to end the quarter, 37-33 (CU).

Masogayo made a free throw 20 seconds into the last quarter, but the Wildcats were able to take the lead with an 8-0 run (41-38, KSU). Greer made a layup in the paint to end the Kansas State run (41-40, KSU). After the media timeout, Greer assisted Wooten on a layup, putting Colorado back in the lead (42-42, CU). The Wildcats made a free throw, but the Buffaloes answered with a 7-0 run from two layups from Masogayo and a Walker three (49-42, CU). KSU made two free throws and a layup before sending Greer to the line for two free throws for CU (51-46, CU). The Wildcats made a final free throw, but Colorado went on a five-point run from a three-point jumper from Greer and two free throws from Walker to end the game, 56-47 (CU).

UP NEXT:

The Buffs stay on the road this weekend to play Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., on Sunday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and fans can follow along via live stats links on CUBuffs.com.

PLAYER STATS:

Jr. G Zyanna Walker recorded her first double-double of the season, second in her career, against her former team with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. She also had four steals and two assists.
Sr. F Jade Masogayo saw 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
Jr. G Desiree Wooten had 11 points, one assist, one rebound and one block.

Fr. F Logyn Greer reached 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal.
So. F Tabitha Betson tallied five rebounds, three points and two assists.
Fr. G Erianna Gooden had five points, three assists and one steal.
Sr. F Anaëlle Dutat recorded eight rebounds and one assist, and Jr. G Maeve McErlane had one assist.
For the Wildcats, Jordan Speiser had 12 points and five rebounds.

GAME NOTES:

The Buffs move to 36-35 all-time against the Wildcats.
All-time, the Buffs move to 114-153 in Big 12 play.
CU had more rebounds (41-33), bench points (27-18), second chance points (15-4) and assists (15-11) than Kansas State.
Colorado had its 11th game this season with four or more Buffs in double-figure points. The Buffs are 8-3 in games where four or more players are in double-digits.
This marks the first road victory for the Buffs this season. The last time CU beat a team on the road was at BYU exactly one year ago to the day, 67-66 (Jan. 29, 2025).

For more information on the Colorado women's basketball team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @CUBuffsWBB.