Fast break
Why the Buffs won: Despite struggling with its own shooting (35.5%), CU held Washington State to 35.3%, out-rebounded the Cougars 50-38, converted 14 offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points and make key plays down the stretch.
Three stars:
1. CU’s Frida Formann: Tied her career high with 27 points, including 6-for-9 from 3-point range, and 5-for-6 at the free throw line in the last 34.5 seconds.
2. CU’s Aaronette Vonleh: She scored 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds, nearly posting a second consecutive double-double.
3. WSU’s Tara Wallack: She gave the Buffs fits all night, scoring 19 points, pulling down five rebounds and draining 3-of-6 from the 3-point line.
Up next: CU visits Washington on Sunday at 1 p.m. MT.
PULLMAN, Wash. – When the Colorado offense was sputtering on Friday, the Buffaloes turned to Frida Formann to provide the spark.
Needing some momentum, Aaronette Vonleh came through multiple times.
Quay Miller gobbled up crucial rebounds, Kindyll Wetta played disruptive defense. And Jaylyn Sherrod brushed off a quiet night to hit a key jumper when it was needed most.
The sixth-ranked CU women’s basketball team didn’t play its best on Friday, but it got the right plays at the right time to knock-off upset-minded Washington State 63-57 at Beasley Coliseum.
“When the game is on the line, are we going to be frustrated with the first few quarters and allow that frustration to carry into the fourth quarter, which truly is winning time?” CU head coach JR Payne said. “Or are we going to dig in and find a way to win and make winning plays? I’m really proud of our team for doing that because there were a lot of plays – we’re gonna go back and watch the film and there was a lot of boneheaded things. But down the stretch of the game, there were a lot of things that happened that were really good and necessary in order to win the game.”
Formann tied her career high with 27 points, including five free throws in the final 34.5 seconds to ice the game, while Vonleh flirted with a double-double (20 points, eight rebounds) and Miller had a very Dennis Rodman-like line of 15 rebounds and two points.
The Buffs (18-3, 8-2 Pac-12) improved to 6-1 in road games, while preventing the Cougars (15-7, 4-5) from a second consecutive top-10 upset. WSU knocked off then-No. 2 UCLA on Sunday in Los Angeles, despite losing their top player, Charlisse Leger-Walker to a season-ending injury in that win.
Even without Leger-Walker, Washington State made life difficult for the Buffs. Tara Wallack had 19 points, while Eleonora Villa and Astera Tuhina each had 15 in what was a close game from start to finish. There were 13 ties, 10 lead changes and neither team led by more than six until the last 30 seconds.
“It was a grind for sure,” Formann said. “Road games are always going to be like that, but I think also we made it a little tougher for ourselves than we probably needed to, especially the first half, but I’m proud of us for digging ourselves out of it and playing a really gritty team. I mean, they lost one of their best players. We knew that they were going to come out and play for her. So just proud of that we got out with a (win).”
CU trailed 28-25 at the half after its lowest-scoring half of the season. Then, the Buffs scored just two points in the first 4 minutes, 30 seconds of the second half and trailed 33-27.
Late in the third, Formann drained three consecutive 3-pointers to turn a six-point deficit into a one-point lead. She finished 6-for-9 from 3-point range.
“Whenever you see one of your teammates kind of get hot and start making shots that does something with your energy,” Formann said. “I just kind of sparked that energy and belief in our team.”
CU then scored six points in the final 10 seconds of the third quarter. After Sherrod went 1-for-2 at the free throw line, missing the second attempt, Vonleh got the rebound, a put-back and a foul and then hit the free throw for a three-point play. WSU had a turnover on the inbounds pass, and Vonleh was fouled again, hitting both free throws.
“You could just kind of ride it out; well, itap only eight seconds left, just ride it out,” Payne said. “But to actually continue to fight and scrap and try to eke out everything you could out of those eight seconds, or whatever it was, was huge.”
Wazzu didn’t go quietly, though, and CU led just 56-54 before Sherrod – who finished with only five points, 8.9 below her average – drained a jumper from just inside the 3-point arc with 1:01 to play. Formann then went 5-for-6 at the line to give the Buffs a nine-point lead and seal the win.
No. 6 Colorado 63, Washington State 57
COLORADO (18-3, 8-2 Pac-12)
Sherrod 2-9 1-2 5, Formann 8-12 5-6 27, Miller 1-4 0-0 2, Vonleh 8-17 4-5 20, Nolan 0-4 0-0 0, Sadler 2-7 1-1 5, Smith 0-2 2-2 2, Wetta 0-3 0-0 0, Whittaker 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 22-62 13-16 63.
WASHINGTON STATE (15-7, 4-5 Pac-12)
Wallack 6-14 4-4 19, E. Villa 7-18 0-1 15, Tuhina 7-15 1-3 15, Bea 0-2 0-0 0, Murekatete 4-10 0-0 8, Gardner 0-2 0-0 0, Clarke 0-2 0-0 0, Covill 0-4 0-0 0, J. Villa 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-68 5-8 57.
Colorado 15 10 20 18 – 63
Washington State 15 13 14 15 – 57
3-point field goals – Colorado 6-19 (Formann 6-9, Nolan 0-3, Sherrod 0-1, Miller 0-1, Vonleh 0-1, Sadler 0-1, Smith 0-1, Wetta 0-1, Whittaker 0-1), WSU 4-15 (Wallack 3-6, E. Villa 1-3, Tuhina 0-2, Gardner 0-2, Covill 0-1, J. Villa 0-1). Rebounds – Colorado 50 (Miller 15), WSU 38 (Murekatete 10). Assists – Colorado 10 (Sherrod 3), WSU 8 (Murekatete 3). Steals – Colorado 4 (4 players with 1), WSU 8 (Tuhina 4). Total fouls – Colorado 15, WSU 17. Fouled out – None. Attendance – 1,154.
