Menu
What's new
By:
Filters
AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!

Game thread- WOMEN'S BBall opens conference play hosting #14 West Virginia (Saturday, 12/21/24; 6:00 PM MT; ESPN+)

AztecBuff

AztecBuff

Club Member
Club Member
Moderator
Women's basketball (9-2) opens up conference play with probably its toughest 2 game stretch of the season***, which features matchups against 2 of the 3 ranked Big 12 squads. 1st off is the opener this coming Saturday in Boulder against the #14 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (WVU; 10-1).
(***After this opener, the team has a pretty long break before they travel to Fort Worth to meet the conference's highest ranked team, the #12 TCU Horned Frogs, on New Year's Day.)

In the latest NET rankings (as of games played 12/15 ; available at https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-women/d1/ncaa-womens-basketball-net-rankings), CU is at #88 and WVU #10.

As I assume will be the case for most if not all games hosted by a Big 12 school, the opener is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+ for those with a subscription to that paid subscription service. (Further info and links for media options available near the bottom of this post.)

Go Buffs!!!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Links with more more info on WVU:

Roster - https://wvusports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster
Stats - https://wvusports.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats
Schedule - https://wvusports.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule
Their preview article - Not available as I type this.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Media links:

Live video: Believe almost all Big 12 games are scheduled to be provided through the premium ($) ESPN+ subscription service,with this game available either on the ESPN app or at https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401725207?gameId=401725207 .

Live audio - If like last season, the games will usually be available on AM 630 in the Denver/ Boulder area and maybe other stations in the Buff radio network. In addition, a free audio stream will be available at https://cubuffs.com/watch/?Live=2995&type=Live .

Link to link to live stats (All games) - http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=colo . The specific link for this game is https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=552028 .

Game notes (Note- Left empty for games that don't have any as I type this.) -
 
Preview for tomorrow night's conference opener - https://cubuffs.com/news/2024/12/20...opens-big-12-play-at-home-five-things-to-know

"
1734746936658.png

Colorado Opens Big 12 Play at Home: Five Things to Know​

The Buffs take on No. 14 West Virginia on Saturday

By: Seth Pringle, Athletic Communications

BOULDER – The Colorado women's basketball team returns to Big 12 play on Saturday night with a showdown against No. 14 West Virginia. The Buffaloes will host the Mountaineers at the CU Events Center for the first meeting between the two programs (6 p.m. MT).

The 2024-25 season marks the Buffs' return to the Big 12, having spent the last 13 seasons playing in the Pac-12 Conference.

Colorado (9-2) closed the non-conference season with a 78-61 win over Denver. Four Buffs finished in double figures, with Ayianna Johnson and Lior Garzon leading the way with 14 points apiece. Frida Formann posted her sixth straight game in double figures, closing the game with 11.

West Virginia (10-1) enters the Big 12 season with just one loss to No. 5 Texas in the Gulf Coast Showcase. Saturday will be a reunion of sorts at the CU Events Center, with former Buff Kylee Blacksten making her return.

The Heisman Trophy will be on display in Chip's Corral located in Boedecker Gym for photos with fans at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are required to enter Chip's Corral. Fans can purchase two tickets for $12 in tribute to Travis Hunter.

Five Things to Know

  1. It's the Big 12 – Colorado returns to Big 12 play for the first time since the 2010-11 season. CU is 100-140 overall in the conference. The Buffs won the first-ever Big 12 Conference Tournament in 1996-97.
  2. Conference Openers – The Buffs went 4-9 in Pac-12 openers in the last 13 seasons. Colorado won its Pac-12 opener last year, 76-65, over No. 12 Utah. CU is 7-8 all-time in Big 12 openers, with its last win being a 64-48 win over Missouri on Jan. 9, 2010.
  3. Paint it Black – CU has scored 30 or more points in the paint in all 11 games and has scored 40 or more four times this season. CU had a season-high 48 points in the paint against Denver. It was the most by CU since its 54 against Drake last season in the NCAA Tournament. The Buffs are averaging 38.6 points in the paint this season.
  4. On Fire % - The Buffs have hit .500 from the floor in its last four games. It's the first time CU has shot .500 or higher in four consecutive games since doing so in six straight games from Dec. 6-22, 1985. CU shot a season-high .571 (36-63) against Tennessee Tech. CU is 38-3 all-time under JR Payne when shooting .500 or better.
  5. Windex – Colorado has outrebounded opponents in 10 games this season. The Buffs outrebounded Denver by 20 (45-25). It was CU's largest rebounding margin since 21 vs Drake last season.

Quotable
"We definitely won't be off because we don't really ever take time off. We have a team that loves their academics and wants to prioritize finishing strong. It's actually a good time during finals to have this little break. We'll take a couple of days off and get right back to it. It's a lot to prepare for any conference opponent, and West Virginia is no different. It'll be a lot of film study and preparation." – Coach Payne following the win over Denver

Thad Anderson and former Buff Kami Carmann Snyder will have the call on ESPN+.

Cory Lopez and Carol Callan will have pregame coverage starting 30 minutes before tip-off on the Colorado Radio Network.

Up Next: Jan. 1, at TCU (ESPN+/5:30 p.m. MT).
"
 
I was out doing family things so wasn't able to follow the game, but did check the live stats at one point and saw them down 11 going into the 4th quarter (believe 40-51?), so didn't have great expectations of a win at that pont.

Must have been a GREAT comeback!

Way to go Buffs!

 
Media after last night's BIG win:

Article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2024/12/21...s-complete-comeback-upset-no-14-west-virginia

"

Buffs Complete Comeback, Upset No. 14 West Virginia​

Colorado erased a 16-point third-quarter deficit in its Big 12 opener

By: Seth Pringle, Athletic Communications

BOULDER – Head coach JR Payne and her Colorado women's basketball team opened Big 12 play in a big way at the CU Events Center on Saturday. The Buffaloes wiped away a 16-point third-quarter deficit and outscored No. 14 West Virginia by 16 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the 65-60 upset.

Colorado (10-2, 1-0 Big 12) trailed WVU for almost 30 minutes and entered the fourth quarter down 11 points. CU opened the final quarter with a 6-0 run, setting up a race to the finish. The Buffs' run grew to 22-4, overtaking the lead inside the final three minutes.

Saturday's tied for the second-largest comeback in the Payne era, matching the Buffs' 16-point reversal in a 69-65 win at Utah on Feb. 1, 2018.

"I just want to say I'm so proud of the entire team, the collective, because so many different people stepped up at different times, in different quarters, in different positions," Payne said after the win. "People that have been out for two weeks came back and played with very little preparation, and I'm just really proud. We talked about having emotional stability throughout the game because we knew it would be lots of runs based on how they turn people over and things like that. I thought we were so locked in and [in] control the entire game. People who hadn't played much in the first part of the game came in and were amazing down the stretch. I am crazy proud of our team today."

Graduate Frida Formann was responsible for a bulk of CU's first-half offense. She totaled 15 of her game-high 22 points in the first half. Junior Jade Masogayo put in 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Graduate Lior Garzon registered 12 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a key 3-pointer in the momentum-shifting run.

West Virginia (10-2, 0-1 Big 12) entered Saturday's contest ranked second in the nation, allowing teams to just 48.9 points per game. CU's 65 points were the second most allowed by the Mountaineers, only trailing the 78 in their first loss to No. 5 Texas.

"Coming back from being down 16 against a ranked opponent, I think we showed that we're still scrappy," Formann expressed. "We still have that underdog mentality of anyone who comes and wants to play with us, we're here to beat them. We're not going to give up for anyone. I think it was good. We also needed it to prove to ourselves. We kind of know that we're good. [Our] coaches are trying to tell us, 'You can be this,' and I'm trying to [too], but I think to see it happening is so important. The more you can put in your bag that you can look back on and be like, 'We did it,' so we know we can do it again, the better."
...

"Having veterans like Lior is so huge," Payne added. "I keep saying this, but we don't have one single dominant player, but we have lots of players that can do a lot of different things and are just staying ready. Lior scored in a lot of different ways during that period. So staying confident, again, emotional stability, like staying confident, staying poised, finding ways to contribute was great."

Up Next
Colorado will return to the road on New Year's Day, traveling to TCU for its first Big 12 road test.

Notes
Saturday was the first meeting between WVU and Colorado…It was the 17th ranked win for the Buffs under head coach JR Payne...It was CU's first home win vs a top-25 opponent since beating No. 6 USC, 63-59, on Jan. 21, 2024…CU shot .543 (25-46) and has now shot over .500 in five straight games…West Virginia scored 24 points off of 19 CU turnovers…CUs' bench scored a season-low seven points…West Virginia led for 29:25…Redshirt freshman Kennedy Sanders had a season-high five assists, all in the first half…CU outrebounded WVU 33-22 but was outscored in second-chance points 7-5.

Quotes
Head coach JR Payne
On Jade Masogayo: "We've all said it, but we as coaches have been telling Jade since she walked on campus, like, this is what you can be. She's so sweet and humble and doesn't necessarily, hasn't always been, able to receive it? She was like, 'Oh, thank you.' You know that she really believed it. We did a thing the other day with the team where we had some players individually go up, and their teammates were able to share with them what they love about them, what their superpowers are, etc. And a lot of Jade's teammates told her exactly what we say. Kindyll started it and said, 'I need you to know how good you are and how unstoppable you are.' I think maybe that was helpful as well. But, I mean, you're doing that against the No. 2 defense in the country, like you should come in knowing you could do it against anybody."

On players stepping up when veterans weren't on the court: "Just different people at different times. Grace, it wasn't just the 3, the 3 was great and needed, but she also was really good defensively. She was executing the game plan defensively after sitting for 30 minutes. That's what I mean by emotional stability. She could have been pouty or frustrated that she hadn't gotten in yet. But staying ready is such a mature response, and it's unselfish and just so great for our team. Even Johanna was kind of in and out, in and out, which is hard, but she came in, played out of position, came back to the point guard spot, which she had done really well the past two games."

On having a brand new team being ready for the moment: "I felt it a lot, from lots of different people. With a young team, you might get into a timeout when you're down 16, and their eyes are really big. There was none of that. It was just strategy. What do we need to do? What's working, what's not working, and over-communicating. Every time we left a huddle, Frida was communicating with the group as we were leaving. Everybody was just really locked in."

Junior Jade Masogayo
Hearing her teammates and coaches' support: "Honestly, it means a lot. Hearing it from my peers and my coaches, hearing that they believe in me and trust me in a sense. In the past, I hadn't heard that. So, getting confirmation from the people that I'm with all the time, it's just really nice to hear."

Graduate Frida Formann
On feeling the crowd's energy and being in a similar atmosphere like that: "I think it got super loud, like, especially in that fourth quarter. You could really feel we had a lot of fans behind us. They were super loud, and it was a really great atmosphere. And hopefully, we can keep it up for Big 12 play because we have a lot of good matchups. And I think we've shown today that we're a really fun team to watch, and we don't give up, and we have the same Colorado basketball mentality, as people know us for and love us for."
"
______________________________________________________________

Box score - https://cubuffs.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats/2024-25/west-virginia/boxscore/17281







 
good win. Nice to see them get the ball inside toward the end of the game. This is something to build on
 
Always fun for me to look and see how rankings / ratings like NET and RPI adjust after big wins, especially earlier in the season. Looks like the Buffs have moved up to #76 (from #92) in NET.
 
That was a really fun game to watch.

JR is an excellent coach and I am so happy we have her. She said Bianca Smith had the scout.

One of our transfers out, Kylee Blackstien, plays for West Virginia. She started but got in foul trouble and only played 16 minutes.

Wetta had only practiced 3 times before this game. She will be more effective after the holiday break.
 
buffgal said:
That was a really fun game to watch.

JR is an excellent coach and I am so happy we have her. She said Bianca Smith had the scout.

One of our transfers out, Kylee Blackstien, plays for West Virginia. She started but got in foul trouble and only played 16 minutes.

Wetta had only practiced 3 times before this game. She will be more effective after the holiday break.
Click to expand...
yeah, that was a fun game and you have to give to J.R. This team looks so much better than earlier in the year. I have been impressed with the fact they have some depth at point guard. Even with Wetta and Sanders out they had competent point guard play. I forgot about Kaylee playing for WVU
 
It's after wins like this that I wish Babette was still with us. She would have enjoyed this game and watching the progress the team has made. She attended lots of practices so she did know what happened at practice.
 
How are the Lady Buffs not ranked or at least receiving votes? They beat #14, record is 10-2 and still not ranked or getting votes in the top 30+.
 
Article on Ms. Formann's honor - https://cubuffs.com/news/2024/12/24...gnized-as-a-usbwa-national-player-of-the-week

"

Formann Recognized as a USBWA National Player of the Week​

Was crucial in Colorado’s upset over No. 14 West Virginia

By: Seth Pringle, Athletic Communications

BOULDER – Colorado guard Frida Formann was one of five players the U.S. Basketball Writers Association selected as a National Player of the Week on Tuesday.

It is Formann's first career Player of the Week honor. She was picked as the USBWA Freshman of the Week after Colorado's upset win over No. 1 Stanford in January 2021.

The fifth-year graduate led the Buffaloes in a 65-60 come-from-behind win over No. 14 West Virginia to open Big 12 play on Saturday. Colorado trailed by as many as 16 in the contest, before roaring back in the fourth quarter. Formann led all players with a game-high 22 points in the win.

Formann was a key part of CU's offense in the first half against WVU, totaling 15 of the team's 25 points. She went 6-for-10 from the field and hit three of her four 3-pointers in the first two quarters, keeping Colorado within three points of the Mountaineers.

The Bagsværd, Denmark native, drilled a big 3-pointer late in the third quarter that helped the Buffs whittle at the WVU double-digit lead. Formann assisted on Jade Masogayo's go-ahead basket in the middle of the Buffs' momentum-shifting 22-4 run that carried CU to the victory.

Formann has scored in double figures in seven of her eight games since returning to the lineup. She missed the Buffs' first four games with an early-season injury. She's averaged 15.1 points per game this season

TCU's Madison Connor, USF's Sammi Puisis, UCS's JuJu Watkins and St. Joseph's Laura Ziegler were also honored.

Colorado will take to the road for its next two matchups, starting in Fort Worth against No. 11 TCU on New Year's Day.
"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top