Games thread- WOMEN'S BBall hosts (Sat., 2/15/24; 6:00 PM MT; ESPN+) and #25 Baylor (Wed., 7:00 PM MT; ESPN+)

[AztecBuff]

Hoping they get healthier, Women's basketball (16-8 overall, 7-6 in Big 12 play) is back home for 2 more vital games. 1st off they Houston (UH) Cougars (5-19, 1-12) Saturday evening, and then Wednesday night the #25 Baylor (BU) Bears (21-5, 11-2) are in town.

In the latest NET rankings (as of games played 2/13; available at https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-women/d1/ncaa-womens-basketball-net-rankings), CU is currently at #65, while Houston is at #179 and Baylor #18.

As has been the case for almost all conference games so far this season, both games are scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+ for those with a premium ($) subscription to that service. (Further info and links for media options available near the bottom of this post.)

Go Buffs!!!
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Links with more more info on the upcoming opponents:

Houston :
Roster - https://uhcougars.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster
Stats - https://uhcougars.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats/2024-25
Schedule - https://uhcougars.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule
Their preview article - Not available as I type this.

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

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Media links:

Live video: Both of these games are scheduled to be provided through the premium ($) ESPN+ subscription service, available either on the ESPN app or at:
Vs. Houston - https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401725309?gameId=401725309&sourceLang=en&om-navmethod=espn:globalsearch:results
Vs. Baylor - https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401725316?gameId=401725316&sourceLang=en&om-navmethod=espn:globalsearch:results

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, free audio streams for the games will be available at:
Vs. Houston - https://cubuffs.com/watch/?Live=3031&type=Live
Vs. Baylor - https://cubuffs.com/watch/?Live=3033&type=Live

Link to link to live stats (All games) - http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=colo
For specific games (If blank, not available as I type this.):
Vs. Houston - https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=552022
Vs. Baylor - https://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=552018

Game notes: (Note- Left empty for games that don't have any as I type this.)
Vs. Houston - https://cubuffs.com/documents/2025/2/14/WBB_Notes_2_15_25_Game_25_Houston.pdf
Vs. Baylor - https://cubuffs.com/documents/2025/2/18/WBB_Notes_2_17_25_Game_26_Baylor.pdf

 

[AztecBuff]

 

[AztecBuff]

The game has begun. It's 7-8 UH early.
(Aren't able to watch, but per the live stats the Buffs may be missing yet another key player as, in addition to the 3 leaders who didn't start last game, frosh Oliver got the start today in place of Masagayo. Edit - Just saw that, per a Brian Howell pregame social media post, Masagayo is out with an "undisclosed injury" today. Also, I believe he'd said before their last game Smith was out due to illness but he's saying she, like Formann, is out with a foot injury today.)

 

[AztecBuff]

After a tight start to the game that had CU down 6 ~1/2 way through the 1st quarter, the VERY shorthanded Buffs have come on STRONG and lead 43-24 at the half.

 

[AztecBuff]

CU gets the comfy win 83-60.

As has to be the case when pretty much the whole starting lineup is out and the team still gets the W, great contributions from newer faces, with 2 frosh Buffs, Oliver (16/14) and Powell (11/11) earning double doubles, and sophomores Johnson (20 points on 10-15 shooting) and Sanders (18 on 7-13, along with 5 assists) leading the way in the scoring column!
(Hopefully, they can carry the momentum when going from playing the Big 12 last place Cougars today to playing co-leader Baylor in a few days.)

Way to go Buffs!!!

 

[t.d.c.buffs]

Games like this give me tremendous confidence in Coach Payne. The expectations for level-of-play are the same even with a majority of starters and key players out with injury/illness. That's a foundation that strong programs are built on. No excuses. RG needs to keep JR and company in Boulder; the future is bright with them at the helm. Props to the players who stepped up these last few weeks, especially today. Go Buffs, **** Baylor!

 

[AztecBuff]

Media after last night's win:

Article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2025/2/15/womens-basketball-youth-in-full-effect-in-win-over-houston

"

Youth in Full Effect in Win Over Houston​

Colorado’s underclassmen put up big numbers in a 23-point win

By: Seth Pringle, Athletic Communications

BOULDER – Four Colorado underclassmen accounted for 78% of the Buffaloes' scoring in the team's 83-60 win over Houston on Saturday. The return to the CU Events Center snapped the Buffs' two-game slide as Colorado improved to 13-1 on its home court.

The Buffaloes suffered another blow to the lineup on Saturday morning, learning that Jade Masogayo could not play, adding to the list of the CU players out with injuries. The Buffs dressed just nine players and had all eight in the rotation contribute.

"I think it's been a big thing with a lot of people getting out," freshman Grace Oliver said. "I mean, Jade, we just found out that she wasn't playing today, and I think we all know that we have to step up. And Matt [Hower] always says, 'Just give a little bit more.' I think we've really been living and dying by that recently. I think today, we really did shine with that."

With Masogayo out of the lineup, Oliver got her first career start and did not disappoint. The Norwell, Mass., native had 12 points at halftime and finished with a season-high 16 points and 14 rebounds in 31 minutes. Classmate Erin Powell also stepped up big for the Buffs with 11 points and 11 boards, becoming just the second CU freshmen pair to have a double-double in the same game alongside Sandy Bean (12 pts, 12 ast) and Kim Scheidt (14 pts, 10 reb) on Feb. 1, 1979.

"I just think they're getting better and better," head coach JR Payne commented about the team's freshmen. "Sometimes your opportunity comes early, sometimes your opportunity comes middle, sometimes your opportunity comes late. This freshman class, maybe above any freshman class we've ever had, has just stayed ready – doesn't pout. They don't get mopey; they are just locked in. When they come in, they play hard, and they do their job and I think that's the sign of a very mature group. They've just been incredible."

Sophomore Ayianna Johnson led all scorers with a career-high 20 points, going 10-for-15 from the floor, and redshirt freshman Kennedy Sanders dished out five assists to go with her season-high 18 points in her 32 minutes off the bench.

"She did a great job," Payne added about Johnson. "There were a lot of mismatches because of the numbers, so I thought she did a really great job of getting post position against some of those mismatches and kept it pretty simple. She was just really effective. Her percentage, 10-for-15, is very efficient. And then also three offensive rebounds, she did a lot of good things."

The Buffs (17-8) grew the lead to 24 in the final minutes, helping improve to 8-6 in conference play and remain in the eighth spot in the Big 12. CU outrebounded UH by 24, 48-24, and scored season-highs in second-chance points (20) and points in the paint (50).

Houston (5-20, 1-13 Big 12) had just six players available, all playing over 25 minutes. Laila Blair played all 40 minutes for the Cougars, contributing a team-high 18 points.
...

UP NEXT
The Buffs will remain home on Wednesday for a rematch with Baylor (7 p.m. MT).

NOTES
Colorado improves to 2-1 all-time against Houston…CU scored 49 points off the bench, its second-best total of the season...Before Saturday, the last CU freshman to have a double-double was Jaylyn Sherrod at Utah on Dec. 29, 2019 (19 pts, 10 ast), and the previous CU pair to have a double-double in the same game was Quay Miller (21 pts, 11 reb) and Sherrod (11 pts, 13 ast) against UT Arlington (Dec. 5, 2023)…Entering Saturday, the last freshman to have double-figure rebounds was Peanut Tuitele (11) against USC (Feb. 10, 2018)…Colorado had only two double-doubles all season before Saturday…CU had a season-high 48 rebounds and had its largest rebounding margin of the season (+24)…All eight players who saw the court scored points…CU was still without Frida Formann, Sara-Rose Smith, JoJo Nworie and Kindyll Wetta.
"
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Box score - https://cubuffs.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats/2024-25/houston/boxscore/17294

 

[buffgal]

Now **** Bailer

 

[MarkW]

The coaching staff is doing a tremendous job given the injuries. Props to them and the players.

 

[PAHIBuff]

The coaching staff is doing a tremendous job given the injuries. Props to them and the players.

Women's Bball has the best coaching staff at CU, not even close.

 

[buffgal]

The coaching staff is doing a tremendous job given the injuries. Props to them and the players.

It's great to see those young players in the game for the entire game. Hopefully they stick around and show us more of what they can do next season.

 

[AztecBuff]

Preview for tonight's game - https://cubuffs.com/news/2025/2/18/womens-basketball-getting-to-know-the-buffs-nyamer-diew

"


Getting to know the new players throughout the season

By: Seth Pringle, Athletic Communications

BOULDER – On Wednesday, the Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball team takes on the No. 19 Baylor Bears in a rematch from early on in Big 12 play.

The Buffs have 10 new faces on the team this season, and CUBuffs.com will feature 'Get to Know' spotlights on all 10 players throughout the season.

Next up, graduate transfer Nyamer Diew.

What was it like growing up in Minnesota and playing basketball there?
It was fun. I feel like a lot of people play not just basketball but multiple sports. It's just fun because you could grow up, and we had the Lynx and the Timberwolves there. It was fun to see that you could go far in that.

How was your experience playing for the first South Sudan women's team?
It was good. It was really fun. We got to meet some really cool people. They got their first win, which was this evening for them, but this morning for me. So that was pretty cool to see the evolution, and just having the chance to play with them and being on their radar for the next few years when I'm done with college. It was an honor to represent [them], and it was just cool because my mom got to be there for that. It was really fun.

What made you choose to come to CU?
Definitely, just the state of Colorado being so pretty. There are lots of things to do, being in the mountains and not being in the flatlands. But then also the coaches, they're great. I think I fit in their coaching style, and I fit in the system very well.

What's your favorite thing about living in Colorado?
The balance. Just like seeing the views and the sunshine 300 plus days is really nice.
...

Do you have any sports heroes that you look up to?
Not really. I think it's just cool to see different types of people thrive in different types of ways in the game. That's pretty fun. But I really liked Maya Moore when she was playing. Growing up and just having her in Minnesota was really, really cool. Right now, Napheesa Collier is pretty cool. I love watching her play on both sides of the floor. It's just fun. On the men's side, Jayson Tatum is probably my favorite. I wouldn't say I idolize or anything with these players; it's just really fun to watch them. And Anthony Edwards is really fun to watch. I think it's pretty cool that three of the four people that I named all played or are playing at Minnesota. That's pretty cool.

Diew and the Buffs tip-off against Baylor on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. MT.

Thad Anderson and former Buffs 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.
"

 

[NW Buff]

**** Baylor

 

[jsmilkst]

**** Baylor

Accurate

 

[BuffDog]

In + 1 for tonight's game. Have season tickets for men's and women's basketball. Have attended more women's conference games this year for the first time. Hope they get a player or two back soon.

 

[Da Lama]

As a female athlete HOW THE FVCK can you play for Baylor knowing what has happened there and how it was basically covered up? Every player on that team is a hypocrite.

 

[AztecBuff]

This one started close, but the Bears streak late to take a 14-22 lead after 1. (This included them hitting a half court buzzer beating 3 at the end of the uarter.)

The Buffs got good and bad news on the injury front, with Masagayo back in the starting lineup and bench center Nworie also available after missing time. However, key veteran and common starter Garçon is now out. (Don't think Nike will be featuring the Buffs in any ads this year, as Garcon joins Formann and Smith as being out with "foot" issues.)

(The above is mainly off a Brian Howell social media post.)

 

[AztecBuff]

Unfortunately not a surprise given the injury issues - this one got out of hand in the 2nd quarter and the Bears lead 24-47 at the half.

 

[AztecBuff]

62-84 is the final.
(Good to see the very shorthanded Buffs evidently fighting to the finish and ending up with the (admittedly very small) moral victory of "winning" the 2nd half by a point.)

 

[buffgal]

As a female athlete HOW THE FVCK can you play for Baylor knowing what has happened there and how it was basically covered up? Every player on that team is a hypocrite.

I continue to have this question.

I gave up before halftime. We don't have the bodies available to play at the moment with a very talented Baylor team.

Still **** Baylor

 

[BuffDog]

Tough game to sit through. I left at the end of Q3 when we were trailing 38-76. All around it was a bad night. Q1 ended with us missing a 3 pointer which led to a rebound and half court shot for 3. Quick 6 point swing in the wrong direction. At one point Baylor had taken about 23 3pt shots and had made 60% of them while we were like 1-7. We were missing too many injured players to compete.

 

[buffgal]

Netty played very well even if she is a traitor.

With Wetta have her 2nd concussion of the season, who knows if she will play again. Concussion recovery is so unpredictable.

Frida's foot has bothered her all season. I know at one time she was using a scooter. Who knows if she will play again this season.

We are so injury riddled that I don't know if the team can win another game.

4 starters are out. Jade was an unknown until game day for Baylor. Don't know what her injury is. Jade is good, but she needs help and the freshman haven't played much until now.