Friday, February 3
Boulder, Colo.
6:00 PM
Colorado
13-9, 3-8Pac-12
70
vs
58
Washington State
9-13, 4-7Pac-12
1
2
3
4
F
Washington State
10
17
22
9
58
Colorado
12
14
13
31
70
Kennedy Leonard lays in two of her 25 points Friday night against Washington State.
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Fourth-Quarter Rally Pushes Buffs Past Cougars, 70-58
February 03, 2017 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
Leonard scores 25 -- 16 in final period -- as CU claims third Pac-12 win
BOULDER – A fourth quarter to remember on Friday night propelled the Colorado women's basketball team to a victory the Buffaloes won't forget.
Behind by 14 points in the third quarter, CU opened the final period with an 18-2 run then rolled past Washington State 70-58 at the Coors Events Center.
The Buffs' comeback from a 14-point deficit was the largest they've overcome since trailing by 20 in an overtime win against Arizona on Feb. 23, 2014.
"I'm just so proud of so many things we did," CU coach JR Payne said. "We could talk about forcing turnovers and rebounding the ball but the biggest thing that I'm proud of is that we showed a tremendous amount of heart. We continued to fight and when things started going bad we stayed with what was working and we just had incredible heart tonight and I'm really proud of this team."
CU (13-9 overall, 3-8 Pac-12 Conference) scored only 13 points in the third quarter on 5-of-20 shooting from the field. But in the fourth quarter the Buffs outscored the Cougars (9-13, 4-7) 31-9 and forced a school-record 12 of WSU's 27 turnovers courtesy of a stifling three-quarter court press with a smaller lineup.
"I didn't know how it was going to end, but I knew we could create turnovers," Payne said. "I knew we could get ourselves back in the game."
The Buffs were led by Kennedy Leonard with 25 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter. She had six assists, three rebounds, made four steals which enabled her to reach 100 for her career, and had only one of CU's 10 turnovers.
Ariana Freeman came off the bench to add 14 points for CU and Haley Smith contributed her third career double-double (10 points and 13 rebounds).
"It was the best game ever, not because of scoring, but because of our unity, our fighting, the sisterhood," Freeman said. "It was an absolutely incredible feeling."
WSU had two players in double figures – Ivana Kmetovska with 16 and Pinelopi Pavlopoulou with 13.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs led 12-10 after one quarter but trailed 27-26 at intermission, being outscored 13-5 by the Cougars over the final 5:15 of the second quarter.
CU's largest lead of the half was seven points – 21-14 – with that margin coming after Smith hit the only 3-pointer by either team in the opening half.
After CU called a timeout and set up an in-bounds play, Smith came off the bench and worked her way to the left corner when the ball was in-bounded. She received a pass from Leonard, fired and swished the second of her three trey attempts of the half.
But WSU strung together a 6-0 run with Pavlopoulou scoring the first four points. Over the next 4:45 the Cougars kept up the offensive pressure, ending the half with three free throws by Alexys Swedlund, who was fouled beyond the arc by a lunging Leonard.
Swedlund connected on all three foul shots, giving WSU a 27-26 lead – its first since 2-1.
Neither team topped 40 percent from the field in the opening half; CU shot 32 percent (10-of-31) and WSU 37 percent (11-of-30). The Buffs took advantage of 10 Cougars turnovers for 11 points while the Cougars managed just four points off of six CU errors.
In prepping for the second half, Payne surely pointed out a 22-17 rebound discrepancy for WSU – and the Buffs turned that around, ultimately winning the board battle 42-41. Many of the Cougars' first-half rebounds came as the result of outworking and out-positioning the Buffs – and Payne undoubtedly made mention of that too.
The Buffs struggled in the first 2:30 of the third quarter, not scoring while allowing a trey and a layup by Kayla Washington and a Pavlopoulou jumper as the Cougars built their largest lead of the game – 34-26.
CU finally scored on a short jumper by Zoe Correal at the 6:57 mark, but better execution and fewer wasted possessions were needed over the rest of the quarter.
The Buffs didn't get their second field goal of the period until Freeman hit a layup with 1:07 remaining, then got another lay-in by Leonard and a 3-pointer by Alexis Robinson with 5 seconds left.
WSU, which had increased its advantage to 14 points (46-32), owned a 49-39 lead heading into the final quarter. The Buffs hit only 5-of-20 from the field in the third period, but quickly regained their shooting touches as well as their defensive intensity.
Leonard opened the fourth quarter with a trey from the left corner, then hit one of two free throws, followed by a Robinson triple from the right wing.
Suddenly, CU was behind only 49-46, and less than 2 minutes later Leonard converted a conventional 3-point play to tie the score at 51-51 with 7:20 left.
The Buffs completed their gutty 18-2 run to open the period – 21-2 stretching back to the end of the third quarter – on back-to-back baskets by Freeman and two free throws by Makenzie Ellis to take a 57-51 lead with 5:37 showing.
The Cougars pulled to within 57-56 on a trey by Pavlopoulou but the Buffs were undaunted. Leonard converted another 3-point play and Freeman a short jumper for a 62-58 lead going into the final minute.
Then the game shifted to the free throw line – which was fine with Leonard. She hit 4-of-4 in the final 34.2 seconds, also contributing a steal and a layup. And Smith's pair of free throws with 10 seconds left pushed the final score to 70-58.
TURNING POINT: CU's fourth quarter was one of the record books. A 21-2 run that started in the third quarter on Robinson's trey cut into a 14-point WSU lead and carried the Buffs to their third Pac-12 win.
CU STANDOUTS: Leonard's 25 points were a game-high; she scored 16 of the Buffs' 31 fourth-quarter points . . . . Freeman hit half of her 12 field goal attempts and half of her four free throw attempts. She also had four rebounds and two steals . . . . Ellis grabbed nine rebounds to go with her five points and had three assists . . . . Smith's 13 rebound total included nine defensive boards.
KEY STATISTICS: Of 34 points scored off of 27 Cougars turnovers, the Buffs got 19 of their total in the fourth quarter . . . . CU's 39 percent shooting from the field (9-of-23) in the fourth quarter was its highest of the game . . . . The Buffs finished at 32 percent from the field (24-of-74) . . . . CU outscored WSU 36-28 in the paint, 14-6 on fast breaks and 15-4 in second-chance points.
WHAT IT MEANS: A game that could have easily gotten away from them was turned into a memorable 'W' by the Buffs. The victory was their third in Pac-12 play – one more than the 2015-16 CU team earned. And it provides momentum going into Sunday's contest against No. 10 Washington.
NOTEWORTHY: The Buffs' 26 points at halftime were the third-fewest this season . . . . Colorado was down by 11 to start the fourth quarter … Colorado went on a 21-2 run at the end of the third quarter and carried into the fourth quarter . . . . It was the first time this season that Colorado has come back to win after trailing at halftime . . . . It was also the first time CU has won after trailing at the end of the third quarter . . . . The Buffs are 5-6 overall against Washington State and 4-2 within the Coors Events Center . . . . Ellis set a career high with nine rebounds; her previous best was seven . . . . She also tied a season high with three assists . . . . Smith tied a career high with 13 rebounds; the last time she had 13 was against Colorado State this season . . . . Leonard's 25 points tied the fourth-most in her career.
QUOTEWORTHY
Colorado Coach JR Payne
On the late turnaround
"We went smaller and decided to spread them out. We wanted to be aggressive from the beginning and we talked about certain areas of the floor that would be open for penetration. But we were hitting those lanes very hard, and by spreading out it gave us an opportunity to open up more driving lanes. And obviously, the press and turning them over but not just turning them over but capitalizing on those turnovers. And that gave us confidence because we got rewarded for our hard work and that gives you more energy."
On sensing the comeback
"I didn't know how it was going to end, at the start of the fourth quarter, but I knew that we could create turnovers. That was something that we saw on film and we went small so we could really fly around defensively. I just couldn't believe how much we were capitalizing. There was a turnover and a score and then another turnover and another score, so I wasn't sure what the outcome was going to be but I knew that we could get ourselves back in the game."
On the defensive pressure affecting Washington State
"We're consistently harping about keeping our hands up and during that stretch it felt like we did everything that we were supposed to do. Everything that we wanted to do defensively we felt like we were on the same page and everyone was doing their job."
On the Washington Huskies
"Washington is fantastic and balanced. They have fantastic players, Plum [Kelsey] is a tremendous scorer, and they have a lot of weapons. But that's not really what our focus is right now I think that we need to enjoy this moment. And it was an awesome opportunity to play together like we did and I want them to enjoy this win."
On the lift this win gives
"It's a pretty big win. Its good because there's a great team coming in, but every team in the Pac-12 is great. So it should be a really fun game on Sunday."
On Haley Smith
"I tell people all the time that I'd give anything for her to be a sophomore or a freshman because she's that player. She's the one who's going to play her heart out every time she goes out there. Her effort is contagious and she's our best rebounder. And it's not because she's the biggest or she jumps the highest it's because of her effort. She goes 100 percent and she gives everything she's got when she's out there. She got the huge turnover at the end of the game, something we've wanted her to do. She's very much a rock for our team in many different ways."
Colorado Players
Ariana Freeman, So., G
On catching up in the fourth quarter
"We knew if we were going to go out, we were going to go out fighting. So that means we were going to be aggressive, take those open shots and pay with confidence. It paid off."
On the spark in fourth quarter
"I think me and [Kennedy Leonard] looked at each other, everyone looked at each other that was in the game, and we were like 'all right let's go.' If we're going to make a run, it's going to be right now. This is the fourth quarter we have ten minutes left. If we're going to hit them, we got to hit them now."
On the fourth-quarter turnaround
"This was the best game ever! But it was not because of the scoring, it was because in the fourth quarter I had never had that feeling of such unity and sisterhood and fighting and family. 'Ken' got a steal, she took it in, laid it up. I think someone got a steal, passed it to 'Ken,' she passed it to me for a layup. It was just an absolute, just incredible feeling but not because of the scoring. But because we all felt together, glued together and we were going to win this game no matter what."
Kennedy Leonard, So., G
On Colorado defense
"It was huge. We finally got our hands up and in the passing lane. Like [Ariana Freeman] said, capitalizing on those steals was what mattered. The steals were good but if you do not convert them, they do not really matter. 'Coach T' made that defensive change, we got smaller, we got after them and we made plays."
On improving from last year's PAC-12 record
"I honestly hadn't even thought about it yet. But winning is fun, playing together is fun. Winning like that, like we just did, is fun. It means that everything is paying off. We are working hard and not everything is always going to go in our direction. But, if we keep working hard and keep getting after it, eventually things will fall into place. We just have to keep getting after it, keep going to work and keep getting better every day."
NEXT UP: The Buffs play host to No. 10 Washington on Sunday (noon, Pac-12 Networks, ESPN radio 1600 am).
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Behind by 14 points in the third quarter, CU opened the final period with an 18-2 run then rolled past Washington State 70-58 at the Coors Events Center.
The Buffs' comeback from a 14-point deficit was the largest they've overcome since trailing by 20 in an overtime win against Arizona on Feb. 23, 2014.
"I'm just so proud of so many things we did," CU coach JR Payne said. "We could talk about forcing turnovers and rebounding the ball but the biggest thing that I'm proud of is that we showed a tremendous amount of heart. We continued to fight and when things started going bad we stayed with what was working and we just had incredible heart tonight and I'm really proud of this team."
CU (13-9 overall, 3-8 Pac-12 Conference) scored only 13 points in the third quarter on 5-of-20 shooting from the field. But in the fourth quarter the Buffs outscored the Cougars (9-13, 4-7) 31-9 and forced a school-record 12 of WSU's 27 turnovers courtesy of a stifling three-quarter court press with a smaller lineup.
"I didn't know how it was going to end, but I knew we could create turnovers," Payne said. "I knew we could get ourselves back in the game."
The Buffs were led by Kennedy Leonard with 25 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter. She had six assists, three rebounds, made four steals which enabled her to reach 100 for her career, and had only one of CU's 10 turnovers.
Ariana Freeman came off the bench to add 14 points for CU and Haley Smith contributed her third career double-double (10 points and 13 rebounds).
"It was the best game ever, not because of scoring, but because of our unity, our fighting, the sisterhood," Freeman said. "It was an absolutely incredible feeling."
WSU had two players in double figures – Ivana Kmetovska with 16 and Pinelopi Pavlopoulou with 13.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs led 12-10 after one quarter but trailed 27-26 at intermission, being outscored 13-5 by the Cougars over the final 5:15 of the second quarter.
CU's largest lead of the half was seven points – 21-14 – with that margin coming after Smith hit the only 3-pointer by either team in the opening half.
After CU called a timeout and set up an in-bounds play, Smith came off the bench and worked her way to the left corner when the ball was in-bounded. She received a pass from Leonard, fired and swished the second of her three trey attempts of the half.
But WSU strung together a 6-0 run with Pavlopoulou scoring the first four points. Over the next 4:45 the Cougars kept up the offensive pressure, ending the half with three free throws by Alexys Swedlund, who was fouled beyond the arc by a lunging Leonard.
Swedlund connected on all three foul shots, giving WSU a 27-26 lead – its first since 2-1.
Neither team topped 40 percent from the field in the opening half; CU shot 32 percent (10-of-31) and WSU 37 percent (11-of-30). The Buffs took advantage of 10 Cougars turnovers for 11 points while the Cougars managed just four points off of six CU errors.
In prepping for the second half, Payne surely pointed out a 22-17 rebound discrepancy for WSU – and the Buffs turned that around, ultimately winning the board battle 42-41. Many of the Cougars' first-half rebounds came as the result of outworking and out-positioning the Buffs – and Payne undoubtedly made mention of that too.
The Buffs struggled in the first 2:30 of the third quarter, not scoring while allowing a trey and a layup by Kayla Washington and a Pavlopoulou jumper as the Cougars built their largest lead of the game – 34-26.
CU finally scored on a short jumper by Zoe Correal at the 6:57 mark, but better execution and fewer wasted possessions were needed over the rest of the quarter.
The Buffs didn't get their second field goal of the period until Freeman hit a layup with 1:07 remaining, then got another lay-in by Leonard and a 3-pointer by Alexis Robinson with 5 seconds left.
WSU, which had increased its advantage to 14 points (46-32), owned a 49-39 lead heading into the final quarter. The Buffs hit only 5-of-20 from the field in the third period, but quickly regained their shooting touches as well as their defensive intensity.
Leonard opened the fourth quarter with a trey from the left corner, then hit one of two free throws, followed by a Robinson triple from the right wing.
Suddenly, CU was behind only 49-46, and less than 2 minutes later Leonard converted a conventional 3-point play to tie the score at 51-51 with 7:20 left.
The Buffs completed their gutty 18-2 run to open the period – 21-2 stretching back to the end of the third quarter – on back-to-back baskets by Freeman and two free throws by Makenzie Ellis to take a 57-51 lead with 5:37 showing.
The Cougars pulled to within 57-56 on a trey by Pavlopoulou but the Buffs were undaunted. Leonard converted another 3-point play and Freeman a short jumper for a 62-58 lead going into the final minute.
Then the game shifted to the free throw line – which was fine with Leonard. She hit 4-of-4 in the final 34.2 seconds, also contributing a steal and a layup. And Smith's pair of free throws with 10 seconds left pushed the final score to 70-58.
TURNING POINT: CU's fourth quarter was one of the record books. A 21-2 run that started in the third quarter on Robinson's trey cut into a 14-point WSU lead and carried the Buffs to their third Pac-12 win.
CU STANDOUTS: Leonard's 25 points were a game-high; she scored 16 of the Buffs' 31 fourth-quarter points . . . . Freeman hit half of her 12 field goal attempts and half of her four free throw attempts. She also had four rebounds and two steals . . . . Ellis grabbed nine rebounds to go with her five points and had three assists . . . . Smith's 13 rebound total included nine defensive boards.
KEY STATISTICS: Of 34 points scored off of 27 Cougars turnovers, the Buffs got 19 of their total in the fourth quarter . . . . CU's 39 percent shooting from the field (9-of-23) in the fourth quarter was its highest of the game . . . . The Buffs finished at 32 percent from the field (24-of-74) . . . . CU outscored WSU 36-28 in the paint, 14-6 on fast breaks and 15-4 in second-chance points.
WHAT IT MEANS: A game that could have easily gotten away from them was turned into a memorable 'W' by the Buffs. The victory was their third in Pac-12 play – one more than the 2015-16 CU team earned. And it provides momentum going into Sunday's contest against No. 10 Washington.
NOTEWORTHY: The Buffs' 26 points at halftime were the third-fewest this season . . . . Colorado was down by 11 to start the fourth quarter … Colorado went on a 21-2 run at the end of the third quarter and carried into the fourth quarter . . . . It was the first time this season that Colorado has come back to win after trailing at halftime . . . . It was also the first time CU has won after trailing at the end of the third quarter . . . . The Buffs are 5-6 overall against Washington State and 4-2 within the Coors Events Center . . . . Ellis set a career high with nine rebounds; her previous best was seven . . . . She also tied a season high with three assists . . . . Smith tied a career high with 13 rebounds; the last time she had 13 was against Colorado State this season . . . . Leonard's 25 points tied the fourth-most in her career.
QUOTEWORTHY
Colorado Coach JR Payne
On the late turnaround
"We went smaller and decided to spread them out. We wanted to be aggressive from the beginning and we talked about certain areas of the floor that would be open for penetration. But we were hitting those lanes very hard, and by spreading out it gave us an opportunity to open up more driving lanes. And obviously, the press and turning them over but not just turning them over but capitalizing on those turnovers. And that gave us confidence because we got rewarded for our hard work and that gives you more energy."
On sensing the comeback
"I didn't know how it was going to end, at the start of the fourth quarter, but I knew that we could create turnovers. That was something that we saw on film and we went small so we could really fly around defensively. I just couldn't believe how much we were capitalizing. There was a turnover and a score and then another turnover and another score, so I wasn't sure what the outcome was going to be but I knew that we could get ourselves back in the game."
On the defensive pressure affecting Washington State
"We're consistently harping about keeping our hands up and during that stretch it felt like we did everything that we were supposed to do. Everything that we wanted to do defensively we felt like we were on the same page and everyone was doing their job."
On the Washington Huskies
"Washington is fantastic and balanced. They have fantastic players, Plum [Kelsey] is a tremendous scorer, and they have a lot of weapons. But that's not really what our focus is right now I think that we need to enjoy this moment. And it was an awesome opportunity to play together like we did and I want them to enjoy this win."
On the lift this win gives
"It's a pretty big win. Its good because there's a great team coming in, but every team in the Pac-12 is great. So it should be a really fun game on Sunday."
On Haley Smith
"I tell people all the time that I'd give anything for her to be a sophomore or a freshman because she's that player. She's the one who's going to play her heart out every time she goes out there. Her effort is contagious and she's our best rebounder. And it's not because she's the biggest or she jumps the highest it's because of her effort. She goes 100 percent and she gives everything she's got when she's out there. She got the huge turnover at the end of the game, something we've wanted her to do. She's very much a rock for our team in many different ways."
Colorado Players
Ariana Freeman, So., G
On catching up in the fourth quarter
"We knew if we were going to go out, we were going to go out fighting. So that means we were going to be aggressive, take those open shots and pay with confidence. It paid off."
On the spark in fourth quarter
"I think me and [Kennedy Leonard] looked at each other, everyone looked at each other that was in the game, and we were like 'all right let's go.' If we're going to make a run, it's going to be right now. This is the fourth quarter we have ten minutes left. If we're going to hit them, we got to hit them now."
On the fourth-quarter turnaround
"This was the best game ever! But it was not because of the scoring, it was because in the fourth quarter I had never had that feeling of such unity and sisterhood and fighting and family. 'Ken' got a steal, she took it in, laid it up. I think someone got a steal, passed it to 'Ken,' she passed it to me for a layup. It was just an absolute, just incredible feeling but not because of the scoring. But because we all felt together, glued together and we were going to win this game no matter what."
Kennedy Leonard, So., G
On Colorado defense
"It was huge. We finally got our hands up and in the passing lane. Like [Ariana Freeman] said, capitalizing on those steals was what mattered. The steals were good but if you do not convert them, they do not really matter. 'Coach T' made that defensive change, we got smaller, we got after them and we made plays."
On improving from last year's PAC-12 record
"I honestly hadn't even thought about it yet. But winning is fun, playing together is fun. Winning like that, like we just did, is fun. It means that everything is paying off. We are working hard and not everything is always going to go in our direction. But, if we keep working hard and keep getting after it, eventually things will fall into place. We just have to keep getting after it, keep going to work and keep getting better every day."
NEXT UP: The Buffs play host to No. 10 Washington on Sunday (noon, Pac-12 Networks, ESPN radio 1600 am).
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Team Stats
WSU
COLO
FG%
.444
.324
3FG%
.143
.174
FT%
.667
.692
RB
41
42
TO
27
10
STL
7
14
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG/F
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