Saturday, December 7
1 p.m.
Colorado
8-2,0-0Big 12
76
vs
59
Southern Utah
1-9,0-0WAC
1
2
3
4
F
Southern Utah
18
13
10
18
59
Colorado
22
25
12
17
76
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Shorthanded Buffs Strike Down Thunderbirds
December 07, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Colorado picks up the 76-59 win over Southern Utah
BOULDER – The shorthanded Colorado women's basketball team had little problems with its new rotations Saturday at the CU Events Center, sending the visiting Southern Utah Thunderbirds packing, 76-58.
The Buffaloes improved to 8-2 on the season, playing without the comfort of its two true-point guards. Senior Kindyll Wetta and freshman Kennedy Sanders were sidelined due to injuries suffered earlier this week in practice. For Wetta, it was the first game she's been sidelined for, snapping a streak of 108 consecutive games played.
Grad transfers Johanna Teder and Lior Garzon were both tasked as the fill-ins. Teder, who started every game she played at Washington State (86), got her first start as a Buff and led the team with a career-high seven assists. Garzon, who had started every game this season, came in off the bench and led the team with 20 points.
"I'm really proud of us," head coach JR Payne expressed after the win. "It's a difficult thing to play without the players that have been playing point guard position. These guys [Teder and Garzon] did great stepping in at that position. JoJo [Nworie] played who hasn't played in two years. She came in, hit a 3, and blocked a couple of shots. That was really incredible to see. Just overall a good team effort. We still have things, obviously, to work on, but I'm proud of how we played tonight."
Colorado led for all but 49 seconds of Saturday's contest and shots over 50.0% from the field for the third consecutive game. Frida Formann put in 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Formann and Garzon combined for five of the team's seven 3-pointers. Jade Masogayo snuck into double-figures with 10 points to round out the day.
"Our offense is structured to spread the ball and share the ball," Payne added. "I think that's why our assist numbers are so high. I think we're among the top 15 assists in the country. We have unselfish players that are happy to share the ball. I think it's incredible when you have players capable of going for 20 or 28 like she [Lior] had one night. We have many players that are capable of that, but we don't rely on anyone for that. I think that's the strength of our team, is that sure it could be Lior tonight for 20; it could be Johanna, who had 14 a couple of weeks ago, and Frida had 20, so I love that about our team. We don't absolutely rely on anyone, and we're happy to share the ball, and it shows up in the box score."
Four different Buffs handed out 17 assists on 30 made field goals despite missing their top assist leader in Wetta. The senior guard has averaged 6.8 assists per game this season.
"I did have the ball in my hands a lot more," Teder said about filling in. "We just talked with Coach about being more aggressive and finding the open shots. I think it was just really good practice. Even if I haven't played [at point guard], I've still always been in that rotation. I was comfortable, and I had everyone's trust."
Sophomore JoJo Nworie became the final Buff to make her debut this season. She scored her first collegiate points in the second quarter, finishing with five points, one rebound and a block.
"JoJo and I take a class together three times a week, and every time we go back to practice, we always say, 'I can't wait to see you.'" Garzon explained. "Seeing her today, when she banged the 3, I looked at her and was like, 'You're back.' It's real now. I think it was very special today for her to get on the court again. It was just about being there with us on the court, feeling that again, and being a part of the rotation. I think that's amazing."
Southern Utah (1-9) was led by Sydney Gandy and Daylani Ballena with 11 points each.
How it Happened
Southern Utah hit an early three to take a 3-2 lead in the opening minute of the contest, but that would be the Thunderbirds' lone lead of the day. The Buffs started 6-for-7 from the field, jumping out to a 13-8 lead. Formann posted eight points in the opening quarter, and the Buffs took a 22-18 into the second quarter.
Formann and Garzon combined for the Buffs' efforts early in the second quarter, scoring all 11 points in a 14-3 run. Garzon hit three consecutive 3-pointers to start the run, and Formann finished it off with five points of her own to give CU a 36-24 lead. Garzon scored 14 of CU's 25 points in the quarter, going 5-for-6 from the field and 3-for-4 behind the arc.
"I play with a lot of confidence," Garzon said of her effort. "I think my work ethic just gives me a lot of confidence. I do extra reps every single day before and after practice. I play with confidence. Yes, I'm making shots, but it's because of what I do in my preparation before games. I will always be confident if I make it or miss it because I know I put in the work to shoot those shots."
Colorado led 47-31 at the half, but both teams' scoring slowed down in the third quarter. Colorado scored five points off of SUU's seven turnovers in the quarter, and the Buffs maintained an 18-point lead, 59-41.
Both teams converted seven field goals in the fourth quarter with SUU outscoring Colorado 18-17. Teder played all 10 minutes in the quarter, with the Buffs' bench getting heavy playing time. Freshman Grace Oliver scored all five of her points to lead the CU in the period.
Up Next
Colorado closes the non-conference season on Tuesday, hosting Denver at 7 p.m. MT.
Notes
Colorado improved to 7-0 all-time against Southern Utah…Coach Payne is now 3-0 against her former team…The past three games against Southern Utah have all fallen on Dec. 7…Garzon leads the team in 20-point performances with three this season…Garzon now has 262 career 3-pointers…Colorado recorded its third game season with 40 or more points in the paint (42)…The team also had 42 points off the bench…CU had its largest rebounding margin of the season (+19)…CU is now 3-0 against teams from Utah this season.
The Buffaloes improved to 8-2 on the season, playing without the comfort of its two true-point guards. Senior Kindyll Wetta and freshman Kennedy Sanders were sidelined due to injuries suffered earlier this week in practice. For Wetta, it was the first game she's been sidelined for, snapping a streak of 108 consecutive games played.
Grad transfers Johanna Teder and Lior Garzon were both tasked as the fill-ins. Teder, who started every game she played at Washington State (86), got her first start as a Buff and led the team with a career-high seven assists. Garzon, who had started every game this season, came in off the bench and led the team with 20 points.
"I'm really proud of us," head coach JR Payne expressed after the win. "It's a difficult thing to play without the players that have been playing point guard position. These guys [Teder and Garzon] did great stepping in at that position. JoJo [Nworie] played who hasn't played in two years. She came in, hit a 3, and blocked a couple of shots. That was really incredible to see. Just overall a good team effort. We still have things, obviously, to work on, but I'm proud of how we played tonight."
Colorado led for all but 49 seconds of Saturday's contest and shots over 50.0% from the field for the third consecutive game. Frida Formann put in 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Formann and Garzon combined for five of the team's seven 3-pointers. Jade Masogayo snuck into double-figures with 10 points to round out the day.
"Our offense is structured to spread the ball and share the ball," Payne added. "I think that's why our assist numbers are so high. I think we're among the top 15 assists in the country. We have unselfish players that are happy to share the ball. I think it's incredible when you have players capable of going for 20 or 28 like she [Lior] had one night. We have many players that are capable of that, but we don't rely on anyone for that. I think that's the strength of our team, is that sure it could be Lior tonight for 20; it could be Johanna, who had 14 a couple of weeks ago, and Frida had 20, so I love that about our team. We don't absolutely rely on anyone, and we're happy to share the ball, and it shows up in the box score."
Four different Buffs handed out 17 assists on 30 made field goals despite missing their top assist leader in Wetta. The senior guard has averaged 6.8 assists per game this season.
"I did have the ball in my hands a lot more," Teder said about filling in. "We just talked with Coach about being more aggressive and finding the open shots. I think it was just really good practice. Even if I haven't played [at point guard], I've still always been in that rotation. I was comfortable, and I had everyone's trust."
Sophomore JoJo Nworie became the final Buff to make her debut this season. She scored her first collegiate points in the second quarter, finishing with five points, one rebound and a block.
"JoJo and I take a class together three times a week, and every time we go back to practice, we always say, 'I can't wait to see you.'" Garzon explained. "Seeing her today, when she banged the 3, I looked at her and was like, 'You're back.' It's real now. I think it was very special today for her to get on the court again. It was just about being there with us on the court, feeling that again, and being a part of the rotation. I think that's amazing."
Southern Utah (1-9) was led by Sydney Gandy and Daylani Ballena with 11 points each.
How it Happened
Southern Utah hit an early three to take a 3-2 lead in the opening minute of the contest, but that would be the Thunderbirds' lone lead of the day. The Buffs started 6-for-7 from the field, jumping out to a 13-8 lead. Formann posted eight points in the opening quarter, and the Buffs took a 22-18 into the second quarter.
Formann and Garzon combined for the Buffs' efforts early in the second quarter, scoring all 11 points in a 14-3 run. Garzon hit three consecutive 3-pointers to start the run, and Formann finished it off with five points of her own to give CU a 36-24 lead. Garzon scored 14 of CU's 25 points in the quarter, going 5-for-6 from the field and 3-for-4 behind the arc.
"I play with a lot of confidence," Garzon said of her effort. "I think my work ethic just gives me a lot of confidence. I do extra reps every single day before and after practice. I play with confidence. Yes, I'm making shots, but it's because of what I do in my preparation before games. I will always be confident if I make it or miss it because I know I put in the work to shoot those shots."
Colorado led 47-31 at the half, but both teams' scoring slowed down in the third quarter. Colorado scored five points off of SUU's seven turnovers in the quarter, and the Buffs maintained an 18-point lead, 59-41.
Both teams converted seven field goals in the fourth quarter with SUU outscoring Colorado 18-17. Teder played all 10 minutes in the quarter, with the Buffs' bench getting heavy playing time. Freshman Grace Oliver scored all five of her points to lead the CU in the period.
Up Next
Colorado closes the non-conference season on Tuesday, hosting Denver at 7 p.m. MT.
Notes
Colorado improved to 7-0 all-time against Southern Utah…Coach Payne is now 3-0 against her former team…The past three games against Southern Utah have all fallen on Dec. 7…Garzon leads the team in 20-point performances with three this season…Garzon now has 262 career 3-pointers…Colorado recorded its third game season with 40 or more points in the paint (42)…The team also had 42 points off the bench…CU had its largest rebounding margin of the season (+19)…CU is now 3-0 against teams from Utah this season.
Team Stats
SUU
CU
FG%
.442
.517
3FG%
.316
.368
FT%
.700
.643
RB
20
39
TO
15
17
STL
9
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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