Wednesday, February 26
7 p.m.
Colorado
18-10,9-8Big 12
89
vs
54
Arizona State
9-20,3-14Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
Arizona St.
11
9
11
23
54
Colorado
22
19
29
19
89
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Buffs Run Away from ASU in Senior Night Win
February 26, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Colorado sends seniors off with a 35-point win
BOULDER – The Colorado seniors showed up in a big way on Senior Night at CU Events Center, sending the group of six off the floor with an 89-54 win in Wednesday's regular-season home finale.
Graduate transfer Lior Garzon led all players in points and rebounds in her senior send-off. She closed the night with 17 points and a season-high eight rebounds after a scoreless first quarter.
"My mom was like, 'You have no other option,'" Garzon said after the win. "I was like, 'I have to go out and do something.' But no, I mean, it's great. It's a great feeling, and it's always good to play well, but honestly, the win is what matters today because we know we need it. We knew we needed to win today. It was great."
Kindyll Wetta, the lone Colorado native for CU, matched her season-high with 12 points and handed out six assists, finishing a game-best plus-30 in her 25 minutes. The four-year Buff passed 450 career assists, closing the night at 455.
"It's meant everything," Wetta said of her time as a Buffs. "I could not have asked for a better four years here. Getting to come and play in front of my family every night and play with the best teammates, the best coaches, and the best fans has been an incredible four years."
The biggest moment of the night came with just over a minute remaining in the contest when Frida Formann and Sara-Rose Smith subbed into the game to a standing ovation from Buff Nation. Formann has missed 11 games this season, while Smith has been out the last four, both sidelined with injuries.
"Those two [Formann and Smith] have sacrificed a lot for this program and have done everything they can to battle through injury and pain. They want to be out there more than anything in the world. Hopefully, they will be, maybe just not on this court. But it was really special to get them out there on the floor with their teammates."
Johanna Teder and Nyamer Diew rounded out the six departing seniors. Teder went 4-for-9 from the floor with 10 points, while Diew wrapped up her night with six points on 2-of-4 shooting from 3-point range.
The Buffs took control in the first quarter and led for all but five minutes. The CU lead hit 45 in the fourth quarter as the Buffs improved to 18-10 overall and 9-8 in the Big 12. The 35-point spread is the largest conference win by the Buffs since recording a 43-point win over Arizona on Jan. 20, 2013.
The win moves Colorado back into the eighth seed in the Big 12 Tournament with one final regular season game to be played.
Arizona State (9-20, 3-14 Big 12) was led by Jalyn Brown's 17 points.
How it happened
Wetta got the Buffs started, recording four of CU's first six points. With the game tied at seven, Diew hit her first 3-pointer of the night, giving CU the 10-7 lead, and it wouldn't relinquish it the rest of the night. The Buffs closed the quarter on an 8-0 run and doubled up the Sun Devils, 22-11, in the opening period.
Garzon's first make of the night came at the 7:05 mark of the second quarter, getting a layup to go to give the Buffs a 28-13 advantage. Garzon went 3-for-6 in the second quarter, netting seven points in just over six minutes of play. Colorado closed the quarter with a 7-0 run, capped by a Wetta 3-ball to take a 41-20 at the half.
CU's run extended to 16-0 as it started the third quarter on a 9-0 streak, putting the lead up to 30. Garzon and Teder combined for seven points in the run, and the Buffs started 7-for-8 from the field on their way to scoring 29 points and shooting 75.0% in the period, taking a 39-point lead, 70-31, into the fourth quarter.
Payne and the Buffs emptied the bench in the final 10 minutes, with all 12 players getting on the court. Diew's second 3 of the night put the Buffs up 45, 82-37, before the team left off the gas the rest of the way.
"I'll take a 35-point win any night," Payne exclaimed. "I think our preparation and our response after Oklahoma State was really good. I think [assistant coach] Matt [Hower] did a great job on the scouting report going into the game today. So again, I think we were really prepared and confident, and we did what we needed to do to be successful."
UP NEXT
Colorado concludes the regular season with a visit to Texas Tech on Saturday (1 p.m. MT).
NOTES
Colorado improves to 14-16 all-time against Arizona State and has won the last three meetings…CU recorded its ninth game with 40 or more points in the paint this season (44)…The Buffs had their 12th game with at least 30 points off the bench this season (35)…CU scored 21 points off of 14 ASU turnovers…Wetta tied De Celle Thomas for 11th all-time in CU history with 226 career steals…Ayianna Johnson finished with 10 points and has now scored double-figures in back-to-back games for the first time this season…Grace Oliver handed out a season-high six assists...The Buffs finish the regular season 14-2 at home.
QUOTES
Head Coach JR Payne
On Wette and Formann's impact at CU – "The cool thing about those two in particular is as great as they've been on the court, that you could argue that they've been even better in the classroom. They have two of the highest GPAs in the entire university in very difficult academic areas, so we've just continued to be really proud of the amount of work that they put in. They're also two of the hardest working people you probably ever meet, which is why they excel so much in all areas of their lives. As I said on the court, they've had such a big impact on the people in this community, and I know it'll be an impact that's felt forever."
On the approach to playing Texas Tech on the road – "I think we just take this win. I think we bottle how hard we played, how well we played and how cohesive we were. There were so many great things that we did tonight. We take that and pour it all into Texas Tech."
On how it feels to win "unselfishly," spanning points across players - "[It] feels awesome. We have a really unselfish group that loves to share the ball. Kindyll [Wetta] had a bunch of assists. Grace [Oliver] had six assists, but our team likes to make the extra pass and likes to share the ball."
Senior Kindyll Wetta
On her performance - "I don't ever plan these things. I just go out and do what I do. And it turned out great. I'm happy about that. But more so than that, just being on the score one last time with my favorite people ever and playing in front of the best fans in the world."
On what it meant to see Formann and Smith come into the game - "It was really cool. I know they really wanted to be there on the court playing with us today. And I love those two to death. So, it was great to see them come in and see Buff Nation show their support for those two."
Graduate Lior Garzon
On what it meant to her to receive the standing ovation during the game – "It's amazing. With Sarah and Frida, I literally asked them before the game, like, 'Are you guys going to sub in?' Because I want them to sub in. They were like, 'Yes, yes.' And just like me getting all this love from the people I have known for only eight months, I'm not taking it for granted at all. It was just amazing. I really love these people. Everybody came up after the game to talk to me. It was just amazing.
On what her year at CU meant to her - "I really love this place. I told my parents, they just came [to Colorado], and the sun came out, and I was like, 'Oh my god, I just love it.' I can just stay all the time. I really love Boulder, I really love the community. I met so many people. Everybody just always asks me, how can we help you, I know you don't have family here. It's just been really amazing. I'm sure I'll keep in touch with most of the people, which is great."
Graduate transfer Lior Garzon led all players in points and rebounds in her senior send-off. She closed the night with 17 points and a season-high eight rebounds after a scoreless first quarter.
"My mom was like, 'You have no other option,'" Garzon said after the win. "I was like, 'I have to go out and do something.' But no, I mean, it's great. It's a great feeling, and it's always good to play well, but honestly, the win is what matters today because we know we need it. We knew we needed to win today. It was great."
Kindyll Wetta, the lone Colorado native for CU, matched her season-high with 12 points and handed out six assists, finishing a game-best plus-30 in her 25 minutes. The four-year Buff passed 450 career assists, closing the night at 455.
"It's meant everything," Wetta said of her time as a Buffs. "I could not have asked for a better four years here. Getting to come and play in front of my family every night and play with the best teammates, the best coaches, and the best fans has been an incredible four years."
The biggest moment of the night came with just over a minute remaining in the contest when Frida Formann and Sara-Rose Smith subbed into the game to a standing ovation from Buff Nation. Formann has missed 11 games this season, while Smith has been out the last four, both sidelined with injuries.
"Those two [Formann and Smith] have sacrificed a lot for this program and have done everything they can to battle through injury and pain. They want to be out there more than anything in the world. Hopefully, they will be, maybe just not on this court. But it was really special to get them out there on the floor with their teammates."
Johanna Teder and Nyamer Diew rounded out the six departing seniors. Teder went 4-for-9 from the floor with 10 points, while Diew wrapped up her night with six points on 2-of-4 shooting from 3-point range.
The Buffs took control in the first quarter and led for all but five minutes. The CU lead hit 45 in the fourth quarter as the Buffs improved to 18-10 overall and 9-8 in the Big 12. The 35-point spread is the largest conference win by the Buffs since recording a 43-point win over Arizona on Jan. 20, 2013.
The win moves Colorado back into the eighth seed in the Big 12 Tournament with one final regular season game to be played.
Arizona State (9-20, 3-14 Big 12) was led by Jalyn Brown's 17 points.
How it happened
Wetta got the Buffs started, recording four of CU's first six points. With the game tied at seven, Diew hit her first 3-pointer of the night, giving CU the 10-7 lead, and it wouldn't relinquish it the rest of the night. The Buffs closed the quarter on an 8-0 run and doubled up the Sun Devils, 22-11, in the opening period.
Garzon's first make of the night came at the 7:05 mark of the second quarter, getting a layup to go to give the Buffs a 28-13 advantage. Garzon went 3-for-6 in the second quarter, netting seven points in just over six minutes of play. Colorado closed the quarter with a 7-0 run, capped by a Wetta 3-ball to take a 41-20 at the half.
CU's run extended to 16-0 as it started the third quarter on a 9-0 streak, putting the lead up to 30. Garzon and Teder combined for seven points in the run, and the Buffs started 7-for-8 from the field on their way to scoring 29 points and shooting 75.0% in the period, taking a 39-point lead, 70-31, into the fourth quarter.
Payne and the Buffs emptied the bench in the final 10 minutes, with all 12 players getting on the court. Diew's second 3 of the night put the Buffs up 45, 82-37, before the team left off the gas the rest of the way.
"I'll take a 35-point win any night," Payne exclaimed. "I think our preparation and our response after Oklahoma State was really good. I think [assistant coach] Matt [Hower] did a great job on the scouting report going into the game today. So again, I think we were really prepared and confident, and we did what we needed to do to be successful."
UP NEXT
Colorado concludes the regular season with a visit to Texas Tech on Saturday (1 p.m. MT).
NOTES
Colorado improves to 14-16 all-time against Arizona State and has won the last three meetings…CU recorded its ninth game with 40 or more points in the paint this season (44)…The Buffs had their 12th game with at least 30 points off the bench this season (35)…CU scored 21 points off of 14 ASU turnovers…Wetta tied De Celle Thomas for 11th all-time in CU history with 226 career steals…Ayianna Johnson finished with 10 points and has now scored double-figures in back-to-back games for the first time this season…Grace Oliver handed out a season-high six assists...The Buffs finish the regular season 14-2 at home.
QUOTES
Head Coach JR Payne
On Wette and Formann's impact at CU – "The cool thing about those two in particular is as great as they've been on the court, that you could argue that they've been even better in the classroom. They have two of the highest GPAs in the entire university in very difficult academic areas, so we've just continued to be really proud of the amount of work that they put in. They're also two of the hardest working people you probably ever meet, which is why they excel so much in all areas of their lives. As I said on the court, they've had such a big impact on the people in this community, and I know it'll be an impact that's felt forever."
On the approach to playing Texas Tech on the road – "I think we just take this win. I think we bottle how hard we played, how well we played and how cohesive we were. There were so many great things that we did tonight. We take that and pour it all into Texas Tech."
On how it feels to win "unselfishly," spanning points across players - "[It] feels awesome. We have a really unselfish group that loves to share the ball. Kindyll [Wetta] had a bunch of assists. Grace [Oliver] had six assists, but our team likes to make the extra pass and likes to share the ball."
Senior Kindyll Wetta
On her performance - "I don't ever plan these things. I just go out and do what I do. And it turned out great. I'm happy about that. But more so than that, just being on the score one last time with my favorite people ever and playing in front of the best fans in the world."
On what it meant to see Formann and Smith come into the game - "It was really cool. I know they really wanted to be there on the court playing with us today. And I love those two to death. So, it was great to see them come in and see Buff Nation show their support for those two."
Graduate Lior Garzon
On what it meant to her to receive the standing ovation during the game – "It's amazing. With Sarah and Frida, I literally asked them before the game, like, 'Are you guys going to sub in?' Because I want them to sub in. They were like, 'Yes, yes.' And just like me getting all this love from the people I have known for only eight months, I'm not taking it for granted at all. It was just amazing. I really love these people. Everybody came up after the game to talk to me. It was just amazing.
On what her year at CU meant to her - "I really love this place. I told my parents, they just came [to Colorado], and the sun came out, and I was like, 'Oh my god, I just love it.' I can just stay all the time. I really love Boulder, I really love the community. I met so many people. Everybody just always asks me, how can we help you, I know you don't have family here. It's just been really amazing. I'm sure I'll keep in touch with most of the people, which is great."
Team Stats
ASU
CU
FG%
.352
.522
3FG%
.300
.500
FT%
.909
.692
RB
27
44
TO
14
8
STL
4
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballG
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