Thursday, March 20
7 p.m.
Colorado
21-12,9-9Big 12
73
vs
41
Southeastern Louisiana
26-6,19-1Southland
1
2
3
4
F
Southeastern La.
9
11
16
5
41
Colorado
17
16
21
19
73
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Buffs Tame Lady Lions, 73-41
March 20, 2025 | Women's Basketball
No. 1 seed Colorado advances - will play Gonzaga on Sunday
BOULDER – Colorado women's basketball steamrolled the Southland Conference regular-season champion Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions in the opening round of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament, 73-41, Thursday night at the CU Events Center.
The No. 1 seeded Buffaloes (21-12) now advance to take on No. 4-seeded Gonzaga at home on Sunday (1 p.m.).
"I'm so thrilled," head coach JR Payne said after the win. "Any team that's winning right now; every game that happens, somebody is going home, and fewer teams throughout the country are still getting to play basketball. I'm really proud and excited that we won—total team effort. Lior [Garzon] was scoring, Jade [Masogayo] was scoring, Kindyll [Wetta] was rebounding, Grace [Oliver] was rebounding. Just a great team effort. I thought we really executed the scout very well, in spurts, offensively and defensively, and just excited to keep playing."
Colorado distributed the ball equally in its return to the court. The Buffs handed out 18 assists and had four players find double-figures in their first game in 13 days. Lior Garzon led the way with an 18-point effort, going 6-for-11 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Jade Masogayo missed her shot of the night but didn't miss the rest of the game, closing 5-for-6 from the field with 15 points.
"I had the whole week to think about like, we didn't make the [NCAA] tournament," Garzon expressed. "I feel really lucky, because even though we were disappointed, we see the opportunity just to go win something and finish the season really good. Today, I just locked in from the beginning, the whole week, and just gave this confidence to the team. Just know, like, 'Hey, I'm here. Just go after it.'"
Freshman Grace Oliver led the Buffs' bench, putting in 12 of the team's 23 secondary points. Senior Kindyll Wetta was on a triple-double watch in the second half, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
"I thought Kindyll was great," Payne stated. "We needed her to be good tonight because we knew we were going to play against a tremendous amount of pressure. We needed to be poised and organized; typically, that falls on your point guard to ensure you're doing what you're supposed to do. I thought she was great. Seven rebounds, six assists, one turnover, plus 10 points is a very well-rounded stat sheet. We needed her to be that. She definitely delivered."
The Buffs hit 56.8% from the floor and shot an even 70.0% in both the second and third quarters, helping overcome their 19 turnovers. CU closed the door on SLU with a 21-0 run from the end of the third quarter late into the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to a game-high 32.
"I thought [we had] great shooting," Payne added. "Again, so many different people hit great shots and big shots, and that's actually what we said, probably all week; if we just take care of the basketball, we'll be able to score. It was great that we did it at such a high clip."
Colorado's defense only recorded one steal and forced eight turnovers but didn't let SLU inside the paint. Colorado nearly doubled the Lady Lions' effort inside, outscoring them 32-18 in the paint. CU kept SLU to opponent lows in field goals made (16) and field goal % (.267).
"I thought just overall execution of the defensive game plan was really good," Payne continued. "Not too many possessions where we weren't trying to do what we had talked about in preparation. Everybody still playing desperately wants to win, and everyone wants to do whatever it takes to win the game. At this point in the year, everybody's really good that's playing, so scout execution becomes critical, because everybody's really good at this point. I thought, just overall, really good team defense."
SLU (26-6) was led by the Southland Conference Player of the Year, Alexius Horne, and her 14 points.
How it happened
Masogayo and Wetta got the Buffs going early, combining for a 7-2 lead in the open. CU's lead never dipped below that five-point spread the rest of the night. Garzon hit back-to-back baskets in an 8-0 run to extend the lead to double-figures for the first time at the 6:18 mark of the period. CU outscored the Lady Lions 17-9 in the first 10 minutes and limited SLU to a 4-for-14 start from the floor.
Colorado scored the first eight points in the second quarter, growing the lead to 25-9 before SLU could temporarily stop the bleeding. Oliver scored five points in the second frame, and the Buffs hit 7-for-10 in the quarter to take a 33-20 lead at the half.
Wetta led the Buffs at the half with eight points, four rebounds, and four assists, while the trio of Garzon, Oliver, and Masogayo posted a three-of-a-kind, each having seven points at the break.
SLU got on the board first in the third quarter to get back within 11, 33-22, but a rare AND2 play from Garzon and a jumper from Tabitha Betson gave CU a 17-point lead with just under two minutes gone in the quarter.
"I actually asked the ref what was going on because I had no idea what was going on," Garzon recalled about the four-point play. "But it was cool. I'll take it."
The Lady Lions got back to within 11 points twice more in the period, but CU had an answer each time. The final counter blow as a Betston 3-pointer that sparked a 7-0 run to finish the quarter leading 18, 54-36.
The Black & Gold continued to pour it on in the final quarter, getting 3 to go at the start. CU started the final 10 minutes 3-for-3 from the field and outscored SLU 14-0 until a 3-pointer from Horne at the 3:36 mark.
SLU went just 2-for-13 in the final period, while the Buffs pushed the lead to a game-high 32 by the final whistle.
Up Next
Colorado will face Gonzaga on Sunday for the first time since the 2008 WNIT. The Buffs won a 3-0 lead over the Zags, including a 2-0 record at the CU Events Center. The Colorado coaching staff are no strangers to Gonzaga. Payne and associate head coach Toriano Towns spent time on the Gonzaga bench, while assistant coach Taelor Karr was the 2013 West Coast Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-WCC with Gonzaga.
Notes
Colorado is now 2-0 all-time against SLU…The Buffs have now won a postseason game in three consecutive seasons…CU is now 9-5 in postseason tournament play under Coach Payne…Masogayo recorded her 23rd game in double-figures this season…She is inching closer to 1,000 career points (928)…Garzon finished with her 16th game in double-figures…CU is 8-0 this season, when Garzon leads the team in scoring…Garzon now has 295 career 3-point field goals made and 1,610 career points…Thursday was Wetta's second career game with at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists…She now has 476 career assists (7th at CU) and 231 career steals (11th at CU)…CU hist seven 3FGM and now has 212 3FGM this season…CU was +15 on the glass (42-27).
The No. 1 seeded Buffaloes (21-12) now advance to take on No. 4-seeded Gonzaga at home on Sunday (1 p.m.).
"I'm so thrilled," head coach JR Payne said after the win. "Any team that's winning right now; every game that happens, somebody is going home, and fewer teams throughout the country are still getting to play basketball. I'm really proud and excited that we won—total team effort. Lior [Garzon] was scoring, Jade [Masogayo] was scoring, Kindyll [Wetta] was rebounding, Grace [Oliver] was rebounding. Just a great team effort. I thought we really executed the scout very well, in spurts, offensively and defensively, and just excited to keep playing."
Colorado distributed the ball equally in its return to the court. The Buffs handed out 18 assists and had four players find double-figures in their first game in 13 days. Lior Garzon led the way with an 18-point effort, going 6-for-11 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Jade Masogayo missed her shot of the night but didn't miss the rest of the game, closing 5-for-6 from the field with 15 points.
"I had the whole week to think about like, we didn't make the [NCAA] tournament," Garzon expressed. "I feel really lucky, because even though we were disappointed, we see the opportunity just to go win something and finish the season really good. Today, I just locked in from the beginning, the whole week, and just gave this confidence to the team. Just know, like, 'Hey, I'm here. Just go after it.'"
Freshman Grace Oliver led the Buffs' bench, putting in 12 of the team's 23 secondary points. Senior Kindyll Wetta was on a triple-double watch in the second half, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
"I thought Kindyll was great," Payne stated. "We needed her to be good tonight because we knew we were going to play against a tremendous amount of pressure. We needed to be poised and organized; typically, that falls on your point guard to ensure you're doing what you're supposed to do. I thought she was great. Seven rebounds, six assists, one turnover, plus 10 points is a very well-rounded stat sheet. We needed her to be that. She definitely delivered."
The Buffs hit 56.8% from the floor and shot an even 70.0% in both the second and third quarters, helping overcome their 19 turnovers. CU closed the door on SLU with a 21-0 run from the end of the third quarter late into the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to a game-high 32.
"I thought [we had] great shooting," Payne added. "Again, so many different people hit great shots and big shots, and that's actually what we said, probably all week; if we just take care of the basketball, we'll be able to score. It was great that we did it at such a high clip."
Colorado's defense only recorded one steal and forced eight turnovers but didn't let SLU inside the paint. Colorado nearly doubled the Lady Lions' effort inside, outscoring them 32-18 in the paint. CU kept SLU to opponent lows in field goals made (16) and field goal % (.267).
"I thought just overall execution of the defensive game plan was really good," Payne continued. "Not too many possessions where we weren't trying to do what we had talked about in preparation. Everybody still playing desperately wants to win, and everyone wants to do whatever it takes to win the game. At this point in the year, everybody's really good that's playing, so scout execution becomes critical, because everybody's really good at this point. I thought, just overall, really good team defense."
SLU (26-6) was led by the Southland Conference Player of the Year, Alexius Horne, and her 14 points.
How it happened
Masogayo and Wetta got the Buffs going early, combining for a 7-2 lead in the open. CU's lead never dipped below that five-point spread the rest of the night. Garzon hit back-to-back baskets in an 8-0 run to extend the lead to double-figures for the first time at the 6:18 mark of the period. CU outscored the Lady Lions 17-9 in the first 10 minutes and limited SLU to a 4-for-14 start from the floor.
Colorado scored the first eight points in the second quarter, growing the lead to 25-9 before SLU could temporarily stop the bleeding. Oliver scored five points in the second frame, and the Buffs hit 7-for-10 in the quarter to take a 33-20 lead at the half.
Wetta led the Buffs at the half with eight points, four rebounds, and four assists, while the trio of Garzon, Oliver, and Masogayo posted a three-of-a-kind, each having seven points at the break.
SLU got on the board first in the third quarter to get back within 11, 33-22, but a rare AND2 play from Garzon and a jumper from Tabitha Betson gave CU a 17-point lead with just under two minutes gone in the quarter.
"I actually asked the ref what was going on because I had no idea what was going on," Garzon recalled about the four-point play. "But it was cool. I'll take it."
The Lady Lions got back to within 11 points twice more in the period, but CU had an answer each time. The final counter blow as a Betston 3-pointer that sparked a 7-0 run to finish the quarter leading 18, 54-36.
The Black & Gold continued to pour it on in the final quarter, getting 3 to go at the start. CU started the final 10 minutes 3-for-3 from the field and outscored SLU 14-0 until a 3-pointer from Horne at the 3:36 mark.
SLU went just 2-for-13 in the final period, while the Buffs pushed the lead to a game-high 32 by the final whistle.
Up Next
Colorado will face Gonzaga on Sunday for the first time since the 2008 WNIT. The Buffs won a 3-0 lead over the Zags, including a 2-0 record at the CU Events Center. The Colorado coaching staff are no strangers to Gonzaga. Payne and associate head coach Toriano Towns spent time on the Gonzaga bench, while assistant coach Taelor Karr was the 2013 West Coast Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-WCC with Gonzaga.
Notes
Colorado is now 2-0 all-time against SLU…The Buffs have now won a postseason game in three consecutive seasons…CU is now 9-5 in postseason tournament play under Coach Payne…Masogayo recorded her 23rd game in double-figures this season…She is inching closer to 1,000 career points (928)…Garzon finished with her 16th game in double-figures…CU is 8-0 this season, when Garzon leads the team in scoring…Garzon now has 295 career 3-point field goals made and 1,610 career points…Thursday was Wetta's second career game with at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists…She now has 476 career assists (7th at CU) and 231 career steals (11th at CU)…CU hist seven 3FGM and now has 212 3FGM this season…CU was +15 on the glass (42-27).
Team Stats
SL
CU
FG%
.267
.568
3FG%
.143
.368
FT%
.500
.762
RB
27
42
TO
8
19
STL
11
1
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballColorado Women's Basketball: Cooking with the Buffs
Friday, July 18
Colorado Women's Basketball WBIT second Round Press Conference
Sunday, March 23
Women's Basketball: Colorado vs Gonzaga Highlights | Mar 23, 2025
Sunday, March 23
Colorado Women's Basketball WBIT First Round Press Conference
Friday, March 21