Freshman guard Jada Wynn shoots a free throw during the third quarter during the game against Western Michigan University on Nov. 30, 2022 (Lily Wright_CU Independent)
The Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team (8-2 overall) dominated the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (3-6 overall) Wednesday night at the CU Events Center 78-48. Colorado is now 5-0 all-time against the Thunderbirds in Boulder and is on a four-game winning streak.
Heading into this game, Colorado had great odds on paper, considering the Thunderbirds have yet to beat the Buffaloes at home. Southern Utah was also 0-4 in away games this season. This was no new challenge to head coach J.R. Payne as she was the former coach for Southern Utah.
“I keep telling our team ‘I think we’re playing pretty good basketball,'” said Payne. “Every time we play, I feel like we’re adding something new to our game. We haven’t put 40 minutes together but that’s the goal. We had a lot of contributions from these two [Jada Wynn and Brianna McLeod] in particular. Our two point guards had 12 assists and no turnovers. There was just a lot of good play, offensively and defensively.”
In the first quarter, Colorado started sluggishly with some tough shots. The Thunderbirds were able to string together a nine-point scoring run giving them an early lead of 9-7. The Buffs struggled to push on offense for the majority of the quarter. Colorado and Southern Utah exchanged points and traded the lead consistently until the Buffs found their footing. Colorado gained the lead 20-16 and never gave it up from that point on.
Following the first, the Thunderbirds attempted to step up and compete with the Buffaloes. Coming out of the gate, the Thunderbirds increased their speed and frequency of passing. This tactic held off the Buffs for a portion of the quarter, but Colorado went on an eight-point run which forced the Thunderbirds into a timeout. The Buffs scored two more out of the timeout, extending their scoring run to 10 and their lead to 16.
Entering the second half, Colorado had possession a majority of the quarter. The Buffs had one seven-point run, which was interrupted by the Thunderbirds. Usually, the third quarter is Southern Utah’s strongest quarter, but that was not the case in their game against Colorado. The Thunderbirds had seven of their 15 turnovers in this quarter. At the end of the third, Colorado put up a 20-point lead, 57-37.
“Coach T [Toriano Towns] leads our defense and he’s a really smart basketball coach,” said Payne. “He’s very intelligent in what he sees. He also is willing to listen to our staff who also contribute with really good ideas. The best thing is that our team is making the adjustments.”
The Thunderbirds tried to keep up in the fourth quarter, but Colorado’s momentum was too strong. The Buffs had one more nine-point scoring run and extended their lead to 30, winning the game 78-48. No matter what the Thunderbirds did, they were always one step behind the Buffaloes.
Freshmen Jada Wynn played 10 minutes in the final quarter and scored eight of her 11 total points. She averaged 6.4 points and improved her 3- point percentage.
“I think it helps to have those veterans in front of you that can guide you and help you limit those freshman mistakes,” said Wynn. “Then having coaches and teammates that trust you in the game definitely builds your confidence.”
Colorado outscored Southern Utah in all aspects. The Buffs had 19 points off Thunderbird turnovers and 33 bench points. Not to mention, Colorado scored 36 of their points in the paint. Senior center Quay Miller led the team with 13 points, followed by sophomore Aaronette Vonleh with 12 points.
“We were trying to prioritize rebounding because [Southern Utah] was No. 4 in the country in rebounding and I thought we did a great job,” said Payne. “We’re just continuing to get better and better.”
Colorado faces a top-25 opponent next against No. 15 Utah in their first conference game on Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. MST. The game will be televised through the Pac-12 Network.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Malaina Humphreys at mahu4741@colorado.edu.
