Senior guard Frida Formann drives toward the basket during the women’s basketball game against Boston University on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (Susie Cormack/CU Independent)
The Colorado women’s basketball team was back in action Tuesday night taking on the Boston University Terriers in Boulder, Colorado. Coming off an 18-point loss to No. 10 North Carolina State University last week, the Buffs came into this game with a lot to prove following their first loss of the season.
The Buffs offense started slow, but they made up for it with some incredible defense, forcing countless contested shots and getting some massive turnovers. The Terriers did a great job of making the Buffs take difficult shots and stopped multiple fast-break opportunities. After a defensive first quarter from both teams, Boston and Colorado were deadlocked at 16.
Senior guard Frida Formann led the Buffs in scoring with five points after one quarter while junior guard Alex Giannaros led the Terriers with five points. Colorado forced six Boston turnovers in the first quarter yet the Terriers still shot above 50% from the field.
Colorado’s Aaronette Vonleh goes up against Boston’s Caitlin Weimar for the opening tip during the game on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (Susie Cormack/CU Independent)
In the second quarter, Colorado’s offense woke up as Formann and Jaylyn Sherrod settled in and made some huge shots to put the Buffs up nine over the Terriers with seven minutes to go before the half. In all of the second-quarter madness, Frida Formann scored her 1,000th point as a Buff as Colorado head coach JR Payne took a timeout and Formann was recognized for making history.
“It feels really great,” Formann said on reaching 1,000 points. “I think it’s something that you obviously dream of, scoring a lot of points and contributing to the program. I’m really happy that I got to do that especially here at CU.”
The Buffs went on a 13-0 run midway through the quarter that lasted over five minutes long as they completely shut down the Terriers offensively. In the midst of this big run for the Buffs, Frida Formann continued to shoot lights out as she totaled 14 points, two rebounds, one assist and three steals in just 14 minutes of game action. The Buffs led 35-27 at the half over the Terriers thanks in big part to great defense and going 5-12 from beyond the arc.
As the second half began, the Terriers’ offense started clicking and the Buffs were on the defensive as Boston pulled within three early in the third quarter. Formann took a hard fall midway through the quarter and exited the game. She was seen on the bike, trying to loosen up and get back into the game.
Boston really rallied in this quarter as they brought the score within one point. They made the contest way more physical, constantly bodying the Buffs in the paint, making life extremely difficult for a team that struggled to score points outside of Formann. Colorado’s saving grace again was their stout defense that saw them record three turnovers in less than a minute.
With just under three minutes left in the quarter, the Terriers took their first lead of the game, going up 48-46 with some massive three-pointers. As we got into crunch time at the CU Events Center, the referees of this game began missing crucial fouls. Both Jaylyn Sherrod and Quay Miller of Colorado were hacked multiple times with no fouls called.
Junior center Aaronette Vonleh defends the basket during the game against Boston University on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (Susie Cormack/CU Independent)
The game became extremely intense as the fourth quarter began.
With 8:22 left in the contest, the Buffs took back the lead and went up 10 points again, forcing a Terriers timeout. Colorado junior center Aaronette Vonleh began taking over in the fourth. She ended with 18 points, shooting 8-9 from the field. Once Vonleh and Formann got into rhythm, this game was over.
The Buffs went on huge runs to go up thirty points and blow this game wide open. Colorado had four of their five starters score double-digit points, and the Buffs ended up winning by a score of 85-55. What really secured this win was Colorado’s ferocious defense as they finished, forcing 27 turnovers.
“We were turning them over, but we weren’t reaping the reward for it,” said Head Coach JR Payne. “It’s great when we can do it. It’s even better when you can turn someone over and then score the ball out of that. We really trust ourselves defensively, we know that we can guard.”
The Buffs are back in action on Saturday, Dec. 2 as they take on the Air Force Falcons in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Contact Sports Editor Griffin Dreifaldt at griffin.dreifaldt@colorado.edu
