Balance, ball security helps Buffs over Cincinnati for second conference win
- Xavier Michnewicz
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball captured its second straight conference win to kick off the new year, defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats, 79-68.
North Texas transfer guard Desiree Wooten led the Buffaloes (11-4, 2-1 Big 12) with 19 points off the bench, knocking down 10 free throws and a 3-pointer. Forward Anaelle Dutat had her third straight game in double digits, with 12 points while hauling in seven rebounds.
The stat sheet was balanced for Colorado, with three of five starters in double digits and 10 of 11 players scoring. However, it was a gritty victory, with 43 combined fouls and 56 free-throw attempts. Seven players had four or more fouls, with the Bearcats’ leading scorer, guard Mya Perry, fouling out in the fourth quarter.
"Great game, man, that was a battle," head coach JR Payne said. "I knew that if we brought our work hats and kind of knuckled up, that it was going to be a really tough matchup because these are two very tough, physical, athletic teams.”
The Bearcats (5-10, 0-3 Big 12) started by knocking down their first five shots to take an 11-6 lead, with a 7-0 run in 56 seconds. Colorado struggled from the field, going 7-for-17 in the first, while Cincinnati came back down to Earth. The Bearcats only knocked down two of their next eight shots to end the period 6-for-13.
After each team went nearly two minutes without scoring, the last minute of the quarter was back and forth. Forward Tabitha Betson laced Colorado’s first 3-pointer of the game to knot the game up at 17.
“Shots just weren't falling,” Payne said of the slow start. “When we came together … We were able to just really focus in and execute the defensive game plan.”
It was an even second quarter, with Wooten hitting her signature pull-up jumper and guard Zyanna Walker taking a steal coast-to-coast to give Colorado a 36-31 lead. With both teams in bonus, the Buffaloes capitalized and started with a 7-0 run that closed the first half.
In that stretch, five of Colorado’s points came from the charity stripe, leading to a nine-point halftime lead. Colorado’s Australians led the charge after the first half, with Betson scoring eight points on 2-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc, and freshman center Jade Crook adding nine points.
Cincinnati started the third by cutting its deficit down to five, but Colorado responded with a 12-2 run over five minutes to take a game-high 17-point lead. Dutat got it started by hitting a corner 3-pointer, while Wooten would have eight of the Buffs’ points in the run.
Cincinnati would close out the third quarter going on an 8-2 run of their own over the last two minutes.
The Buffaloes would start the fourth by extending their lead back to 16, but the Bearcats would claw back again, trimming it to seven with two minutes remaining.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” Walker said. “We had our run. They had their run, and then we just got to slow their run and let it get away from us.”
After having five turnovers all game, the Buffaloes had five turnovers in the fourth, allowing the Bearcats' aforementioned spurt. However, Walker would have six fourth-quarter points to keep Cincinnati at bay, including the final jumper of the game that capped the 11-point victory.
Colorado now hits the road to face the No. 22-ranked Baylor Bears (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) on Thursday. Tip-off from Waco, Texas, is set for 6 p.m. MT (ESPN+).