Buffaloes head to Hawaii making waves behind newcomers

Transfer guard Zyanna Walker is one of several many newcomers on the Colorado Buffaloes this season, averaging 10 points, four rebounds and four assists through four games. (Photo by Kekoa Brown/Sko Buffs Sports)

While usually playing at 5430 feet above sea level, Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball is heading towards a tropical venue.

Colorado will reside in Laie, Oahu, Hawaii, over its next three games, facing the UT Arlington Mavericks, VCU Rams and Texas A&M Aggies in the North Shore Showcase. With another 10-player roster turnover this offseason, a weekend in paradise should boost team chemistry alongside its hot start. 

Strong defensive efforts and fresh faces have helped the Buffs to a 3-1 record, with their only loss coming to then No. 22-ranked Louisville Cardinals after fourth-quarter woes. The Buffs are coming off a dominant 30-point win against the Boise State Broncos, where they had five players in double digits alongside 18 assists.  

On the island of Oahu, the Buffaloes will be facing a combined record of 8-4 with the Aggies off to a 3-0 start. Most notably, Texas A&M last took an upset win over a fellow Big 12 team of Colorado, Kansas State. 

But in Hawaii, coach JR Payne's squad looks to continue showing a depth even scuba divers fail to reach.

The Buffaloes’ four top leading scorers are all offseason additions, with Rhode Island transfer Annelle Dutat leading the way. The French forward is averaging 13 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Colorado’s other three leading scorers in Logyn Greer, Zyanna Walker and Desiree Wooten are averaging 11.8, 10 and 9.8 points per game, respectively. 

UT Arlington Mavericks (2-3)

The Buffaloes start with the Mavericks, who have served as a tune-up team for Power Four schools, and it shouldn’t be much different for Colorado. However, the Mavericks do have a strong win over the Wyoming Cowgirls, who were picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West.

On the flip side, they faced the Houston Cougars in their season-opener and took a near 20-point loss. The Cougars were picked to finish second-to-last in the Big 12.

The Buffs will need to box out forward Kira Reynolds, who is averaging 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game. Her rebounding numbers rank fourth in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

VCU Rams (3-1) 

VCU was picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic-10 conference, but is off to a similar start as the Buffs. 

While their one loss wasn’t close, the rest of the Rams’ games have been wins. Their last contest was a close three-point victory against the Howard Bison. However, the Buffs will have to watch out for the Rams’ Mary-Anna Asare. 

Asare is averaging 20.3 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. The 5-foot-8 guard was picked to the A-10 preseason team. 

Texas A&M Aggies (3-0)

In a strong SEC, the Aggies are supposed to be one of its weaker teams, but have not looked like that so far this season. The Aggies are averaging 79 points per game, a whopping 40 rebounds and shooting 43% from the field.

In their upset win against K-State, guard Ny’Ceara Pryor scored 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting in Manhattan. On the season, the 5-foot-3 guard is averaging 16 points and 7.3 assists per game while snagging four rebounds per contest.  It will be key for the Buffaloes to limit turnovers, as A&M capitalized on KSU’s mistakes with 15 points off only 13 turnovers.

Tipoff for the Buffaloes’  invitational opener against UT Arlington on the BYU-Hawaii campus is set for 7 p.m. MT on Saturday. All games can be streamed on BallerTV.