LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Colorado women's basketball team that stumbled into the final Pac-12 Tournament in history opened their run with a bang on Wednesday afternoon, obliterating the poor-shooting Oregon Ducks (11-21, 2-17 Pac-12) at MGM Grand Garden Arena, 79-30.
A 49-point margin of victory, the largest in the history of the Pac-12 Tournament, advances the fifth-seeded Buffs into the quarterfinal round. They are now set for a shot at redemption against the fourth-seeded Oregon State Beavers (23-6, 12-6 Pac-12) on Thursday at 1 p.m. MT.
It was a defensive performance for the ages by the black and gold from the opening tip on, as the Ducks were held to the fewest points (30) and lowest field goal percentage (18.9%) in the history of the Pac-12 Tournament. CU forced nearly double the amount of turnovers (18) as the number of Oregon field goals made (10).
"We showed each other today that we're all there, we're all locked in, we're all ready," said senior Colorado guard Frida Formann. "I think that was just important for our overall unity and synergy, so I think we're really connected for tomorrow and the rest of this tournament."
Formann was one of two Buffaloes that made a little bit more history on Wednesday, with her five threes (on just six attempts) moving her into second place in the program all-time in three-pointers made (254). She led an all-around incredible team effort with 17 points.
All-Pac-12 point guard Jaylyn Sherrod finished with a team-leading eight assists, moving her into second place in CU history as well (617). The endlessly impactful graduate also added nine points, five rebounds, and was a +40 while on the court.
CU was off and running in the first, with Quay Miller accounting for eight of the squad's first 10 points. She finished with 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting after struggling mightily in last season's Pac-12 Tournament.
"I really just go out there and try to have the best energy that I can," Miller said of her tone-setting performance. "When my teammates see that type of energy, they feed off of that."
Head coach JR Payne's offense and defense clicked on every cylinder possible, shooting 11-for-15 from the field, dishing out nine assists to just two turnovers, and holding Oregon to 2-for-13 shooting. The period began with a 13-2 run, momentarily evened out, and then closed 13-0, a blistering display that had Colorado up 26-7 after 10 minutes.
The vast majority of the second quarter was a rock fight, as both sides started the period a combined 1-for-17 from the field with 11 turnovers. The Buffs continue to stifle the Ducks at every turn though, emphatically breaking the drought with another 12-0 run to reach halftime with a 27-point lead.
Among the many aspects that helped CU dominate the majority of the contest was their relentlessness on the glass and ball movement, as the Buffaloes logged 54 rebounds and 24 assists. They picked apart Oregon's zone-heavy defense with sharp passing for the third consecutive matchup.
"When you see a zone defense, which is mostly what they played, it gives you the confidence to just move the ball and keep it moving until you find a great shot," Payne noted. "And so, I think the veteran status [of the team] just allows us to be confident in doing that, knowing that different people can score in different ways and different places."
The second half quickly turned ugly with valuable contributions from Tameiya Sadler (11 points, 2-for-2 from three), Sara-Rose Smith, (eight points, five rebounds), and Charlotte Whittaker (6/4/4 with two blocks) off the bench continuing to give the Buffs life and expanding the lead further and further.
Whittaker suffered the only unfortunate blemish to CU's near-perfect day. With three minutes and 27 seconds remaining and the game very much over, the graduate forward rolled her ankle and was helped off by trainers in severe pain. While her status for tomorrow against Oregon State is definitely in the air, coach Payne asserted optimism, stating that she is "fine" and "is one of the toughest gals you'll ever meet."
This start-to-finish decimation of Oregon gives Colorado some much-needed juice heading into their third game against the Beavers this season, in which the Buffs looked outmatched both physically and schematically in each of the first two.
Whittaker's possible absence poses some concern, but Wednesday's performance of historic magnitude has CU, a team that lost five of their last six regular season games, riding as high as they can be ahead of what looks to be an all-out war in Vegas tomorrow at 1 p.m. MT.
"We understand that our backs are truly against the wall," Miller said of the squad's postseason experience. "It's win or go home from now [on], and I think that we play our best when we're under that type of – I don't want to call it pressure, but I guess pressure because pressure is a privilege, so we get that being here."
Cover photo by Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
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