Buffs have flat night, come up short to No. 16 Baylor
- Jake Chau
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
A few free throws were all that separated Colorado from its first top-25 win since Jan. 25, 2025.
On the road in Waco, Texas, the Colorado Buffaloes picked up their second conference loss (11-5, 2-2 Big 12) to the No. 16-ranked Baylor Bears (14-3, 3-1 Big 12) on Thursday, falling 56-52.
Colorado recorded its lowest point tally since its 59-46 loss to Texas A&M on Nov. 25. The Buffs shot only 28.4% from the field – their worst mark since Feb. 19, 2023.
Junior guard Zyanna Walker led all scorers with 16 points as senior forward Anaëlle Dutat recorded nine points and 12 rebounds.
The Buffs’ defense kept them in the game, holding Baylor to just 35.7% shooting. Four different Bears recorded double-digit points, but none scored more than 13.
Baylor started on an 8-2 run before junior guard Desiree Wooten drained a 3-pointer coming off the bench, and Walker capitalized on an and-one opportunity, tying the game at 10-10.
The two teams traded buckets, combining for 10 points before Baylor hit a buzzer-beating layup at the end of the first quarter, going ahead 18-16.
Offense quickly dried up for both teams, as both the Buffs and the Bears combined for just 9.1% shooting during the first seven minutes of the second quarter.
Dutat put down a second-chance layup to tie the game headed into the half, 23-23.
Neither team could warm up in the locker room, as the Buffs and Bears combined for 0-for-6 to start the half.
After trading buckets and another scoring drought, 11 points, including three 3-pointers, came from Baylor sophomore guard Yuting Deng. Her two-minute burst began to pull the Bears away from the Buffs, 42-34.
But after hitting two free throws, Walker got a steal and a fast-break layup to cut the Baylor lead down to just three, 46-43.
BU leading scorer Taliah Scott, silent most of the night, drained a 3 right after, easing the momentum and extending the Bears’ lead back up to five.
Baylor led by eight at the two-and-a-half-minute mark, but a Wooten 3-pointer gave the Buffs life. She also had an opportunity to cut the lead to two after a foul sent her to the line for three free throws. Wooten made the first, but missed the last two, keeping the deficit at four.
Senior forward Jade Masogayo picked up a steal with 17 seconds left, but Colorado couldn’t put points on the board.
Scrappiness didn’t go away, as Dutat picked up a steal with just six seconds left and got it to Masogayo to cut the lead to two, but it was too little, too late. Senior forward Bella Fontleroy drained both her ensuing free throws for Baylor, cementing the wild final.
While partially due to the many misses, Colorado brought down 22 offensive rebounds for 17 second-chance points, going toe-to-toe with one of the most physical teams in the Big 12.
“It was great competition – good, clean, aggressive play on both sides of the floor,” head coach JR Payne said. “To out-rebound these guys and have 22 offensive rebounds against Baylor is something that probably is not done very often, and so I'm really proud of that.”
The shots just weren’t there Thursday, but the effort was there to make up for it.
“Twenty-eight percent from the floor isn't going to be successful very often, but the fact that we just played so hard and defended and all the other things gave us a chance to win,” Payne said. “So, I'm really proud of how we played tonight."
Colorado’s next game is on the road in Stillwater, Oklahoma, as they take on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (13-4, 2-2 Big 12) on Saturday. Tipoff is set for noon and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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