Buffs women’s basketball beats down Broncos

Colorado Buffaloes guard Kennedy Sanders bounced back after a soft benching against Portland State, scoring 12 in the second quarter amid a 14-point outing on Tuesday. (Photo by Kekoa Brown/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team took on the Boise State Broncos on Tuesday night at the CU Events Center. The Buffs got it done in dominant fashion, securing a 30-point win by a score of 83-53.

CU (3-1) came out looking poised in all phases of the game, calmly setting up offensive sets and administering stifling pressure against a sharpshooting Broncos squad on the defensive end. The Buffs scored first and never faltered, keeping the lead for the entirety of the matchup.

As has been typical so far this season, CU subbed in a quick rotation, taking advantage of fresh legs against a Boise State team (3-1) that sticks to its first six players in most of its matchups. Ten players finished in the scoring column, and CU recorded 18 assists as a team.

Despite a slow start to the season from behind the arc, the Buffs came out looking for their shots from long range and hit 3-of-4 in the first half.

Point guard Desiree Wooten showcased her ability to score at multiple levels, knocking down two triples and finishing well off the glass. The guard played at a consistent level throughout the night and helped CU’s shooting pick back up on more than one occasion. Wooten chipped in 10 for the Buffs.

“I think the sky’s the limit, even though we have a really young team, we’ve got so much potential,” Wooten said.

Forward Anaelle Dutat looked dangerous on Tuesday night. She initiated and finished through contact, made herself an easy target for her teammates and created offense out of her own defensive takeaways.

Rhode Island transfer Anaelle Dutat has been an impact addition to the Colorado Buffaloes, collecting another 17 points and five rebounds on Tuesday against Boise State. (Kekoa Brown/Sko Buffs Sports)

Dutat entered Tuesday leading the Big 12 in total rebounds (34) and rebounds per game (11.3) and recorded five against the Broncos. The senior led all scorers, tying a career-high with 17.

Looking calm and composed from the jump, CU shot out to an early 15-2 lead, forcing the Broncos to take their first timeout.

CU implemented some intentional defensive strategies to make the Broncos think twice about their long-range looks. The Buffs used effective double teams and diligently set up a full-court press, allowing them to cash in with 13 steals.

An area of concern for CU has consistently been the turnover column, averaging 15 turnovers per game through their first three games of the season after averaging 18.1 per game last year. However, those issues were nowhere to be found on Tuesday night, with CU managing a 2:1 (18-9) assist-to-turnover ratio.

“Our selflessness is pretty exceptional… I think we have the potential to be really, really good defensively,” head coach JR Payne said.

The Buffs forced 19 turnovers on the Broncos and capitalized with 27 points off of those takeaways.

Coming off a career-high 19 points in CU’s last outing, forward Logyn Greer looked aggressive once again and finished with 11 points to go along with four rebounds. An undeniable weapon at the high post, Greer’s length makes her a very accessible target for CU’s offense to run through.

By the end of the first period, the Buffs were up 25-9.

Kennedy Sanders was firing on all cylinders against Boise State and led all scorers at the half with 14 points. The redshirt sophomore guard wasted no time getting to the rim and attacking off fast breaks.

Sanders got the Buffs revved up going into halftime, pulling from deep late in the shot clock and finishing strong to convert an and-one. After taking it to the rim frequently in the first half, she showed her maturity by using her pressure to drop off a last-second pass to Greer for a smooth finish.

The shifty guard also recorded three steals, five assists and shot 6-for-8 on the night, scoring all of her points in the first half when her team needed her most.

Sanders had all in attendance at the CU Events Center fired up, including WNBA rookie and CU grad Jaylyn Sherrod and superfan Peggy Coppum – celebrating the eve of her 101st birthday with the Buffs.

Colorado Buffaloes superfan Peggy Coppum turns 101 on Wednesday and celebrated Tuesday with a women's basketball win. (Kekoa Brown/Sko Buffs Sports)

At halftime, a 12-point spread before the game already seemed out of reach for the Broncos. CU had held the visitors to 28% shooting and just four assists. On the other end, the Buffs were hard to stop, with 62.5% contributing to a 49-23 lead going into the locker room.

These contributions from CU’s game-changers would prove impossible for the Broncos to overcome, with CU’s momentum flowing freely by the third quarter.

Coming off a clunky start against Portland State last Sunday, Payne urged her team to push the pace throughout.

“We have players that are aggressive in transition and like to play in transition, and so we’re gonna take advantage of forcing those turnovers,” Payne said.

With the cushion of a deep bench, the Buffs got up and down without fear of running out of steam.

Even late in the shot clock, the Buffs executed well and didn’t allow the Broncos to speed up their offense.

Guard Zyanna Walker proved once again to be an asset off the bench, contributing 10 points and showing experience through superb court vision. This top-to-bottom discipline was Tuesday’s difference-maker.

Though she had a quiet night with three points and five fouls, forward Jade Masogayo was still the first to hit the floor for loose balls and made her paint presence known with a signature monster block.

CU’s lead stretched to 30 in the fourth quarter, and the Buffs ended the night shooting 53% from the floor.

The Buffs have a quick turnaround, taking off for Hawaii on Wednesday for a three-game outing in the North Shore Showcase, starting against UT Arlington (2-3) on Saturday night. Watch at 7 p.m. MT on BallerTV.