Colorado defense shines, defeats Baylor in Big 12 quarterfinals

Desiree Wooten celebrates hitting a 3-pointer in Colorado’s matchup against Baylor in the Big 12 championship quarterfinals. (Photo by Kekoa Brown/Sko Buffs Sports)

Hope feels good, but it feels even better when you’re playing with house money.

The Colorado Buffaloes (22-10, 11-7 Big 12) all but locked up an NCAA tournament spot headed into their Big 12 quarterfinals matchup with the 3-seeded Baylor Bears (24-8, 13-5 Big 12). After an ugly win in their second round match against Kansas, the Buffs’ 62-53 win was a much smoother ride to their first Big 12 tournament semifinals appearance since 2003.

Junior guard Desiree Wooten recorded her third 20-point performance of the season and was a hot hand shooting from beyond the perimeter, hitting on three 3-pointers in the first half.

Junior guard Zyanna Walker added 19 points of her own on 42 percent shooting.

Senior forward Jade Masagayo had her offense stunted, scoring only three points and fouling out at the end of the game. Still, her impact was felt, bringing down six rebounds and being a +15 on the floor.

Colorado’s defense was excellent, holding Baylor to a season-low 14.3 percent 3-point shooting. 

That defense stunted the Bears from the get-go. Baylor hit on its first shot of the game, but then went 0-for-8 over the next five minutes.

Forward Tabitha Betson hit on a shot from beyond the arc before Wooten hit on back-to-back 3-pointers herself, powering the Buffs to a 20-10 first-quarter lead.

The Buffs committed four fouls in the first minute and a half, putting Baylor at the line 12 times in the second frame.

Colorado’s defense forced misses on each of Baylor’s 11 3-point attempts in the first half, while tying a season-high for 3-pointers made in a half with five.

Even when the Bears weren’t looking for shots outside, Colorado was still able to limit them to just 25 percent shooting in the first half. 

Colorado immediately extended its lead to 16 with a quick steal and layup from Walker.

Baylor chipped away slightly, cutting the lead to as little as 10, but a Wooten razzle-dazzle behind-the-back pass found Greer, who drew the and-one, pushing the lead back up to 15, 50-35.

Colorado looked to protect a 54-40 lead headed into the fourth quarter.

Baylor hit on just its third 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter, fueling a 7-0 run to cut the lead down to just seven points, 54-47.

The Buffs went back to their guards, Wooten and Walker, who helped stop the Buffs from hemorrhaging further. 

Forward Anaelle Dutat hunted down a steal with a minute left on a Bears inbound pass, forcing a Baylor foul, and sending Colorado to the charity stripe, where it iced the game, 62-53.

Wooten and Walker were the only players to score in the fourth quarter for CU, scoring all eight of the Buffs’ points.

“It wasn't perfect in any sense of the word, but I thought we did exactly what we needed to do to be successful,” Colorado head coach JR Payne said. “Proud of our effort for sure.”

While Wooten and Walker combining for 40 points wasn’t necessarily the primary game plan, with Masagayo having a poor shooting night and getting into foul trouble, the guards picked up the slack.

“I think [Walker and I] have great chemistry together,” Wooten said. “I mean, people have been calling us the dynamic duo, so I guess we’ve just been living up to it.”

That duo mentality encompasses everyone wearing black and gold.

“If [Desiree] hangs her head, her teammates are the first ones to pick her up and sort of breathe life back into each other,” Payne said. “I think that's what makes this group so special.”

Defensively, Colorado stunted Baylor to some of its worst shooting performances this season. 

“Well, going into the game, we knew we had to guard the 3-point line,” Payne said. “So it was important for us to guard the 3-point line.”

Baylor’s star guard Taliah Scott was held to just 5-for-21 shooting, her second-worst mark on the season. The Buffs’ star guard, Wooten, was defending her most of the night.

“She's a great player,”  Wooten said. “It wasn't easy.”

But that defensive prowess got to the Bears’ heads.

“I think what makes [Colorado] hard to play against sometimes is just their length and switchability,” Baylor head coach Nicki Collen said. “I don't think we played fast enough. I thought we looked like the more tired team.”

Colorado will play the No. 2-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers (25-6, 14-4 Big 12) on Saturday for a spot in the Big 12 Tournament championship game on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. MT (ESPN+).