WATCH: Colorado's postgame press conference after knocking off No. 1 LSU Monday night. (Video by Brian Howell/YouTube)
LAS VEGAS, Nev.– What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right? Well, the Colorado women's basketball team will truly have something to take home with them.
The No. 20-ranked Buffs pulled off an unbelievable upset on Monday night, dominating the reigning national champion and No. 1-ranked Louisiana State University Tigers at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, winning 92-78. The game was part of the NCAA Hall of Fame Series.
Leading the charge for CU was senior guard Frida Formann, who led all scorers with 27 points and shot 7-of-11 from beyond the arc. Junior center Aaronette Vonleh scored 24 and rebounded six, and fifth-year point guard Jaylyn Sherrod compiled 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Going into the night, the Buffs had one of their most successful seasons in recent memory, led by head coach JR Payne. They placed third in the Pac-12 and made a NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16 last March that included an upset win over No. 3-seeded Duke.
The season may have finished at that point against eventual runner-ups Iowa, but CU notched their first two tourney wins since 2003. They came into this season ranked at No. 20, looking to build on this previous success.
For No. 1-ranked LSU, the Tigers were flying high off of not only a national championship-winning season to remember but also an off-season to remember, adding All-American transfers Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow to a starting lineup that already included superstar forward Angel Reese and reigning SEC Freshman of the Year Flau'jae Johnson.
If that wasn't already enough, they nabbed the No. 1 recruit of the 2023 class, Mikaylah Williams, to start at point guard. The Tigers, led by the highest paid head coach in women's sports, Kim Mulkey, were +250 favorites to repeat as national champions–until now.
From the opening tip, the Buffs weren't bowing down to the reigning national champs, faltering to the challenge of playing a No. 1, or folding on the national stage. Vonleh started the game matched up against Reese, using her size and positioning under the basket against the All-American forward en route to a quick six first quarter points.
Colorado's biggest strength, their defense, instantly rattled LSU's halfcourt offense, keeping their shooters at bay and minimizing the impact of primary options Reese and Van Lith. CU also forced six turnovers, including four steals.
"I love their tenacity, I love their fearlessness, I love their grit and toughness," said head coach JR Payne in her opening statement after the win. "It's what we're built upon."
Overall, however, it was a sloppy first quarter of play. The Tigers maintained a 16-14 lead at its conclusion due to seven first quarter turnovers for CU and an almost four-minute scoreless streak. The six turnovers the black and gold defense forced may have only turned into two points, but the Tigers knew that the night of celebration they initially thought was ahead of them was not going to come easy. Nothing was.
Colorado's tenacity at times worked against them early on, with twelve team fouls called in the first half that put several key Buffs, such as power forward Quay Miller, in foul trouble. However, CU's constant pressure on defense and ability to get out in transition kept the Tigers on their heels, struggling to control any aspect of the contest.
In the second quarter, it was Sherrod's time. A critical part of Colorado's offensive explosion Monday night was the rim pressure the point guard generated. The Buffs dominated the interior on both ends, with Sherrod using her elite quickness to get to the basket, drawing contact and swinging the ball to others for more open looks.
On the defensive end, CU forced the Tigers to settle for mostly jump shots, which struggled to fall. The Buffaloes shot over 50% from the field in this quarter, while LSU shot just 31.3%.
After exiting briefly due to a hit to the head she sustained with 7:43 left in the half, Sherrod returned to action with a vengeance, sinking back-to-back and-one baskets with 4:58 and 4:18 on the clock to give Colorado a 25-24 lead that they would never look back from. When Sara-Rose Smith made her first basket as a Buff, a corner three with 2:15 left in the first half, CU's lead grew to 32-25, and the Tigers first truly felt the pressure of a possible upset.
At the half, the Buffs led 38-32, but they had been here before. In the Sweet 16 against No. 2-seeded Iowa, the black and gold led at the half but fell apart in the third quarter as the superior opponent found their stride. Head coach JR Payne learned from this. So did Frida Formann.
The guard from Bagsvaerd, Denmark caught fire in the third quarter, raining down four threes on five attempts to not just maintain the Buffs' lead, but to extend it. Vonleh added seven more points in the period, including an emphatic and-one bucket that made a CU bench, that was electric the entire night, start to feel the upset brewing.
After the fourth of Formann's three-point barrage fell, Colorado's lead grew to 14 with just one minute left in the third quarter.
"We know who's getting hot," said Formann after the win. "So I just know that the ball's gonna find me and the shot's gonna be there."
In the fourth, the offensive onslaught continued by the Buffs. Vonleh led the team once more with eight points, not tiring despite her presence on the floor for the entire quarter and continuing to use her strength and skills to dominate the LSU frontcourt. Formann remained unconscious from distance, knocking down two more on three attempts. Sherrod dimmed any hopes of a late Tiger comeback by getting to the basket time and time again to draw fouls.
Miller and Tameiya Sadler added three points each during the period, and it seemed that CU just could not miss down the stretch, extending their lead to as many as 22 points midway through the quarter. As the clock hit zero, they had run the reigning national champs out of the gym. Colorado had made history.
The Buffs were the first team to beat a NCAA women's reigning national champion in a season opener since 1995. It was also just the fourth win over a No. 1-ranked team in CU athletics history. However, this was the second win over a No. 1 opponent in JR Payne's tenure, as they beat No. 1 Stanford in 2021. That win was in front of an empty crowd due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so a win such as Monday night's on a national stage made the upset that much more impactful.
"For me to have [the team] on a national stage for people [to see]," said Payne. "I know how great they are, I want the world to know how great they are."
CU had only scored 92 or more points against a Power Five opponent once in the entirety of JR Payne's coaching tenure, 95 in a blowout win last season over unranked California on Feb. 25. Therefore, this output against the No. 1-ranked team on the road was completely unprecedented, and only improved as the game went on. After 14 in the first, the Buffaloes poured on 24 in the second, 25 in the third, and 29 in the closing period to put the Tigers away in an upset of historic proportions.
Vonleh's performance was the most alarming in terms of this team's potential. She was utterly unstoppable in the paint and ran in transition well, trailing guards such as Sherrod, Sadler, and Kindyl Wetta to garner better looks at the basket. While Reese outrebounded Vonleh by double, this is to be expected, as Reese was the top rebounder in the country last season (15.4 a game).
Despite this, Vonleh dominated the battle on the interior against the All-American, shooting an extremely efficient 11-of-15 from the field. Her play around the rim opened up the Buffs' offense in its entirety, especially for Formann on the outside.
If she can continue this level of play, CU should compete for a Pac-12 title, as well as Vonleh transforming into an All-Pac-12 caliber of player. She even earned the respect of NBA legend and LSU alum Shaquille O'Neal, who visited the locker room to congratulate the Buffs following the win.
What made this win so much more impressive was the fact that one of CU's current All-Pac-12 talents, Quay Miller, struggled. She scored just eight points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field.
Those two field goals, however, were three-pointers in crucial moments. The fact that the Buffs put up 92 with Miller having an off night is extremely promising in terms of their national status this season.
Frida's performance is one that shows how explosive this offense can be when she's hitting her shots. On Monday night, her shot was infectious, and it opened up driving lanes for Sherrod. Her seven three-point makes tied a school record.
If the core four of Sherrod, Vonleh, Formann, and Miller can continue this level of intensity, CU will have an extremely tough offense to guard, especially with surrounding pieces such as Sadler, Smith, Wetta, and Maddie Nolan still coming along.
The Colorado Buffaloes have no problem shocking the world, as they took the ultimate challenge by the horns and controlled the reigning national champions from start to finish.
Despite the hype, praise, and expectations this upset win may bring upon them, the Buffs aren't satisfied and know that this is only their first step in the long-awaited journey in bringing a national championship back to Boulder.
"We don't quit. No matter what, win, lose or draw we don't quit..." said Sherrod in her post-game interview. "...we're gonna celebrate this tonight, and [then] we gotta get ready for Wednesday."
This Wednesday, the No. 20-ranked Buffs travel back to Boulder for their home opener against the Le Moyne Dolphins, with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. MST at the CU Events Center.
(Cover photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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