Colorado springs trap game, survives late Houston rally
- Xavier Michnewicz
- 14 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Fresh off an upset of No. 14 TCU, the Colorado Buffaloes (17-8, 8-5 Big 12) avoided the trap, grinding out a 73-63 road win over the Houston Cougars (7-17, 1-12) on Wednesday.
Despite their usual road woes, the Buffaloes put together a strong performance, especially in the painted area. Against a Houston lineup that has an average height of 5-foot-8, Colorado feasted inside with a whopping 60 points in the key, with only one make from deep.
It was the Buffaloes’ forwards who feasted, with senior forward Jade Masogayo scoring 20 points for the second-straight game, going 8-for-10 from the field. France native Anaelle Dutat tallied a double-double, hauling in beaucoup rebounds with 13 and 12 points.
Houston opened scoring on its first possession, but didn’t score again until nearly six minutes. The Buffaloes, despite the quick start a game prior, scored eight points during that stretch, with Desiree Wooten leading the way with four.
Wooten drove Colorado's offense in the first quarter, keeping the Coogs at bay with a layup to keep a five-point lead. The Texan scored six of her 14 points in the first quarter. Masogayo, Dutat and freshman Logyn Greer closed the quarter by leading the Buffaloes on a 6-2 run, knocking down three-straight shots.
Houston knocked down the game's first 3-pointer before Colorado extended its lead back to eight with Dutat free throws and a scoop and score to start the second. Following the French flurry, Colorado was lackadaisical, allowing a second-chance bucket, then turning the ball over on two of its next three possessions. Then, they gave up a second-chance 3-pointer, forcing a timeout with its lead whittled down to three.
Colorado followed its timeout by extending its lead back to seven with a Greer second-chance and a Dutat layup. Houston trimmed Colorado’s lead back to three two more times, before the Buffaloes ended the half strong on a 6-0 run for a nine-point lead at the break.
“I told the team, everybody wants to just play a game, get up by 20 and cruise home, and that's not realistic," Colorado head coach JR Payne said. "To do what they had to do to secure a win against a really tough, scrappy team on the road is not easy to do.”
Colorado had liftoff out of the locker room, extending its lead to 13 after a Coogs and-one on their opening possession. Masogayo and Dutat lead the Buffaloes on a 7-0 spurt over one minute, forcing a Houston timeout.
Out of the timeout, Houston guard Keirra Merchant got to the rack for an and-one and added a couple free throws to get back within 10. But a pair of Greer jumpers and a Masogayo second-chance layup extended Colorado’s lead to a game-high 14 points.
Houston knocked down another 3-pointer and two more from the charity stripe before Colorado guard Zyanna Walker hit the team’s only 3-pointer. A Wooten layup pushed the lead back to 14 before Houston added one more free throw, leading to a 13-point Buffaloes lead.
Throughout the fourth quarter, the Buffaloes kept the Coogs at arm's length, keeping their lead at or around 12, but Houston refused to go away late.
A 6-0 run by Houston, coupled with back-to-back Colorado turnovers, allowed the Coogs to cut their deficit to six with 57 seconds remaining, forcing a timeout from Payne. Masogayo then sank two clutch free throws while Walker split a pair, pushing the Buffaloes lead to nine with 39 seconds left.
Houston responded with a long-range heave that banked in for a 3-pointer, putting the Coogs back within six. Houston sent Walker back to the free-throw line, this time sinking both. In the Coogs’ final gasp, they tried another 3-pointer, leading to a scramble that ended in a steal and a feed to Masogayo to ice the 10-point victory with eight seconds left.
Colorado returns home to face the BYU Cougars (17-8, 6-7) on Valentine’s Day. Tip-off from the CU Events Center is set for 1 p.m. MT (ESPN+).
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