Perimeter defense spells Buffs’ demise against Oklahoma State

Guard Desiree Wooten dealt with foul trouble in a frustrating loss to Oklahoma State, but still led the Colorado Buffaloes in steals with four. (Photo via CUBuffsWBB/X)

Road woes continue for the Colorado Buffaloes, as they continue to look for their first road win past the mark of the new year. After a promising start to conference play, a 63-56 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Sunday dropped the Buffaloes below .500 against Big 12 foes.

Coming off an abysmal 28.3% shooting game in their last outing against No. 16 Baylor, the Buffs (11-6, 2-3 Big 12) found their groove again, knocking down 44.4% of their shots. The defense stayed on par, limiting Oklahoma State (13-4, 2-2 Big 12) to just 37.7% shooting while forcing 16 turnovers. But it wasn’t enough.

“[We] turned them over [16] times. I thought the defense was great. I just thought our offense was a lot better than it had been, which is also great,” head coach JR Payne said. “I thought we guarded really well, held them way below their averages offensively.”

Senior forward Jade Masogayo and freshman forward Logyn Greer led the black and gold with 12 points each, while senior forward Anaëlle Dutat recorded her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points on 83.3% shooting and bringing down 11 rebounds.

While Colorado capitalized on all their free throws, Oklahoma State shot 11 more from the charity stripe.

The Buffs got contributions all around during the first quarter, with all 10 points coming from five different Buffs. Cowgirls sophomore guard Jadyn Wooten hit a layup before the end of the quarter to take a 12-10 lead into the second.

A 3-pointer from Tabitha Betson and jumper from Dutat put the Buffs back on top with momentum early in the second frame. But junior guard Stailee Heard responded with a 3-pointer of her own to begin a performance that frustrated CU all afternoon.

Teams traded layups through the middle stretches of the second quarter, but another Heard 3 put the Cowgirls up five with 3:11 left to go in the half. Dutat responded with a put-back layup off the glass, cutting the lead to four going into the locker room. 

An 8-0 run with four points from Masagayo across the first three minutes of the third quarter had Colorado coming downhill and ahead by four after regrouping. 

But Oklahoma State began chipping away, mounting a 10-2 run that spanned four minutes, including a tough and-one from Heard.

Greer responded with an and-one pull-up jumper, tying the Buffs and Cowgirls at 42 headed into the final frame.

Layups from guard Zyanna Walker and Greer put the Buffs up four with six minutes left, but Heard rose to the moment, draining a 3 after three offensive rebounds and shifting momentum in Stillwater.

A 3 and mid-range jumper from Wooten on back-to-back possessions had the Cowgirls up four.

Heard put icing on the cake with another and-one, pushing the lead up to seven with just 71 seconds left.

Heard finished with 21 points, and Gray recorded 15 for Oklahoma State.

Ultimately, 3s in pivotal moments shifted the game towards the Cowgirls, as they shot 38.1% from beyond the arc.

“I thought there were some critical plays, several offensive rebounds that led to threes and lack of communication when we were switching that resulted in 3s,” Payne said. “When we executed the game plan, I thought we guarded … really well, but when we didn't, they made us pay."

Colorado will return to Boulder for its next match, hosting No. 11 Iowa State and the nation’s leading scorer, junior center Audi Crooks. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday and will be streamed live on ESPN+ from the CU Events Center.