Transfers and freshmen shine as Buffaloes trounce Lobos in season-opener

Freshman Colorado guard Erianna Gooden had a tough 10 points and slick passing on Thursday night, helping the Buffaloes down New Mexico to open the season. (Photo by Kellen McFarland/Sko Buffs Sports)

Propelled by a 33-point third quarter and five players in double digits, Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball took an opening-night win against the New Mexico Lobos, 84-59. 

Rhode Island transfer forward Anaelle Dutat led the charge for the Buffaloes on Thursday with a double-double, tallying 16 points and 13 rebounds. Additionally, she got active on the defensive end with two blocks and four steals. 

North Texas transfer guard Desiree Wooten was CU’s second-leading scorer, notching 13 points and snagging three steals. 

Of the Buffaloes' four healthy freshmen, three scored, while center Sophie Zadel snagged five rebounds. Freshman center Jade Crook led the team with a 30+ plus-minus while tallying 12 points. The other two freshmen, Erianna Gooden and Logyn Greer, combined for 14 points. 

“It was huge, we have a really talented freshman group,” Payne said. “I think we just have a tremendous amount of balance. I think we’re gonna see lots of different people in the press conference at the end of the night because any given player can really impact the game.” 

The Buffaloes got off to a hot start with a 6-0 run, propelled by Greer’s first and only four collegiate points. Colorado then allowed a 10-2 run, going 1-for-9 in that stretch.

CU was settling for shots early in the shot clock, resulting in an ice-cold 0-for-9 start from beyond the arc. The Buffs powered through it, ending the first on a 12-2 run and clinging to a six-point lead. 

New Mexico’s Destinee Hooks was unstoppable in the first half with 15 points, aiding the Lobos’ 25-20 lead early in the second quarter. However, CU finally ended their cold start from 3-point range with back-to-back bombs from guard Kennedy Sanders and Wooten. 

At the half, the Buffs led 33-32 with Wooten going bucket-for-bucket with the Lobos in its last four minutes. Wooten had nine of Colorado’s last 10 first-half points, a major boost for when the Buffaloes only had 20 points in the paint.

“I just thought our shot selection early wasn’t great,” Payne said. “But we talked about the fact that every time we got a paint touch, we were very, very efficient … Once we got more paint touches, higher percentage shots, I thought that really kick-started us.” 

The paint points skyrocketed in the third quarter with 18, and it started with Sanders opening up the half with an and-one two minutes in. By media timeout, the Buffs had made seven straight shots to extend their lead to 10, with Gooden and Dutat leading the offensive spark. 

Colorado ended the period on a 13-4 run to lead 66-48. Gonzaga transfer Claire O’Connor had nine third-quarter points on 4-for-5 shooting. Meanwhile, Dutat had eight of her 16 points alongside five offensive rebounds through three quarters. 

“I’m trying to be aggressive, and offensive rebounding gets me really aggressive,” Dutat said. “I’m just trying to keep building on it.” 

After the dominant third, CU kept pouring it on. Wooten followed up her nine-point second quarter with a steal and fast-break bucket on a dime from Sanders. The next possession, Sanders hit a 3-pointer to extend CU’s lead to 21 points. Sanders finished with nine points, two assists and one rebound.

“This group has really, really good chemistry. Really unselfish players that want to see each other succeed,” Payne said. “And I think when you have that mindset, the sky’s the limit.” 

Colorado kept the Lobos at an arm’s length for the rest, taking its largest lead of the game after a tough Maeve McErlane layup. The Buffaloes finished the fourth quarter with a second-chance layup from O’Connor and a Wooten layup. 

The Buffaloes now hit the road to face the No. 20-ranked Louisville Cardinals on Wednesday. Tip-off in Kentucky is set for 5 p.m. MT (ACC Extra).