Turnovers, fatigue doom Buffs in North Shore Showcase finale with Texas A&M
- Aditya Makam
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball (5-2) was taken down by the Texas A&M Aggies (4-1) by a score of 59-46 on Tuesday. This was the Buffs’ final game of the Hawaii North Shore Classic, finishing the tournament 2-1.
Both offenses stumbled out of the gate, but Texas A&M settled in first. Colorado struggled to generate anything clean in the halfcourt, and the Aggies used that stretch to build a lead by the end of the opening quarter.
Redshirt junior Zyanna Walker was a lone bright spot, reaching 600 career points and 300 career rebounds. She finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds, but was the only Buffalo to score double figures.
The Buffs came out firing in the second quarter. They tightened up defensively and pushed the ball while also causing five turnovers. A few 3s put the Buffs within striking distance of the Aggies with a score of 25-24.
Colorado kept building off that second-quarter energy in the third. Kennedy Sanders handled most of the ball movement, pushing the pace and getting the Buffs into early offense. Zyanna Walker knocked down a pair of jumpers to keep the momentum rolling, and Claire O’Connor stretched the floor with a corner three as Colorado briefly took control and grabbed the lead.
But A&M answered right back. A few empty CU possessions stalled the rhythm, and the Aggies closed the quarter on a run to swing the game back in their favor heading into the fourth.
CU couldn't stop Aggie guard Ny'Ceara Pryor, who led all scorers with 23, nor box out Fatmata Janneh, who compiled 15 rebounds.
Colorado’s momentum faded as turnovers piled up in the second half. Possessions broke down late in the shot clock, spacing slipped, and the Buffs couldn’t consistently get into their sets, all issues that opened the door for A&M’s closing run.
“That’s definitely our issue, it’s a lack of organization,” head coach JR Payne said. “When we’re struggling to score, we have players that can score, but we’re just unorganized, and ultimately that’s my fault.”
The Buffs are back in action against the Montana State Bobcats on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the CU Events Center (ESPN+).