Quick break
Why the Buffs received: CU dominated defensively, holding New Mexico to a .344 mark whereas forcing 21 turnovers.
Three stars
1. Anaelle Dutat. The Rhode Island switch loved a memorable CU debut, posting a double-double with 16 factors and 13 rebounds.
2. Jade Criminal. The freshman from Australia recorded 12 factors and 7 rebounds.
3. Desiree Wooten. A switch from North Texas, Wooten crammed up the stat sheet with 13 factors, three assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds.
Up subsequent: CU hits the highway for an enormous check at No. 20 Louisville on Wednesday.
The brand new-look rotation for the Colorado ladies’s basketball workforce in all probability can be a piece in progress on offense.
Defensively, nonetheless, the Buffaloes already are working at a excessive stage.
CU harassed New Mexico all through the night time and tightened the clamps to a different stage after halftime, because the Buffs regularly pulled away for an 84-59 victory Thursday on the CU Occasions Heart.
It was the primary sport of the tenth season for CU below head coach JR Payne, who improved to 10-0 at CU in season openers.
“Actually happy with our workforce and the way we performed and the way we competed,” Payne mentioned. “You by no means actually count on the start to be lovely, and it wasn’t. However we made some actually, actually nice changes at halftime. Defensively specifically. This stat sheet is sort of a coach’s dream, to have a lot steadiness and really feel that so many alternative folks on the workforce can contribute in numerous other ways. Which, in fact, they did. Simply actually, actually happy with how we’re beginning the season off.”
It was a sport of runs early, as CU answered a 10-0 burst by New Mexico with 12 consecutive factors. The Buffs started the night time 0-for-9 on 3-pointers and by no means actually warmed up from lengthy vary, ending simply 4-for-20 from the arc. CU, although, made up floor on protection.
Whereas the Lobos outshot the Buffs within the first half, .444 to .375, CU compelled 12 New Mexico turnovers within the first two quarters and turned the additional possessions right into a 13-3 benefit in factors off turnovers whereas constructing a 33-32 lead at halftime.
The Buffs took that protection to a different stage after the break.
CU outscored the Lobos 33-16 within the third quarter whereas holding New Mexico to a 6-for-18 mark within the body. The Buffs steadily pulled away from there, holding the Lobos to a .265 capturing proportion (9-for-34) after halftime.
“I believe we’ve got an amazing quantity of steadiness,” Payne mentioned. “I believe we’re going to see numerous totally different folks within the press convention on the finish of the night time, as a result of any given participant can actually impression the sport.”
A complete of 9 gamers made their CU debuts, with Rhode Island switch Anaelle Dutat main the way in which. The senior ahead posted a double-double in her first sport with the Buffs, going 6-for-12 from the ground and 4-for-4 on the free-throw line earlier than ending with 16 factors, 13 rebounds and a team-high 4 steals.
Desiree Wooten, a switch from North Texas, recorded 13 factors, three assists and three steals, whereas Jade Criminal, a freshman heart from Australia, got here off the bench to put up 12 factors and 7 rebounds.
CU completed with 17 assists, 15 steals and solely 10 turnovers. The Buffs dominated all sides, recording lopsided benefits in factors off turnovers (27-7), factors within the paint (50-24) and fast-break factors (24-2).
“Actually completely happy to be right here. Actually completely happy that this was my final first sport, I assume. I’m actually completely happy to play right here,” mentioned Dutat, who grabbed 5 offensive rebounds. “I used to be simply making an attempt to be aggressive, and clearly offensive rebounding will get me actually aggressive. I’m simply making an attempt to maintain constructing on it.”
CU Buffs ladies’s basketball 84, New Mexico 59
New Mexico 12 20 16 11
Colorado 18 15 33 18
NEW MEXICO (0-1)
Hooks 8-20 3-6 22, Magalhaes 2-5 0-0 4, Hargrove 0-4 0-0 0, Padilla 3-9 0-0 8, Craig 2-5 2-2 7, Abdurraqib 3-6 1-3 9, Foster 1-5 0-0 3, Peixinho 0-0 2-2 2, Jones 1-5 0-0 2, Jordon 0-0 0-0 0, Najjuma 0-0 0-0 0, Joaquim 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 21-61 8-13 59.
COLORADO (1-0)
Sanders 3-8 1-1 9, Wooten 6-13 0-0 13, Greer 2-6 0-0 4, Masogayo 2-6 0-0 4, Dutat 6-12 4-4 16, Gooden 4-8 2-3 10, O’Connor 5-10 0-12-14 0 11, Criminal 4-7 4-4 12, Zadel 0-2 0-0 0, McErlane 1-2 0-0 2, Walker 1-2 1-1 3. Totals 34-75 84.
3-point discipline objectives: New Mexico 9-25 (Hooks 3-6, Magalhaes 0-2, Hargrove 0-2, Padilla 2-5, Craig 1-1, Abdurraqib 2-4, Foster 1-3, Jones 0-1, Joaquim 0-1); Colorado 4-20 (Sanders 2-4, Wooten 1-4, Greer 0-4, Dutat 0-1, Gooden 0-2, O’Connor 1-3, Criminal 0-1, McErlane 0-1). Rebounds: New Mexico 36 (Hooks 7); Colorado 48 (Dutat 13). Assists: New Mexico 8 (Hargrove 3); Colorado 17 (Gooden 3, O’Connor 3, Wooten 3). Turnovers: New Mexico 21 (Magalhaes 5); Colorado 10 (Sanders 3). A: 1,735.
