Buffs dispatch Oregon State to move into Pac-12 semis
LAS VEGAS – After a back-and-forth first half, the Colorado women’s basketball team took care of the Oregon State Beavers 62-54 to advance in the Pac-12 Tournament.
With the win, the Buffs advance to their second straight Pac-12 semifinal, where they will take on No. 7 seed Washington State after their upset win over No. 2 seed Utah earlier Thursday evening.
“That was not the prettiest game we’ve ever been a part of,” said CU head coach JR Payne after the game. “But I think what we all witnessed was two teams that really are just gonna fight and scrap and do everything they can to win the game. I thought Oregon State played really well and I thought, in spurts, we played really well also… We never really got too flustered which I love about this team.”
The Buffs came out a little rusty in the first half, an understandable trap to fall into after four days off. It also didn’t help their cause that the Beavers came out of the gates on fire. After knocking down just three three-pointers in their upset win over USC on Wednesday night, OSU knocked down four in the first quarter against the Buffs to jump out to a five point lead.
The Beavers stayed hot into the second quarter, knocking down all kinds of jumpers. Sophomore guard AJ Marotte knocked down a pull-up from the mid range, and freshman forward Timea Gardiner knocked down a three to give Oregon State a nine-point lead.
“When they come out shooting like that, that’s a difficult storm to weather,” said Payne. “Not something that we typically see or we allow, but to be able to weather the storm and be able to really stay together, that’s very indicative of the selflessness of our team.”
However, the Buffs bounced back, showing the same gritty resolve that earned them their best finish in the Pac-12 regular season since joining the league back in 2011-12. Following the under-five media timeout in the second quarter, CU picked up the intensity on defense, pushed the pace in transition, and clawed their way back even.
The first half ended with a bang, as Frida Formann knocked down a stepback three with time running down in the second period to tie the score at 33 heading into the intermission.
In the second half, CU showed why they are one of the teams to beat in the Pac-12. They came out of halftime with their hair on fire, harassing the Oregon State ball handlers with a full-court press. The defensive changeup by Payne completely flustered the Beavers, taking them totally out of their offensive rhythm and giving the Buffs some easy opportunities to quickly build a lead.
“They took us out of plays at times,” said Oregon State head coach Scott Reuck postgame. “They turned us over in the backcourt a couple of times, pressing us after rebounds. They did a nice job, (Jaylyn) Sherrod is so fast. She’s so fun to watch, I’m a fan of hers, always have been. It seemed as the game went on, she got faster and she elevated, and that led to transition points for them. They capitalized on our mistakes.”
Also in that third quarter, CU center Aaronette Vonleh dominated. The Arizona transfer notched 10 points in the third, making all four of her shots from the field and sinking two free throws. On the defensive end, she bottled up Beavers’ star Raegan Beers, holding her scoreless through the first three quarters.
“She’s one of their best players and she’s also very physical on the box,” said Vonleh. “Just trying to match the physicality, keep her away from the basket, and force her to take shots that are out of her comfort zone.”
The fourth quarter was smooth sailing for the Buffs, as they were able to keep Oregon State at arm’s length pretty much the entire way to send the Beavers home and vault themselves into the next round.
Frida Formann led the Buffs with 16 points on the night, while Vonleh finished with 15 to make up a good chunk of CU’s offensive output. On the Oregon State side, sharpshooter Adlee Blacklock finished with a team-high 12 points, while Gardiner and Marotte both added 10.
The Buffs dominated at the free throw line, earning 24 attempts from the charity stripe and knocking down 16 of them. While not an elite percentage, getting such a large amount of free points helped them stay attached on the scoreboard during Oregon State’s offensive onslaught early, and helped them pull away late.
The Buffs also dominated the turnover battle, forcing 17 Beaver turnovers and scoring 18 points off of those giveaways. The Oregon State defense didn’t have the same success, as CU took pretty good care of the rock throughout the night. The Buffs finished with just 7 turnovers, their lowest total against Pac-12 competition this season.
Friday’s semifinals will kick off at 6 p.m. PST, with No. 1 seed Stanford taking on No. 5 seed UCLA in the first game. Both teams are coming off of convincing wins on Thursday, and the Cardinal are looking to continue their quest for three Pac-12 titles in a row.
The Buffs will take on Washington State in the second semifinal, with a tentative tip time of 8:30 p.m. PST. CU swept the season series against the Cougars, and are looking to continue their winning ways Friday night. Both games will be televised on Pac-12 Network.
