Fast break
Why the Buffs won: CU overcame another high turnover game (19) by shooting lights out (56.8%) and playing exceptional defense all night, holding SLU to 26.7% shooting.
Three stars:
1. Kindyll Wetta: One of her most efficient games of the season, with 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists, one steal and just one turnover.
2. Lior Garzon: Had a game-high 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
3. Jade Masgayo: Posted 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, and pulled down four rebounds.
Up next: CU advances to the second round of the WBIT and will host Gonzaga on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Events Center.
Whatever disappointment the Colorado women’s basketball team felt this week in not making it into the NCAA Tournament field didn’t show up on Thursday night.
Lior Garzon led a quartet of Buffs scoring in double figures and they cruised to a 73-41 rout of Southeastern Louisiana in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) at the CU Events Center.
“I had the whole week to think about, like, we didn’t make the tournament, the NCAA, and I was really, really locked in,” said Garzon, who had a game-high 18 points. “Even though we kind of were disappointed, I think we see the opportunity to just go win something and finish this season really good.
“Today, I was just locked in from the beginning; I think the whole week, and just gave this confidence for the team. Just know, like, ‘Hey, I’m here. Let’s just go after it.’”
A No. 1 seed in the second annual WBIT, the Buffs (21-12) got what they expected out of Southeastern Louisiana (26-6), which is loaded with quick, athletic guards who force a lot of turnovers.
SLU, the regular season champs in the Southland Conference, forced 19 CU turnovers, but the Buffs made up for it by hitting 56.8% of their shots (25-of-44). That number was even better (63.9%, 23-of-36) before going 2-for-8 in the final five minutes when they already had a 30-point lead.
“Great shooting again,” Payne said. “So many different people hit great shots and big shots. That’s actually what we said probably all week, if we just take care of the basketball we’ll be able to score and so it was great that we did at such a high clip.”
In addition to Garzon’s 18 points (on 6-of-11 shooting), Jade Masogayo had 15 on 5-of-6 shooting, Grace Oliver had 12 on 5-of-7 shooting and Kindyll Wetta had 10 while hitting 3-of-4 shots.
CU was also solid at the free throw line, going 16-of-21. Masogayo led the way there, going 5-for-8 at the line.
“Just attack,” she said of her mindset. “I mean, my coaches kept harping about that I would have opportunities to attack their feet, so that’s what I was trying to do.”
Wetta attacked the night, too. She had one of her best all-around games of the season, with 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and just one turnover in 29 minutes.
“I thought Kindyll was great,” Payne said. “We needed her to be good tonight, because we knew we were going to play against a tremendous amount of pressure, and we needed to be poised and organized. Typically, that falls on your point guard, to make sure that you’re poised and organized and doing what you’re supposed to do. I thought she was great. … We needed her to be that, and she definitely delivered.”
Masogayo and Garzon sparked an early run to put the Buffs ahead 12-2 just 4 minutes into the game. Then, a 13-2 run, which included five points from Oliver, opened the second quarter and gave the Buffs a 30-11 lead.
SLU forced seven turnovers in a row to pull within 10, but a three-point play by Wetta gave CU a 33-20 lead at intermission. CU’s lead never dipped below 11 in the second half, but it didn’t pull away until the fourth quarter. A Tabitha Betson 3-pointer with 1:55 to go in the third sparked a 21-0 run that put the Buffs ahead 68-36 with 4 minutes to go.
CU held SLU scoreless for 8:59 in that run. Overall, SLU hit just 26.7% of its shots and star Alexius Horne (14 points, three assists) admitted after the game that the altitude led to some fatigue for the Lady Lions.
The Buffs were more than ready to take advantage, as they sailed into a second-round date with Gonzaga on Sunday. Gonzaga beat UTSA, 67-51, on Thursday.
“Just so thrilled,” Payne said. “Any team that’s winning right now, like every game that happens, somebody is going home, and there’s less teams throughout the entire country that are still getting to play basketball. So I’m really proud and excited that we won. A total team effort. … I thought we really executed the scout very well in spurts, offensively and defensively, and just excited to keep playing.”
Notable
SLU’s 41 points and field goal percentage were the lowest by a CU opponent this season. … Garzon topped the 1,600-point mark for her collegiate career and now has 1,610.
Colorado 73, Southeastern Louisiana 41
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (26-6)
Alexander 0-0 0-0 0, Pierre 2-4 0-0 4, Patton 2-9 0-0 5, Daniels 2-5 3-4 7, Horne 5-15 2-4 14, Washington 1-9 0-2 2, Gentry 0-0 0-0 0, Bell 3-6 0-0 6, Chamberlin 0-4 0-0 0, Sibley 1-6 1-2 3, Berry 0-1 0-0 0, Crawford 0-0 0-0 0, Joseph 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-60 6-12 41.
COLORADO (21-12)
Garzon 6-11 4-4 18, Masogayo 5-6 5-8 15, Wetta 3-4 3-3 10, Betson 3-5 0-0 7, Teder 0-2 0-0 0, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Sanders 1-4 2-2 4, Nworie 0-0 0-0 0, Powell 0-2 1-2 1, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Diew 2-2 1-2 6, Oliver 5-7 0-0 12.
SE Louisiana 9 11 16 5 – 41
Colorado 17 16 21 19 – 73
3-point goals – SLU 3-21 (Horne 2-7, Patton 1-7, Chamberlin 0-3, Washington 0-2, Pierre 0-1, Bell 0-1), Colorado 7-19 (Garzon 2-5, Oliver 2-4, Wetta 1-2, Betson 1-2, Diew 1-1, Sanders 0-2, Teder 0-1, Powell 0-1, Smith 0-1). Rebounds – SLU 27 (Bell 5), Colorado 42 (Wetta 7). Assists – SLU 6 (Horne 3), Colorado 18 (Wetta 6). Steals – SLU 11 (Daniels, Washington, Sibley 2), Colorado 1 (Wetta 1). Turnovers – SLU 8, Colorado 19. Total fouls – SLU 18, Colorado 14. Fouled out – Bell. Attendance – 1,469.
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