BOULDER - Colorado vs Stanford
Written by Colin Wagner | CU Athletic Communications Associate
No. 5 Colorado defeated No. 8 Stanford 71-59 on Sunday in the Buffaloes' first top-10 matchup at the CU Events Center since Dec. 17, 1994.
Colorado earned its sixth win over Stanford in program history behind a game-changing 20-2 run in the third quarter that the Cardinal just couldn't come back from.
"We talked about it at halftime, we talked about it in every single timeout," stated head coach JR Payne of the long run. "These guys do it, they reconnect, we come back together, refocus and just make sure we're all locked in and on the same page so that no matter what we do, we're all on the same page.
"So I thought we did that really well, whenever we had an opportunity to come together. I didn't even know it was that big of a run. You could just feel the momentum, but it's incredible to be able to sustain, not just offensive scoring, but actually getting stops. It was pretty remarkable."
Before the run, the Buffs (15-1, 5-0 Pac-12) were in a tough game, holding a slim 36-30 lead over the Cardinal (15-2, 4-1 Pac-12) at halftime. Things changed when Colorado started to pull away four minutes into the second half which eventually turned into a 19-point score differential.
The Colorado guards had solid performances today with Jaylyn Sherrod and Kindyll Wetta having almost identical numbers on the stat sheet. Sherrod recorded 13 points with four assists and four steals, while Wetta had 12 points, five assists and four steals. To add to her performance, Wetta from half-court before the final buzzer to give the Buffs the six-point advantage at the half.
Their ability to share the ball helped teammates Maddie Nolan and Quay Miller to both score double-digit points. Nolan racked up five boards and two assists to go with her 12 points. Miller put up 13 points and 10 rebounds to record her third straight double-double. Frida Formann rounded out the group of scorers with 10 points.
The Buffs excelled in forcing turnovers and producing points from them as they scored 28 points off 18 Stanford turnovers. Most of the turnovers were off Colorado steals which created transition buckets. CU scored 22 fastbreak points compared to just three from the Cardinal.
The Buffs have another daunting task ahead of them when they host No. 2 UCLA on Friday, Jan 19th at 6 p.m. with hopes to have an even bigger crowd in attendance for the game.
"Huge win, every game is gonna feel like life or death," Payne said. "We have to win it and this one wasn't any different and Friday will feel the same, but just really exciting. Someone told me this is only the third top-10 matchup in the history of Colorado basketball, and now we'll have another one which is going to be great. So we just have to keep that energy going from our community."
Kiki Iriafen led Stanford with 19 points and 18 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game started as a defensive battle as both teams had just two points each three minutes into the game. Stanford made the first push by scoring eight unanswered points to take a lead 10-2.
Colorado responded by outscoring Stanford 16-7 after getting in the eight-point hole. A Formann jumper got the offense back on track and Sherrod scored six points in a 9-3 run to close the quarter, giving the Buffs an 18-17 lead.
Colorado kept the momentum going in the second with a 9-0 run, getting back-to-back-to-back 3s from Charlotte Whittaker, Sherrod and Miller to run CU's lead to 28-20.
As the quarter went on, the Buffs struggled offensively going scoreless for over four minutes before a Nolan 3-pointer put an end to the drought. Wetta nailed a wild halfcourt buzzer-beater before halftime to put Colorado up 36-30.
Colorado started the second half on with an 0-for-6 shooting slump before Formman hit her lone 3-pointer of the night. She followed with an AND-1 layup CU then turned its next two possessions into points to make it a 10-0 run which eventually turned into a 20-2 run.
Stanford cut its deficit down to single digits midway through the fourth quarter, 52-61, before a media timeout with 4:54 to go.
The Cardinal narrowed the deficit to just six with under a minute to go in regulation. Colorado called a timeout and came out of the break, hitting a streaking Sherrod who beat Cameron Brink to the hoop. The Buffs went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line to finish the game on a 6-0 run.
KEY MOMENT
The Buffs' 20-2 run lasted just over five minutes in then the third quarter, shifting the game from a one-point CU lead to a 19-point contest. Formann accounted for six points in the run while Wetta and Miller had four points each.
NEXT
Pac-12 conference play remains a challenge with the No. 5 Buffs taking on No. 2 UCLA at home on Friday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. MT.