Fast break
Reasons behind Buffaloes’ victory: Colorado had one of its most efficient offensive performances of the season, shooting 49.2% from the field, 88.9% from the free-throw line, and only committing eight turnovers.
Top performers:
1. CU’s Jade Masogayo: Scored a season-high 23 points, making 9-of-10 free throws, along with three rebounds and two assists.
2. TCU’s Olivia Miles: Equaled her season-high with 31 points, adding five rebounds and two steals.
3. CU’s Logyn Greer: Had a standout game with 17 points and five rebounds.
Upcoming game: The Buffaloes will face Houston on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. MT, live on ESPN+.
After a missed free throw with 58.3 seconds remaining in Sunday’s game, Colorado’s Jade Masogayo couldn’t help but recall the previous week.
On February 1, Masogayo missed five consecutive free throws in the final minutes of a close game against Kansas, which the Buffaloes eventually won in overtime.
Thankfully, there was no repeat of that scenario for her and the Colorado women’s basketball team this time around.
Masogayo came through in the clutch, converting a three-point play with 2.1 seconds left to secure an 80-79 victory over No. 14 TCU at the CU Events Center.
The senior forward, who finished with a season-high 23 points, tied the game with a layup and a foul. She then sunk the game-winning free throw.
“I said, ‘This going in right here, right now,’” she said. “I don’t got no other choice. This going in right now.’”
TCU’s Olivia Miles, who scored 31 points, missed a last-second 3-point attempt, leading to a CU celebration after their second win over a ranked opponent this season.
“I mean, wow,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “What a resilient group we have here to take a team like that down the stretch, down eight two separate times. Our execution and aggressive mindset and ability to make big plays, so many people made big plays tonight.”
Masogayo, in particular, was outstanding. She was fouled with 58.3 seconds remaining and the Buffs trailing 76-74. She missed the first shot but redeemed herself.
“Yeah, definitely on the one that I missed, I was pretty much taken back to Kansas,” Masogayo said.
She was perfect at the line against Kansas before struggling in the final minutes of regulation, which led to overtime.
“I was just telling myself on the line, like, ‘Jade, we’re not going to do this again,’” she said. “Like, come on, let’s just finish it.’ That was pretty much my mentality.”
This time, she came through, tying the game with two free throws and securing the win with another free throw with 2.1 seconds remaining. She was 9-for-10 at the line for the day.
“Jade was obviously incredible down the stretch,” Payne praised.
It was a team effort.
Freshman Logyn Greer had a standout performance in Big 12 play, contributing 17 points and five rebounds. She scored 10 points in the third quarter when CU was trailing by eight.
Desiree Wooten provided early energy with 12 first-quarter points and finished with 19. Zyanna Walker added 15 points and four steals, excelling on both ends of the floor.
Anaelle Dutat and Tabitha Betson made crucial plays in the fourth quarter, cutting TCU’s lead from eight to four.
“Lots of different people made winning plays tonight, offensively and defensively,” Payne acknowledged, highlighting the defensive contributions of Dutat, Walker, and Betson. “Just great team effort. I’m really, really happy about this one.”
CU led by 11 in the first quarter and maintained the lead throughout the first half. TCU’s Donovyn Hunter and Olivia Miles led a surge in the third quarter, but CU responded.
Miles hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter to put TCU up 47-39, prompting a CU timeout. The technical foul on Miles led to free throws for CU, closing the gap to 47-43.
“We thought we could get a four-point swing out of it, and we did,” Payne explained. “So that was really important. Good execution by the team.”
Despite TCU extending their lead to eight, CU fought back, with Dutat and Betson hitting key shots. TCU’s key players fouling out also played in CU’s favor.
The energetic crowd of 2,240 helped CU close the game on a 10-3 run over the final 2:35.
“I thought the energy in the arena was so good,” Payne said. “I think anyone that comes to watch us play sees that it’s really fun. It’s a really fun couple of hours. So, I just hope we can really get great crowds the last few games.”
Noteworthy
Colorado’s previous win over a ranked team was against then-No. 19 Iowa State on January 14. … CU has defeated 18 AP Top 25 teams under Payne, including 15 in the last five seasons. … TCU leads the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 55.3 points per game. CU was the first team to score 80 points against the Horned Frogs in regulation. Only Utah scored more in total, defeating TCU 87-77 in overtime on January 3. … CU struggled from 3-point range in the previous two games but improved on Sunday, shooting 6-for-13 from beyond the arc.
Colorado 80, No. 14 TCU 79
TCU (21-4, 9-3 Big 12)
Bigby 1-2 0-0 2, Hunter 8-12 0-0 17, Miles 11-20 5-6 31, Suarez 8-14 3-3 20, Silva 1-4 0-0 2, Basham 0-1 0-0 0, Sheffey 0-0 0-0 0, Bielefeld 2-4 0-0 5, Parker 1-1 0-0 2, Scherr 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-59 8-9 79.
COLORADO (16-8, 7-5 Big 12)
Walker 7-12 0-0 15, McErlane 0-1 0-0 0, Masogayo 7-11 9-10 23, Dutat 2-5 0-1 4, Betson 1-4 0-0 2, Gooden 0-0 0-0 0, Wooten 6-15 4-4 19, Nworie 0-2 0-0 0, Crook 0-0 0-0 0, Greer 6-9 3-3 17. Totals 29-59 16-18 80.
TCU 20 14 33 12 – 79
Colorado 28 6 28 18 – 80
3-point goals – TCU 7-20 (Miles 4-9, Suarez 1-4, Hunter 1-3, Bielefeld 1-2, Bigby 0-1, Scherr 0-1), Colorado 6-13 (Wooten 3-6, Greer 2-2, Walker 1-2, Betson 0-3). Rebounds – TCU 31 (Miles, Suarez, Silva 5), Colorado 27 (Betson, Greer 5). Assists – TCU 10 (Hunter, Suarez, Silva 2), Colorado 14 (Wooten 6). Steals – TCU 5 (Miles 2), Colorado 6 (Walker 4). Turnovers – TCU 10, Colorado 8. Total fouls – TCU 18, Colorado 12. Fouled out – Suarez, Silva. Attendance – 2,240.
