Getting through the first month of the season was a challenge for Colorado’s Jade Masogayo.
Since shedding the brace she wore on her left knee, however, Masogayo has been her old self.
“It feels good just knowing that I don’t have to rely on a brace anymore,” the senior forward said. “Just getting rid of that mental factor, and it’s giving me a lot of mental ease, I guess you would say, just being able to like just do me. So yeah, I do feel a lot better just being on the court overall and in general.”
The timing couldn’t be better for Masogayo and the CU women’s basketball team (9-4, 0-1 Big 12), which will host Arizona on Wednesday in their conference home opener.
One of the top forwards in the Big 12, Masogayo averaged just 7.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in her first nine games of the season, while hitting 43.9% of her shots. In three games since ditching the brace, Masogayo has averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and hit 62.9% of her shots.
“It’s huge,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “She’s one of the best players in the conference, and for her to be confident and playing like one of the best players in the conference is critical for us.”
Having Masogayo feeling better and returning to her form of last year has been big, but the Buffs are striving as a team to gain the consistency that has been elusive to this point.
CU lost two straight in late November and seemed to get back on track with a four-game winning streak in early December. But, the Buffs struggled in a 79-63 loss at Arizona State in the Big 12 opener on Dec. 21.
The Buffs had some time off for Christmas after that game, but have had several good practices since returning from the break.
“These past five days of practice, we’ve been really trying to hone in on taking care of the ball, basic execution, playing good clean basketball on both sides, limiting fouls, and limiting turnovers — the areas that we want to clean up,” Payne said. “I think we’ve done a really good job of that.”
While some teams can win with an abundance of talent, sometimes getting away with mistakes, the fundamentals are critical to CU’s success. When the Buffs are fundamentally sound – which is often – they play well. When the fundamentals slip, however, it’s a struggle.
“When we do what we’re supposed to do in that regard, I think we can beat anybody,” Payne said. “But when we don’t, when we just kind of do our own thing or skimp on those details, I also think we can lose to anybody. So for us, it’s going to come down to discipline and organization.”
That’s been a heavy emphasis in practice, as the Buffs prepare for the meat of the Big 12 schedule.
“At the end of the day, we can keep it plain and simple and still have success on the court,” Masogayo said. “I feel like we just do a lot of extra stuff that’s not needed at times, so we’re just trying to clean that up as much as we can.
“I feel like we’ve had a good couple days of practice — very hard and intense practices, doing what we need to do.”
CU Buffs women’s basketball vs. Arizona
TIPOFF: Wednesday, 7 p.m., CU Events Center in Boulder
TV/RADIO: ESPN+/KHOW 630 AM
RECORDS: Colorado 9-4, 0-1 Big 12; Arizona 9-3, 0-1 Big 12
COACHES: Colorado — JR Payne, 10th season (173-120; 274-233 career). Arizona — Becky Burke, 1st season, (9-3, 183-95 career).
KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — C Jade Crook, 6-4, Fr. (4.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg); F Anaelle Dutat, 6-0, Sr. (9.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.2 spg, .532 fg%); F Logyn Greer, 6-4, Fr. (11.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, .495 fg%); F Jade Masogayo, 6-3, Sr. (9.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, .511 fg%); G Zyanna Walker, 5-11, Jr. (9.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.4 spg); G Desiree Wooten, 5-8, Jr. (10.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.7 spg). Arizona — G Noelani Cornfield, 5-6, Sr. (14.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 8.0 apg, 2.7 spg); G Mireia Jurado, 6-0, Fr. (5.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, .583 fg%); G Mickayla Perdue, 5-7, Sr. (17.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg); G Sumayah Sugapong, 5-7, Jr. (6.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 apg); F Daniah Trammell, 6-1, Fr. (11.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, .567 fg%); G Tanyuel Welch, 5-10, Jr. (8.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg).
NOTES: CU returns from the holiday break for the first of two home Big 12 games this week. The Buffs will also host Cincinnati on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN+). … The Buffs are 7-1 at home this season. … Arizona will be playing on the road for the first time this season, having played all 12 games at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona, to this point. … CU point guard Kennedy Sanders (9.3 ppg, 2.2 apg) had hip surgery on Monday and will miss the remainder of the season. … Arizona was projected for a 14th-place finish in the Big 12 in separate votes by media and coaches. … Arizona opened Big 12 play with a 63-62 loss at home to Utah on Dec. 22. … Of the 12 players on Arizona’s roster, 11 are new to the team this year. The only returning player is junior Montaya Dew, who has yet to play this year as she recovers from a knee injury. … Burke was the head coach at Buffalo the previous three years, including leading the Bulls to a 30-7 record and WNIT championship last season. … As of Tuesday, CU was No. 70 in the NET rankings, while Arizona was No. 139.