Fast break
Why the Buffs lost: CU did a lot of things well, but ultimately, cold shooting in the fourth quarter and too many turnovers piled up. CU went 2-for-15 from the floor with five turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Three stars:
1. CU’s Zyanna Walker: The former Cardinal was great off the bench for the Buffs, scoring a career-high 19 points, pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out four assists.
2. Louisville’s Skylar Jones: A transfer from Arizona, where she used to give CU fits, Jones finished with 21 points, five steals and four rebounds.
3. CU’s Anaelle Dutat: Posted her second double-double in as many games for CU, with 13 points (on 6-of-8 shooting) and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the final seconds.
Up next: The Buffs will host Portland State on Sunday at the CU Events Center (1 p.m., ESPN+).
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There was, without question, disappointment on Wednesday night in the Colorado women’s basketball locker room.
There was also a lot of confidence gained by the Buffaloes in a 74-68 loss to No. 22 Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center.
“I’m really proud of a lot of things that we did tonight,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “Obviously disappointed with the outcome, but really tough environment, and a lot of young people – or young to the floor – contributed really well.
“Some layups and free throws might have made a difference, but lots of things to build on in an early season.”
CU (1-1) led for more than 25 of the 40 minutes and led after each of the first three quarters, but struggled offensively down the stretch against the host Cardinals (2-1). The Buffs went 2-for-15 from the floor and had five turnovers in the final quarter.
“I think we went five minutes without scoring, and a little bit (of) people playing out of position or what have you,” Payne said. “And credit to them. They’re a real good defensive team, and they were very disruptive. I thought we handled it pretty well, but there was a stretch, and I thought that stretch killed us.”
Zyanna Walker, who began her career at Louisville, led the Buffs with 19 points, while adding seven rebounds and four assists.
“For me, I think it hit harder than my other teammates, just because this was my first school out of high school,” the first-year Buff said. “I came here my freshman year, and it didn’t work out, so that hit a little harder. Of course, I wanted to go back and beat my old coach. But, we showed good things out there, and so we are holding our heads up high.”
CU led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter, going up 21-10 on a Walker 3-pointer with 3:15 to play in the frame. Walker had seven of her points in the first quarter.
Over the next 6:17, however, Louisville went on a 14-2 run to take its first lead, 24-23. The Buffs then responded with a 10-1 run to bump their lead to 33-25. Louisville hit a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer, but CU went into intermission with a 37-34 lead.
Early in the third quarter, Anaelle Dutat hit a pair of buckets to help the Buffs to a 45-39 lead, but they went cold from there. CU was scoreless for 3:27 while Louisville went on a 10-0 run to lead 49-45.
Once again, CU rallied, though, closing the third quarter on a 13-6 run to take a 58-55 lead into the fourth.
The Buffs’ cold shooting in the fourth, however, doomed them, as Louisville took advantage. The Cardinals took control of the game with an 8-1 run that lasted nearly six minutes.
CU pulled within 70-68 with 17.1 seconds left on a Walker layup, but Louisville went 4-of-6 at the line down the stretch to seal the game.
Dutat had another double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) for the Buffs, while Logyn Greer had 13 points. Overall, CU out-rebounded the Cardinals 46-34 and outshot them .410 to .391.
“I’m obviously as disappointed as anybody,” Payne said, “but, for a young team, 10 new players, I think there’s so many good things that we can pull from the stat sheet, from some execution.
“We were doing some late game things that we hadn’t talked about and weren’t necessarily as prepared as a veteran team would be, but these are huge growth opportunities, and we’re going to lean into that growth and be even better next time out.”
No. 22 Louisville 74, Colorado 68
COLORADO (1-1)
Sanders 2-5 2-2 6, Wooten 2-15 2-2 8, Greer 5-12 3-4 13, Masogayo 3-7 3-4 9, Dutat 6-8 0-2 13, Gooden 0-0 0-0 0, Walker 7-12 4-5 19, O’Connor 0-1 0-0 0, Crook 0-1 0-0 0, Zadel 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 14-19 68.
LOUISVILLE (2-1)
Ziegler 4-12 6-6 15, Scott 2-4 2-4 7, Randolph 3-7 0-1 6, Istanbulluoglu 1-3 1-2 4, Roberts 6-15 2-2 16, Berry 1-8 1-2 4, Putra 0-0 1-2 1, Jones 8-15 4-5 21.
Colorado 23 14 21 10 – 68
Louisville 18 16 21 19 – 74
3-point goals – Colorado 4-10 (Wooten 2-6, Walker 1-2, Dutat 1-1, Greer 0-1), Louisville 7-28 (Roberts 2-8, Ziegler 1-6, Berry 1-6, Istanbulluoglu 1-3, Jones 1-3, Scott 1-2). Rebounds – Colorado 46 (Dutat 11), Louisville 34 (Ziegler, Randolph, Putra 6). Assists – Colorado 13 (Walker 4), Louisville 11 (Istanbulluoglu, Roberts 3). Steals – Colorado 6 (Dutat 2), Louisville 11 (Jones 5). Turnovers – Colorado 18, Louisville 8. Total fouls – Colorado 19, Louisville 16. Fouled out – Dutat. Attendance – 6,730.