Colorado women’s basketball turned Tuesday night into a showcase.
The Buffaloes handed Boise State its first loss of the season with an 83–53 rout at the CU Events Center, racing out to a 25–9 lead in the first quarter and never letting the Broncos breathe. Colorado (3–1) held Boise State (3–1) under 15 points in three of four quarters and under 20 in all four, rolling to a 30-point win that looked even more lopsided than the final score.
It was the kind of complete performance head coach JR Payne has been asking for – high tempo, relentless on the glass and unselfish with the ball. Colorado finished at 53.3% from the field, forced 13 steals, and doubled up its turnovers with 18 assists against just nine giveaways. The Buffs’ three point guards combined for 13 assists and only three turnovers as CU controlled the game’s pace from the opening tip.
Balanced attack, big milestone
Senior forward Anaëlle Dutat set the tone on both ends and led Colorado with 17 points, five rebounds, three steals and an assist, constantly popping up in the middle of every run.
Redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Sanders put together her best outing of the season, posting a season-high 14 points to go with three rebounds, five assists and three steals as she sliced up the Boise State defense off the dribble and from deep.
Redshirt junior guard Desiree Wooten joined the headline line by eclipsing 600 career points on a third-quarter 3-pointer. She finished with 10 points, two steals, a rebound and an assist, continuing her steady scoring presence on the perimeter.
Freshman forward Logyn Greer added 11 points, four rebounds, a steal and an assist, while redshirt junior guard Zyanna Walker stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, four boards, six assists and a steal.
Colorado’s frontcourt depth also had its say. Freshman center Jade Crook chipped in eight points and four rebounds, freshman forward Sophie Zadel was active with five rebounds, two points, a steal and a block, and senior forward Jade Masogayo contributed three points, two rebounds, two assists and a block. Freshman guard Erianna Gooden added two points, two assists and two rebounds, while junior guard Claire O’Connor knocked down a pair of 3s for six points. Redshirt junior Maeve McErlane recorded a steal off the bench.
For Boise State, Natalie Pasco led the Broncos with 14 points. Tatum Thompson and Dani Bayes scored eight points apiece, Kierra Thompson handed out five assists and Mason Borcherding grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
Colorado’s intent was clear from the jump.
Wooten opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, Sanders followed with a jumper and Greer calmly knocked down two free throws for a 7–0 start. Boise State finally got on the board, but the Buffs answered with a flurry: back-to-back jumpers from Dutat, a bucket from Crook and free throws from Walker and Dutat helped stretch the margin to 25–7 before late Bronco free throws trimmed it to 25–9 after one.
The second quarter only widened the gap. Sanders splashed a 3 to spark another Buffs burst, and Colorado’s pressure defense turned stops into easy offense. Dutat’s steal late in the half led to a Greer jumper, and Sanders closed the period with a 3 and a pull-up jumper in the final seconds as CU headed to the locker room up 49–23.
Any hope of a Boise State push after halftime disappeared quickly. Greer opened the third with back-to-back buckets, Dutat scored twice in the midrange and Zadel finished inside as the lead ballooned past 30. A Zadel steal and Dutat free throws made it 62–31, and moments later Wooten drilled the 3 that pushed her past 600 career points and pushed the lead to 66–33. Masogayo drew a foul with just over a second left in the quarter and CU carried a 70–34 cushion into the fourth.
Boise State scored first in the final period, but the Buffs had one more run in them. Crook answered with a layup, O’Connor buried another 3, and Dutat and Walker added layups as the lead swelled to 79–43. The Broncos strung together eight unanswered points before Gooden’s late layup and an O’Connor jumper capped the scoring and sealed an emphatic 83–53 home win.
For Boise State, freshman forward Mason Boercherding – a Legend High School product from Parker – finished with 7 points and 5 rebounds in 16 minutes.
On to Hawaii
Colorado now takes its momentum on the road for a three-game swing at the North Shore Invitational on Oahu. The Buffs will face UT-Arlington on Nov. 22, VCU on Nov. 24 and Texas A&M on Nov. 25, with the opener against UTA scheduled for 7 p.m. MT. All three games will stream on BallerTV, with live stats available on CUBuffs.com.
Tuesday’s dominant effort pushes CU to 1–1 all-time against Boise State and improves the program’s mark to 117–43 against Mountain West opponents. Just as important, it reinforced an identity the Buffs can pack in their bags for Hawaii: deep, balanced, and relentless for 40 minutes.
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