Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jake Mauff at jacob.mauff@colorado.edu
The Colorado Buffaloes (6-18, 1-12) lost on the road to the No. 8 Oregon State Beavers (21-3, 12-1), 50-73. Colorado has now lost three games in a row.
It was a tough night all around for the Buffs. The matchup saw the first team in the Pac-12 standings take on the last team in the Pac-12 standings. The game continued to show the differences of the two teams.
Colorado started things off well out of the gate. The first score of the game came on a fast break by senior forward Jamee Swan off of a steal. They paced well against Oregon State after that, starting off making six of their first 10 baskets. However, the team ended up trailing 20-16 at the end of the first quarter.
From there, the game started getting out of hand. Colorado’s offense had trouble flowing in the second quarter. It didn’t help that junior forward Haley Smith went down with a knee injury after colliding with a teammate. She had to be helped off the court, but would return in the second half.
Colorado was outscored by five points in the second quarter, signaling a nine-point halftime deficit for the Buffs. There was some hope of comeback at the intermission. The Buffaloes shot fairly well, though the 37-28 score spoke otherwise. The team shot 40.6 percent in the first 20 minutes.
A comeback was not in the cards for the Buffs, however. Quite the opposite happened, as Oregon State and Colorado trended in opposite directions. The Buffs shot 26.5 percent in the second half. By comparison, the Beavers made 43.3 percent of their field goals.
Oregon State was aided by Colorado’s trouble with fouls Saturday night. Colorado fouls led to 15 attempts at the line by the home team, who sunk 10 of them.
Freshman forward Makenzie Ellis had three fouls while Swan and freshman guard Alexis Robinson each had four fouls. These fouls were collected early into the fourth quarter, causing starters to miss crucial minutes down the stretch.
Depth was an issue the entire game for Colorado, as the team only used eight players in the first half. Only having eight players severely limits what a team can do, especially when three players are sitting due to foul trouble. Junior forward Zoe Beard-Fails checked in as the ninth player to take the court for the Buffs halfway through the fourth.
Once she checked in, Beard-Fails didn’t have a spectacular outing. The five minutes she saw on the court were pitiful. She only managed to tally a personal foul and a turnover on the stat sheet.
Beard-Fails’ slow night showcased the Buffs’ offensive woes. Freshman guard Kennedy Leonard led the team in scoring, generating 11 points. Smith and Swan both scored 10 points, despite missed time. Combined, the three took over half of Colorado’s shots.
It wasn’t just offense that hurt Colorado. The Buffs defense couldn’t contain Oregon State. Four Beavers scored in double digits, led by senior guard Jamie Weisner, who had 16 points.
And she wasn’t even the most impressive player. That title belonged to junior guard Sydney Wiese, who scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out eight assists. Colorado, as a team, only had nine assists.
Oregon State had 21 total assists and they made 29 shots. That’s impressive teamwork at any level.
Colorado will look to bounce back as they continue their road trip this weekend. The team will travel to face the Oregon Ducks Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
