Senior Kennedy Leonard attempts to score a basket. Dec 6, 2018. (Vyla Carter/ CU Independent File)
The University of Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team, continuing a hot start to the season, hosted and cruised past the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 79-38, Wednesday night in Boulder.
CU now sits at 9-1, remaining undefeated at home.
As students on campus prepare for finals week, the game was all but final itself by halftime, when the Buffs held a 40-12 lead. Colorado dominated in all facets of the game to say the least.
“When I went in at halftime, I said ‘tonight’s the night we’re going to play two halves of good basketball,'” said head coach JR Payne. “We’ve had some really great first halves, some so-so second halves, and I thought tonight we did a good job … everyone came in and played at a pretty high level.”
Although it was a blowout, the Buffs didn’t get off to a very fast start, shooting 0-of-5 from the field. The Panthers began the game with an early 5-2 lead before senior guard Alexis Robinson caught fire for the Buffs. She hit two three-pointers in a span of two minutes, just what the team needed to get going.
“[My teammates] tell me to shoot and I shoot it,” said Robinson. “So it’s all them.”
It was quite fitting that Robinson sparked the Buffs’ offense. On a night where she was honored for scoring her 1,000 point, it was a special game for her.
“It’s pretty cool to be in the record books and just be remembered, so I’m pretty blessed,” she said.
Senior guard Kennedy Leonard closed out the first quarter with a three-pointer of her own and the Buffs enjoyed a 19-8 lead.
It wasn’t until the second quarter when the real entourage of Buffs baskets began. They began the quarter on a dominant 11-0 run, highlighted by some strong transition basketball.
The scoring trend continued for many Buffaloes. Finishing the half ahead 40-12 took a combined effort and the Buffs did it with ease, holding the Panthers to just four points in the second quarter.
Strong defense leads to strong offense, and the Buffs followed that script perfectly. CU scored a whopping 29 points off Panther turnovers.
“It was a great feeling, we were playing really well,” said Robinson. “We were playing on both ends and that was just pretty awesome, we haven’t done that in a while.”
As for the second half, the game slowed down considerably. Prairie View more than doubled its first half offense, scoring 26 against the Buffs’ defense. Fortunately for the Buffaloes, their offense continued to dominate, leading to a 79-38 victory when all was said and done.
A total of four Buffs eclipsed double-digit points, with Robinson leading the way at 13. Also contributing to the cause was Leonard (10), Sophomore guard/forward Mya Hollingshed (11), and freshman guard Cameron Swartz.
“It was fun,” said Swartz. “We’re really close and to see us develop over practice and just come out and show what we can do on the court … it was really awesome to see.”
Hollingshed continues to shine in 2018-19. She grabbed 11 rebounds and her third straight double-double.
Her command on the boards will certainly give the Buffs a huge advantage as they move forward. Making sure the ball gets back to the Buffs’ powerful offense is how they’re going to win games, and this team is more than capable.
CU will conclude their non-conference schedule at home next Thursday against the Samford Bulldogs, with tipoff at 7 p.m. MST.
Contact CU Independent Sports Staff Writer Jack Carlough at jack.carlough@colorado.edu.
