Colorado Off To Strong Start Under Payne, Behind Leonard

Friday, November 11

Greeley, Colo.

7:00 PM

Colorado

1-0, 0-0

Northern Colorado

0-1, 0-0

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Colorado	30	19	13	21	83
Northern Colorado	14	14	22	12	62

makenzie ellis vs. northern colorado 2016

Makenzie Ellis finished with five points and five rebounds.

Photo by: Robert Trubia/Northern Colorado Athletics

Colorado Off To Strong Start Under Payne, Behind Leonard

November 11, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Jordyn Siemens, Student Assistant

GREELEY, Colo. - Colorado women's basketball debuted the JR Payne era in fast-paced fashion against the Northern Colorado Bears, taking their first win of the season in Greeley 83-62. Sophomore point guard Kennedy Leonard led the charge with a new career-high 26 points, with Colorado shooting 51 percent on the night.

The Buffs jumped ahead to a 9-0 lead before UNC could find the basket, and never let go of their lead. The Bears fought back with an aggressive collapse defense and backcourt traps, but for Coach Payne, Leonard's decisive style at point guard took care of those struggles.

"[Leonard] is aggressive, she's experienced, she's smart," Payne said. "So with her we didn't have to do much adjustment-wise other than getting her the basketball to make the right decision."

When shooting ailed in the second quarter, Leonard maintained Colorado's lead before the half, scoring 15 of the Buffs' 19 points.

"It was a fun game," Leonard said. "It was probably the first fun basketball game I had in a year and I know a lot of other people are feeling good too."

Under Leonard's leadership, Colorado freshmen Eleanor Jones, and Quinessa Caylao-Do logged minutes in the season opener. Jones grabbed two rebounds and a basket in her Buffs debut, while Caylao-Do ran the point in the final minutes against the Bears. Redshirt freshman Monica Burich and sophomore transfer Ariana Freeman showed signs of future glory against UNC as well. Burich had seven rebounds, eight points and a steal, while Freeman put up six points and four rebounds.

"Ariana was aggressive offensively and she holds a little spark," Payne said of Freeman. "She's going to be an important part of nearly everything we're doing since she's aggressive and can finish toward the basket."

Freeman's aggression made a difference, but wasn't unique among a team of players that according to Payne, lack size. Overall, the Buffs out-rebounded the Bears 45 to 33. Senior Haley Smith tied Burich for the lead in that category with 7 of her own.

That fast start in the first quarter slowed down in the second and third, where ghosts of scoring droughts past haunted the Buffs. UNC inched back into the game with a 12-6 scoring run for UNC in the first half of the second quarter, and forced eight Colorado turnovers during a 20-9 run the third quarter. Colorado battled its way through the fourth quarter to secure the win.

Colorado's offense is "strongest on the perimeter" according to Payne, but when Colorado shoots like it did against the Bears, she'd like to see more points in the paint out of her squad.

"We want to be able to attack in collapse defenses. We need to be more aggressive in the half court."

And that plan works for Leonard, as long as Colorado's guards stay out of foul trouble.

"I was trying to distribute more on the outside and shoot more on the outside because three more more fouls can put you on the bench for the rest of the half," she said. "It comes down to composure under pressure with that."

In addition to Leonard's big night, fellow sophomore guard Alexis Robinson scored 17 points and senior Haley Smith added 10 points and seven rebounds. Leonard added a game-high nine assists and Zoe Correal led all players with eight rebounds.

The win snapped a 14-game road losing streak for the Buffs.

Colorado will play again on Sunday in their home opener against Air Force. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. MST at the Coors Events Center.