Thursday, December 21
Boulder, Colo.
7:00 PM
Colorado
9-2
106
vs
47
Westminster (Mo.)
0-0
1
2
3
4
F
Westminster (Mo.)
6
9
10
22
47
Colorado
34
30
13
29
106
Sara Castro
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Buffs Roll Past Westminster To Wrap Up Non-Conference Play
December 21, 2017 | Women's Basketball
BOULDER – Colorado's women's basketball team wrapped up non-conference play on Thursday night with a 106-47 win over Westminster (Mo.). The Buffs improved to 9-2 this season. The game was an exhibition for Westminster.
STAT LEADERS: Three newcomers scored in double figures, led by freshmen Sara Castro and Mya Hollingshed. Castro had a team-high 18 points, burying all four 3-point attempts, and adding six rebounds and four steals. Hollingshed had 17 points and eight rebounds. Junior college transfer Janea Bunn also scored 17 points and had a game-high nine rebounds. She shot 8-of-13 in the game. Alexis Robinson had 11 points and hit three 3-pointers and Brecca Thomas scored 10. Kennedy Leonard had nine points and a game-high six assists.
Payton Beeler led the Blue Jays with 19 points off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED: It was all Buffs from the opening tip as they had their highest-scoring first quarter ever, leading 34-6 at the first break behind 63.6 percent shooting. CU scored 20 points off a school-record 12 turnovers after forcing 10 steals.
CU scored the first 18 points of the game, shooting 8-of-13 in the first five minutes of the game as Bunn had an early six points and Robinson had five. The Buffs led 30-2 after two free throws by Castro at the 2:06 mark.
CU carried the momentum into halftime, leading by 49 at 64-15, tying the largest halftime lead in school history. Castro led all scorers with 13 points at the break after hitting all three of her 3-point attempts.
The Buffs cooled in the third quarter, but extended their lead to 77-25 at the quarter break.
Both teams got going in the fourth quarter offensively with CU outscoring the Blue Jays 29-22. The Buffs shot 60 percent and WC shot 50 percent in the period. CU led by as many as 64 points in the fourth quarter.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado outrebounded Westminster 56-35 and outshot the Blue Jays 47.7 percent to 28.1 percent. The Buffs also hit a season-high 11 3-pointers. CU committed a season-low 11 turnovers, just one game after having 22 at Air Force, while forcing 28 against Westminster.
NOTES/RECORDS: CU's 64-15 halftime lead was tied for the largest halftime lead (+49 vs. Northern Arizona, 1/21/80) and the third-most points scored in the first half in school history ... CU's 34 points in the first quarter were the most ever in the first quarter for the Buffs ... the 12 turnovers by WC in the first quarter were the most ever forced in a quarter by CU ... it was the 29th time in CU history scoring over 100 points ... Castro (18) and Hollingshed (17) each totaled their career high in scoring ... head coach JR Payne has a 19-3 (.864) record in regular-season non-conference games, the best winning percentage for a CU coach through two seasons of regular-season non-conference games ... it was the third opponent CU has held under 50 points this season and the second game scoring over 100.
UP NEXT: Colorado opens Pac-12 play next Friday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. against Arizona State. The Sun Devils are 9-3 heading into the game.
POSTGAME QUOTES:
JR Payne, head coach
General
"I'm really proud of the way we played tonight. We've been talking for a few days, the goal of the last preseason game is to figure out, who are we? Where are we? What have we accomplished in the last three months? How have we grown? And what do we expect moving forward? I think we saw a lot of really great things tonight. As a coach, you always see the things you could have done better, but it was a fantastic effort tonight. I'm really proud of [Sara Castro and Mya Hollingshed] coming off the bench and exploding in the way they did. They provided a great scoring boost and contributed on the glass. They showed real glimpses of what they were capable of."
On biggest take away from tonight's game
"For one thing, I realized in the second half that we need to stick to who we are. We tried to slow down a little bit and that's just not who we are. From day one we've preached being aggressive in everything that we do, and when we weren't as aggressive, we weren't as effective. We saw that we can shoot the ball well tonight. We executed and did some things well in the half court. There's a lot that we can take from this game."
On tonight being the last game before Pac-12 play
"The preseason is truly just to prepare you for conference, so I don't know that you're ever really ready for Pac-12 play. It's the best conference in the country and every single night you're going to face a tough opponent. That's why we play teams from the ACC, play teams on the road, play athletic teams, big teams, really disciplined teams. We've tried to create a schedule that would hopefully prepare us for Pac-12 play. We've done a lot of really good things. There are areas where we can improve, but we're excited and ready to see where we are when we step into conference play."
On how much time she will give the team off for the holidays
"From this moment, we have five days before we take the court again. They're all going home, they'll get to rest and recover, and be with their families. Coaches go recruiting for a little bit then spend some time with our families. Then we'll come back really excited to start again."
On whether the team will be at full health for the Pac-12 opener
"Yes. As soon as we're back, we should have everybody ready to contribute. People are progressing the way they want to and need to."
Mya Hollingshed
On finishing the semester with a win
"It was a great way to finish the semester. Coming here for school and being here this summer, we had the time of our lives. The way we ended tonight was a nice way to go home for the holidays. "
On the direction the team is headed
"We have a good head start right now. We've just got to keep going. We just have to play our brand. "
On the last game before the holidays
"It was really fun, there was a lot of energy. Everyone's families are coming out. We've been hyping that up for a few weeks."
Sara Castro
On finishing the semester with a win
"I'm pretty excited because most of my family is here, it's been four months since I've seen them. I'm really excited to have fun with them and come back stronger."
On seeing her mother before the game
"I did see my mother before the game. I was extra motivated. When I saw them in the crowd I tried 100 percent harder than I usually do."
STAT LEADERS: Three newcomers scored in double figures, led by freshmen Sara Castro and Mya Hollingshed. Castro had a team-high 18 points, burying all four 3-point attempts, and adding six rebounds and four steals. Hollingshed had 17 points and eight rebounds. Junior college transfer Janea Bunn also scored 17 points and had a game-high nine rebounds. She shot 8-of-13 in the game. Alexis Robinson had 11 points and hit three 3-pointers and Brecca Thomas scored 10. Kennedy Leonard had nine points and a game-high six assists.
Payton Beeler led the Blue Jays with 19 points off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED: It was all Buffs from the opening tip as they had their highest-scoring first quarter ever, leading 34-6 at the first break behind 63.6 percent shooting. CU scored 20 points off a school-record 12 turnovers after forcing 10 steals.
CU scored the first 18 points of the game, shooting 8-of-13 in the first five minutes of the game as Bunn had an early six points and Robinson had five. The Buffs led 30-2 after two free throws by Castro at the 2:06 mark.
CU carried the momentum into halftime, leading by 49 at 64-15, tying the largest halftime lead in school history. Castro led all scorers with 13 points at the break after hitting all three of her 3-point attempts.
The Buffs cooled in the third quarter, but extended their lead to 77-25 at the quarter break.
Both teams got going in the fourth quarter offensively with CU outscoring the Blue Jays 29-22. The Buffs shot 60 percent and WC shot 50 percent in the period. CU led by as many as 64 points in the fourth quarter.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado outrebounded Westminster 56-35 and outshot the Blue Jays 47.7 percent to 28.1 percent. The Buffs also hit a season-high 11 3-pointers. CU committed a season-low 11 turnovers, just one game after having 22 at Air Force, while forcing 28 against Westminster.
NOTES/RECORDS: CU's 64-15 halftime lead was tied for the largest halftime lead (+49 vs. Northern Arizona, 1/21/80) and the third-most points scored in the first half in school history ... CU's 34 points in the first quarter were the most ever in the first quarter for the Buffs ... the 12 turnovers by WC in the first quarter were the most ever forced in a quarter by CU ... it was the 29th time in CU history scoring over 100 points ... Castro (18) and Hollingshed (17) each totaled their career high in scoring ... head coach JR Payne has a 19-3 (.864) record in regular-season non-conference games, the best winning percentage for a CU coach through two seasons of regular-season non-conference games ... it was the third opponent CU has held under 50 points this season and the second game scoring over 100.
UP NEXT: Colorado opens Pac-12 play next Friday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. against Arizona State. The Sun Devils are 9-3 heading into the game.
POSTGAME QUOTES:
JR Payne, head coach
General
"I'm really proud of the way we played tonight. We've been talking for a few days, the goal of the last preseason game is to figure out, who are we? Where are we? What have we accomplished in the last three months? How have we grown? And what do we expect moving forward? I think we saw a lot of really great things tonight. As a coach, you always see the things you could have done better, but it was a fantastic effort tonight. I'm really proud of [Sara Castro and Mya Hollingshed] coming off the bench and exploding in the way they did. They provided a great scoring boost and contributed on the glass. They showed real glimpses of what they were capable of."
On biggest take away from tonight's game
"For one thing, I realized in the second half that we need to stick to who we are. We tried to slow down a little bit and that's just not who we are. From day one we've preached being aggressive in everything that we do, and when we weren't as aggressive, we weren't as effective. We saw that we can shoot the ball well tonight. We executed and did some things well in the half court. There's a lot that we can take from this game."
On tonight being the last game before Pac-12 play
"The preseason is truly just to prepare you for conference, so I don't know that you're ever really ready for Pac-12 play. It's the best conference in the country and every single night you're going to face a tough opponent. That's why we play teams from the ACC, play teams on the road, play athletic teams, big teams, really disciplined teams. We've tried to create a schedule that would hopefully prepare us for Pac-12 play. We've done a lot of really good things. There are areas where we can improve, but we're excited and ready to see where we are when we step into conference play."
On how much time she will give the team off for the holidays
"From this moment, we have five days before we take the court again. They're all going home, they'll get to rest and recover, and be with their families. Coaches go recruiting for a little bit then spend some time with our families. Then we'll come back really excited to start again."
On whether the team will be at full health for the Pac-12 opener
"Yes. As soon as we're back, we should have everybody ready to contribute. People are progressing the way they want to and need to."
Mya Hollingshed
On finishing the semester with a win
"It was a great way to finish the semester. Coming here for school and being here this summer, we had the time of our lives. The way we ended tonight was a nice way to go home for the holidays. "
On the direction the team is headed
"We have a good head start right now. We've just got to keep going. We just have to play our brand. "
On the last game before the holidays
"It was really fun, there was a lot of energy. Everyone's families are coming out. We've been hyping that up for a few weeks."
Sara Castro
On finishing the semester with a win
"I'm pretty excited because most of my family is here, it's been four months since I've seen them. I'm really excited to have fun with them and come back stronger."
On seeing her mother before the game
"I did see my mother before the game. I was extra motivated. When I saw them in the crowd I tried 100 percent harder than I usually do."
Team Stats
WCWB1718
COLO
FG%
.281
.477
3FG%
.185
.379
FT%
.667
.917
RB
35
56
TO
28
11
STL
6
18
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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