The quarterfinal of the Pac-12 Tournament was one of Colorado’s most toughest defensive battles all season. Both teams put on a show for the crowd at Michelob Ultra Arena. It was a heart stopping showdown in Las Vegas that went down to the very last seconds of the game.
It was a slow start for the Buffs again but the defense came to play as they always do. They found themselves down early until a three-pointer from Frida Formann got them down to one. Colorado was just pummeled in the first quarter.
Mya Hollingshed fixed that with a lead at the start of the second to get them up by one. Freshman Jaylyn Sherrod sparked a comeback for the Buffs in the 2nd. Colorado once down 19-11 went on a run to take it to 19-17 quickly. A couple of free throws by Lesila Finau tied the game at 22, but the Arizona Wildcats led at the half 24-22.
Head coach JR Payne said it’s all about intensity and playing together. They’d definitely need to continue to rebound and continue to get open. She sent a lovely shoutout to injured player Tameiya Sadler who is still in the hospital under observation after a hard fall against Washington yesterday.
During the third quarter Mya Hollingshed struck gold from downtown to take a 30-24 lead. It became a back and forth battle in the fourth. Shaina Pellington shot a three-pointer followed by a three from Jaylyn Sherrod. Arizona got two straight steals which both led to points, and went on a 6-0 run against the Buffs. Frida Formann got the lead back with a shot under the bucket.
The defense came up with a big stop with 4 seconds left and a JR Payne time out. With 4 seconds to go and the ball with Colorado it seemed like a sure victory until the Buffs turned the ball over to the Wildcats. With 2 seconds left Shaina Pellington missed and Colorado held on for the win to get the semifinals with a 45-43 victory, and their 22nd of the season.
.Mya Hollingshed was Colorado’s leading scorer with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Kindyll Wetta with 3 points and 3 rebounds was the player of the game to me. Her defense is unmatched and she came up with steal after steal for the Buffs. Frida Formann and Jaylyn Sherrod both came up with huge plays each tallying for 8 points a piece.
Colorado moves on to the semifinals to play either Stanford or Oregon State on Friday. Should they meet again with Stanford they will have to clean up the insufficient offense output and the defense will have to step up even more. Free-throw percentage has to improve. But this is Las Vegas and we know it’s all about luck there. Will three be the Buffs lucky number? This win goes out to Tameiya Sadler. We love you, we are pulling and praying for you. Basketball nation can’t wait to see you back out on the court.