Buffs Beat

Colorado Buffaloes Storm Past Southeastern Louisiana, Advance In WBIT

Coach JR Payne and the Colorado Buffaloes women's college basketball team used size and strength to cruise by the Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions on Thursday night in the first round of the second-annual Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.

Harrison Simeon

Mar 7, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Jade Masogayo (14) holds the ball against the TCU Horned Frogs during the third quarter at T-Mobile Center.
Mar 7, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Jade Masogayo (14) holds the ball against the TCU Horned Frogs during the third quarter at T-Mobile Center. / Amy Kontras-Imagn Images
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The Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball team battled through its usual turnover woes to soundly defeat the Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions (26-6) in the first round of the Basketball Invitation Tournament on Thursday, 73-41.

Colorado (21-12) struggled with SLU's disruptive defense for several stretches, but that didn't stop its shots from falling (57 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3). The Buffs finished with the same number of missed field goals as turnovers (19) en route to a comfortable win over the Southland Conference's regular season champs.

Three of the Buffs' four quarters began with dominance on both ends, resulting in 12-2, 13-2, and 14-0 runs. The third period was the lone exception.

"So many different people hit great shots and big shots," coach JR Payne said of the efficiency. "That's actually what we said, probably all week, like if we just take care of the basketball, we'll be able to score."

The No. 1-seeded Buffaloes were guided by their experience, as fifth-year forward Lior Garzon scored a game-high 18 points, and junior forward Jade Masogayo relentlessly attacked the basket for 15. Senior guard Kindyll Wetta's activity put her on triple-double watch, with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists to just one turnover.

Kindyll Wetta
Mar 7, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Kindyll Wetta (15) handles the ball while defended by TCU Horned Frogs guard Donovyn Hunter (4) during the third quarter at T-Mobile Center. / Amy Kontras-Imagn Images

"We needed her to be good tonight because we knew we were going to play against a tremendous amount of pressure," Payne said of Wetta. "We needed to be poised and organized, and typically, that falls on your point guard ... She definitely delivered."

Freshman forward Grace Oliver continued to show sparkles of Colorado's future, providing 12 points and five rebounds.

SLU's offense was out of sync from the get-go, finishing just 16-for-60 (27 percent) and 3-for-21 (14 percent) from long distance. The Buffaloes packed the paint and effectively deflected passes despite just one steal. Fifth-year guard and Southland Player of the Year Alexius Horne led the Lady Lions with 14 points.

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"Southeastern Louisiana's such an athletic team that can really attack your feet, so maybe that's part of it," said Payne on the lack of steals. "We were kind of sagging a little bit more than usual and trying to close down penetration lanes, but fortunately, that didn't end up hurting us."

Size certainly mattered on Thursday night. Colorado's already superior muscle to SLU was aided by forward Nyamer Diew, who had missed the last three games with a concussion. The senior had two blocks to go along with six points and three rebounds against the undersized Lady Lions.

After a blazing 30-11 start, the Buffaloes had seven turnovers and seven fouls over a four-minute span that allowed SLU to scrounge together eight straight points and keep the contest within striking distance by halftime.

Lior Garzon
Iowa State Cyclones' guard Arianna Jackson (2) attempts to steal the ball from Colorado Buffaloes's forward Lior Garzon (12) during the first quarter in the Big-12 women’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a clunky start to the third, Colorado made five of its last six shots and started to pull away. That momentum carried into the closing frame, as the Buffs held SLU without a basket until after 21 unanswered points and coasted to victory.

Colorado improved to 15-2 in Boulder between the regular and postseason. Its home cooking is nothing new but continues to impress, as the Buffs hadn't strung together fifteen wins at the CU Events Center in a single season since 2002.

The Buffs took a major step Thursday in shaking off the mental toll caused by their narrow NCAA Tournament snub. They now advance to face the Gonzaga Bulldogs (22-10, 17-3 WCC) in technically their third straight "Sweet Sixteen" on Sunday. Tip-off against where Payne spent her first five years as a coach is set for 1 p.m. MT (ESPN+).

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Harrison Simeon
HARRISON SIMEON

Harrison Simeon is a beat writer for Colorado Buffaloes On SI. Formerly, he was a writer for Colorado Buffaloes Wire of the USA TODAY Sports network and freelance utility for FOX Sports, working at venues such as Empower Field at Mile High Stadium and Folsom Field. He is finishing his journalism degree at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he has passionately covered football, basketball, and other school programs through its student-run sports media organization, Sko Buffs Sports. As its Associate Producer, he has traveled to six states to cover events such as the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl, the 2024 Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament, and the 2025 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship. He also captained the organization’s exponential growth in membership and on social media, where his posts have been featured on ESPN and Bleacher Report. While with SI, he interns at the Boulder Daily Camera, one of Colorado’s most revered newspapers. He is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana.

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