Colorado Lady Buffaloes open season strong with upset over defending champion LSU

JR Payne and her team shocked the world on Monday night

The wait is over and college basketball is back. After a season that saw historic numbers across the board, women’s college basketball stood tall with Iowa's Caitlin Clark and LSU's Angel Reese becoming rivals for top player honors. The two are also Colorado's past two opponents. 

CU's women lost a Sweet 16 matchup to Clark and the Hawkeyes last March. It wasn't the way JR Payne wanted the storied season to end, but it built momentum for Monday night's upset of the defending national champion LSU Tigers. 

Colorado ventured down into Las Vegas to take on junior forward Angel Reese and kept her at bay for most of the game. In the early going, it was a game of tug and war between two formidable opponents. Neither team allowed the other to catch steam as they traded baskets in the first quarter. LSU led by two after one hellacious quarter. 

Colorado began to assert their offensive dominance, going on a 14-0 run following an injury to senior Jaylyn Sherrod. She returned to the floor a new person and began to take control of the offense scoring 12 of her 19 points in the second quarter. Sherrod would finish with 19 points, six assists, eight rebounds, and three steals.

The second half saw more of the same as the Lady Buff’s continued with their impressive scoring spree. Senior guard Frida Formann led the team in scoring with 27 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the three-point line. Junior center Aaronette Vonleh chipped in with 24 points, six rebounds, and four assists. 

Colorado’s offense wasn’t the only thing that allowed the Buffs tosecure this victory. Their relentless pressure on Reese made it difficult for her to put her prints on this game. 'Bayou Barbie' finished with a double-double of  15 points and 12 rebounds.

The season may be early but this is the kind of game that can get the ball rolling. A win like this could be the foreshadowing of another monstrous season from Payne and the Lady Buffs.