No. 5 Colorado needs comeback to escape Tucson with 75-74 win over Arizona

Buffs get their first win at Arizona since 2015 on Friday night

Jaylyn Sherrod finished with 18 points to lead 5th-ranked Colorado past Arizona by a score of 75-74 on the road.

The reigning National Player of the Week scored a go-ahead three-point play with 1:50 left for the Buffs victory late Friday night. A monumental point in the game with a shorthanded Arizona team up by eight early in the fourth quarter. Colorado rallied with great defense and consistency down the stretch for the program's first win in the desert in eight years.

Colorado head coach JR Payne noticed a tale of two halves with her team finding a groove in the final period.

“Our passes were kind of soft, and of course they thrive on forcing turnovers, and we were just playing too soft in the first half,” Payne said. “I think the limited turnovers in the second half was us just being more aggressive offensively.”

Colorado led by two points at Halftime, but fell behind by allowing Arizona second-chance points. The Wildcats scored the final ten points in the third quarter with a 12-0 run going into the fourth before the Buffs responded. They staged a comeback with back-to-back field goals from Aaronette Vonleh, giving CU a 67-65 lead with 4:25 left. She finished with 11 points on the night.

The Buffs and Wildcats traded points before Sherrod took control of the game. However, Arizona ended with back-to-back failed possessions to try and pull ahead. Breya Cunningham missed a game-winning shot as time expired for the Cats.

UP NEXT:

Colorado (12-1) heads north to face Arizona State on Sunday. 

Arizona (9-5) stays home to face No. 15 Utah on Sunday.