No. 8 Colorado struggles early before second half takeover in 78-56 win over UNC

Buffs come away with another win to end non-conference play

Jaylyn Sherrod had 16 points and Aaronette Vonleh added 14 as the No. 8 Colorado women beat Northern Colorado 78-56 on Thursday.

A rough early going for the Lady Buffs, falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter. The Buffaloes (10-1) had to get it together with their first game in 16 days. They missed several shots to start before pushing ahead in the second half.

Northern Colorado came out firing from deep on nearly every possession down the floor. It was almost the middle of the second quarter before Buffs standout Frida Formann got into the mix. In the second half, Colorado’s size became noticeable which led to more points in the paint. 

Vonleh was able to maintain inside position throughout the second half, even though it wasn’t completely represented in the box score. Quay Miller was able to extend multiple possessions with key offensive rebounds. In the second half, the majority of the pressure and stops came from the frontcourt, which wasn’t there prior to halftime.

In the fourth quarter specifically, it almost became the Aaronette Vonleh show. Despite the low statistical output, Charlotte Whittaker was disruptive defensively and created additional possessions in the second half that otherwise would not have been there. It was an uncharacteristic game for some of the CU Guards, but not Sherrod.

As has been the case for most of the games in this 2023-24 campaign, Sherrod is the heart of this CU team. Her constant energy and aggressive play single handedly kept Colorado in this game. At the conclusion of this game, the Lady Buffs finished with five players in double-figures. They shot 33-of-64 (51.6%) from the field with 7-of-21 beyond the arc.

“You don’t want it to start that way," Colorado’s JR Payne said. “But I knew that we would weather the storm and get ourselves together, stay together, and find a way back.”

UNC’s Delaynie Byrne led all scorers with 21 points. She was joined by Seneca Hackley who had 15, as the only Bears players in double-figures. Northern Colorado (4-5) finished with 28 turnovers on the day. The Buffaloes have won all ten of their games this season by a double-digit margin.

Colorado’s last home game before nine days off. The next game is December 30th with Washington coming to Boulder. It begins a key stretch for the Buffs with No. 11 Utah at home. Then Arizona and Arizona St on the road. Followed by a four-game homestand including California, #9 Stanford, #2 UCLA, #6 USC, respectively.