In a season outlined by slender highway losses, the Colorado Buffaloes lastly broke by means of on Thursday evening. Counting on a stifling protection and a dominant efficiency on the glass, the Buffaloes secured a 56-47 victory over Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum, marking their first true highway win of the season.
The victory was a milestone for this system, snapping an eight-game convention highway dropping streak. Colorado (14-7, 5-4 Large 12) utilized a late-game surge to tug away, outscoring the Wildcats 18-6 over the ultimate seven minutes of play.
Walker Leads the Method in Homecoming Efficiency
The story of the evening centered on Zyanna Walker. Returning to Manhattan to face her former crew, Walker delivered a standout efficiency, recording her second profession double-double. She completed the evening with 13 factors and a career-high 10 rebounds, whereas additionally disrupting the Kansas State offense with 4 steals.
Head coach JR Payne praised Walker’s resilience after the sport, noting the guard’s laborious work to return from a fall damage. Payne highlighted that whereas Walker has deep ties to the Kansas State program, her focus remained on executing the sport plan and securing the win in entrance of family and friends.
Balanced Scoring and Gritty Protection
Colorado’s victory was constructed on collective effort fairly than particular person heroics. Whereas Walker and Jade Masogayo each tallied 13 factors, the bench offered vital help. Logyn Greer and Desiree Wooten every chipped in 11 factors, with Greer scoring seven of hers throughout a pivotal fourth-quarter stretch.
The Buffaloes dominated the bodily points of the sport, out-rebounding the Wildcats 41-33. Extra importantly, Colorado’s 16 offensive rebounds led to fifteen second-chance factors, offering the cushion wanted in a low-scoring affair. Defensively, they held Kansas State to simply 32.7% capturing from the sector.
Closing Out the Fourth Quarter
Late-game execution has been a hurdle for Colorado this month, with shut losses at Baylor and Oklahoma State stemming from fourth-quarter scoring droughts. On Thursday, the script was completely different.
After Kansas State took a 41-38 lead halfway by means of the ultimate interval, Colorado responded with poise. A layup by Wooten and a vital second-chance bucket by Greer regained the lead. With the sport tied at 42-42, Walker sank a clutch three-pointer that ignited a 7-0 run. Greer added a dagger from past the arc with simply over a minute remaining to seal the consequence.
“I believed our execution was actually good,” Payne stated. “We’ve got a really unselfish group. We don’t essentially have one participant scoring 20 each evening, however we’ve got a number of gamers reaching double digits. We shared the ball and scored in a wide range of methods when it mattered most.”
Wanting Forward
With their highway winless streak now a factor of the previous, the Buffaloes look to construct momentum as they proceed their highway journey. The crew will journey to face Kansas on Sunday, with tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m. MT.
