Fast break
Why the Buffs lost: UCLA controlled the paint, outscoring the Buffs 36-22 and outrebounding them 44-27. The Bruins also took advantage of late CU foul trouble.
Three stars:
1. UCLA’s Lauren Betts: Despite some unusual shooting struggles early, the 6-foot-7 center had 20 points and 13 rebounds.
2. CU’s Jaylyn Sherrod: Posted 17 points and two assists to lead a balanced attack by the Buffs.
3. UCLA’s Charisma Osborne: Scored a game-high 22 points and had four steals.
Up next: The Buffs conclude their four-game homestand against No. 6 USC on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the CU Events Center.
Colorado got the type of crowd it has dreamed of drawing on Friday night.
A program record for attendance wasn’t enough to fuel the Buffaloes to a victory, however.
Foul trouble hit the third-ranked Buffs in the fourth quarter and they were dominated on the boards as No. 5 UCLA used a late run to pull off a 76-68 victory in front of 11,338 fans at the CU Events Center.
“How about 11,000 people showing up for these guys?” CU head coach JR Payne said. “Obviously really proud of a lot of things we did, but very, very disappointed and frustrated with our rebounding because I do think that determined the outcome of the game.
“Two heavyweights. Two of the best teams in the country. First top-five matchup. I thought we competed on every single possession, but I think our offense got stagnant, which we haven’t seen really at all this year. And then the defensive rebounding just absolutely crushed us. But (the Bruins) are a great team, very well coached.”
In the first top-five battle in CU basketball history, men or women, the Buffs had their first sold-out crowd since March 17, 1995. It was the fifth sellout in CU women’s history but the first in a regular season game. The previous four were in NCAA Tournament games.
“To have 11,000 people here is remarkable,” Payne said.
Jaylyn Sherrod had 17 points to lead CU (15-2, 5-1 Pac-12) and Frida Formann added 16, while Charisma Osborne had 22 to lead the Bruins (15-1, 4-1). Lauren Betts, from Grandview High School in Aurora, added 20 points and 13 rebounds for UCLA in her homecoming.
There were 20 lead changes throughout the night and CU pulled within 63-62 on a pair of Quay Miller free throws with 4 minutes, 18 seconds to play. The Bruins, however, answered with a 13-3 run, with Betts scoring five straight points in that run.
The Buffs dealt with foul trouble in the fourth, playing the final 7 minutes with three players, including Sherrod, having four fouls and three others with three. UCLA took advantage and buried the Buffs late.
“Yeah, it’s in the back of your mind,” said Sherrod, who got her fourth foul with 9:17 to go, “but at the end of the day, it just goes back to playing smart. I think me and Kindyll (Wetta) were in foul trouble, but we kind of just tried to play as smart as possible, knowing that our team needed us to be on the floor. But at the end of the day, to coach J’s point, we just got to be better in other areas and I think it’ll be fine.”
UCLA never led by more than three points until its late run and led by as many as 11.
One of the best rebounding teams in the country, UCLA outrebounded the Buffs 44-27, including 18 offensive rebounds. The Bruins also went 8-for-10 from the floor in the fourth and scored on a put-back after one of those misses.
CU was just 6-of-14 in the fourth quarter and managed only six offensive boards on the night.
Despite having their nine-game winning streak snapped, the Buffs remain atop the Pac-12 standings and gave the sold-out crowd a show with another elite team, No. 6 USC, coming to town Sunday.
“In the huddle with the guards before the game, I said, ‘Let’s give all these people a reason to keep coming back,’” Sherrod said. “Even though we didn’t come up with the win, I think at the end of the day, we’re gonna be better from this. I think there’s a lot of things to learn from this, and I know this left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth. We honestly play better when there’s a bad taste in our mouth.”
No. 5 UCLA 76, No. 3 Colorado 68
UCLA (15-1, 4-1 Pac-12)
Rice 4-11 3-3 12, Jones 1-7 0-0 3, Osborne 6-12 9-12 22, Dugalic 3-12 4-4 11, Betts 8-16 4-7 20, Sontag 1-1 0-0 2, Iwuala 0-0 0-0 0, Jaquez 1-2 4-4 6, Brown 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-61 24-30 76.
COLORADO (15-2, 5-1 Pac-12)
Sherrod 5-16 6-9 17, Formann 4-9 5-5 16, Miller 3-6 4-4 10, Vonleh 5-7 0-0 10, Nolan 0-2 0-0 0, Sadler 2-7 2-4 7, Wetta 2-4 0-0 4, McLeod 0-0 1-2 1, Whittaker 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 22-52 18-24 68.
UCLA 15 17 17 27 – 76
Colorado 19 16 13 20 – 68
3-point goals – UCLA 4-16 (Jones 1-6, Dugalic 1-4, Rice 1-3, Osborne 1-3), Colorado 6-20 (Formann 3-7, Sherrod 1-6, Sadler 1-2, Whittaker 1-1, Miller 0-2, Nolan 0-1, Wetta 0-1). Rebounds – UCLA 44 (Dugalic, Betts 13), Colorado 27 (Vonleh 7). Assists – UCLA 5 (Rice, Osborne 2), Colorado 14 (Wetta 5). Steals – UCLA 5 (Osborne 4), Colorado 4 (Wetta 2). Turnovers – UCLA 14, Colorado 16. Total fouls – UCLA 19, Colorado 27. Fouled out – Sontag, Miller. Attendance – 11,338.
