The University of Colorado Boulder women’s basketball team’s Frida Formann dribbling past their opponent during their match against Southern University at CU Event Center on Sunday Nov. 18, 2024. (Scott Tan/CU Independent)
The University of Colorado Buffs returned home Sunday and defeated Southern 65-45, with the big story of the game being the return of Frida Formann in her first game back following a foot injury. Formann, who leads CU in career 3-pointers, had nine points in her season debut, with two made threes. Johanna Teder led the Buffs with 11 points and Kindyll Wetta had five assists.
Colorado had a strong offensive night, with 37 of their points coming from the bench.
“I think we have a lot of different players that are confident to be able to step up, so 37 points off the bench is huge,” said head coach JR Payne. CU Boulder had three players in double digits, including freshmen Tabitha Betson and Lior Garzon.
Betson got the Buffs rolling after a rocky start, with the first points for Colorado coming three minutes into the game. After that, though, they settled into what would prove to be a strong shooting night, with four threes by four players in the first quarter. Two quick threes by Betson and Nyamer Diew forced a Southern timeout and extended their lead 10-2. Formann, who, rather fittingly, wears the number three, drained her first shot attempt of the season from the arc, energizing her team and the crowd.
“Whenever that ball hit my hand, that’s my job to shoot it, so just glad I could do it,” she said.
The Buffs finished the first quarter with a 16-11 lead over the Jaguars.
Colorado showcased their defensive intensity in the second quarter, holding Southern to six points as CU forced shot clock violations and posted three steals. They stayed strong with lots of movement on offense and continued to shoot well from the three. Two layups by Wetta in the final minute of the half pushed the Buffs to a 31-17 lead heading into the half.
The third quarter was slow for Colorado, as Southern outscored them 21-18. There was less offensive movement, and the Jaguars had three 3-pointers in the quarter and went on a 10-0 run with four minutes left in the 3rd.
The fourth quarter started as a continuation of the third, with Southern cutting the lead 43-49 following a 17-3 run. However, the Buffs, led by their veterans, put together a 16-0 run to end the game 65-45.
Colorado’s offensive movement and defensive intensity were the main factors in their success. They had 20 assists and forced 18 turnovers.
“We’ve always said we’re gonna defend no matter what,” Payne said, speaking to CU’s defensive mindset. “We finished in the top two or three in the Pac-12 every year, for the last many years, defensively.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Lila Nuttle at lila.nuttle@colorado.edu.
