CU players help their teammate up after a foul during the game against Baylor on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
In a battle against No. 19 Baylor University on Wednesday, Feb. 19, the University of Colorado Boulder women’s basketball team made critical errors that led to a disappointing loss, leaving the Buffs 17-9 in the 2025 season.
The Colorado women entered the game at a stark disadvantage after four of their key starters were sidelined due to injuries, leaving underclassmen with the task of picking up the pieces ahead of their matchup versus the Bears.
CU makes a successful shot during the game against Baylor on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
“I’m not going to make any excuses, but the reality is we’re missing a lot of players from our rotation,” head coach JR Payne said. “Baylor is a really good team. At full strength when you’re in Boulder, I think it might have been a different outcome, but that’s not the cards we’ve been dealt.”
CU players huddle during the game against Baylor on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
Star players Frida Formann, Lior Garzon, Sara-Rose Smith and Kindyll Wetta were all sidelined despite accounting for the majority of the Buff’s success this season. In their place, the rotation for the Colorado team was: Nyamer Diew, Grace Oliver, Jade Masogayo, Johanna Teder, Kennedy Sanders, Erin Powell, Tabitha Betson and Ayianna Johnson. All fought to try and stop the Baylor powerhouse from securing another win.
Guard Kennedy Sanders makes a free throw during the game against Baylor on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
However, after a decisive first half, the Baylor Bears left the Event Center with their seventh straight win. The Baylor women scored an impressive 14 3-pointers and had a free throw percentage of 76.2% with a total of 39 rebounds and 12 steals. Colorado had a total of three 3-pointers and a FT percentage of 61.9 with 20 turnovers and 20 personal fouls that proved to be detrimental to their success.
Forward Jade Masogayo goes up for a shot during the game against Baylor on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
Masogayo led the team in the first quarter with an impressive effort versus Baylor’s Aaronette Vonleh, however the quarter ended with a score of 22-14, Baylor winning. The gap grew from there with the advantage leaning towards Baylor. The teams went into halftime with a Colorado deficit of 47-24.
Despite efforts to recover in the second half of the game, another disappointing quarter left Baylor with double the amount of points as Colorado at a box score of 76-38. The frustration seemed to be boiling over for the Buffs.
Guard Kennedy Sanders goes for a lay up during the game against Baylor on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
In the final quarter, Betson, Powell, Sanders and Diew turned up the heat and began closing the score gap, the intensity picking up for the Buffs with players fighting for possessions and giving their all to comeback. However, the Colorado players were unsuccessful in stopping the Bears from their dominant presence on the court, ending the game with a decisive 84-62 blowout loss.
Forward Tabitha Betson goes up for a shot during the game against Baylor on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
“If we lock in and play our game we can beat really good teams… whoever we have in our roster [we] just play our hearts out,” Colorado guard Johanna Teder said. “It’s never over and if you have some healthy bodies and somebody steps up… you never know.”
The Colorado women faced off against No. 24 Oklahoma State on Saturday, Feb. 22. They lost 82-65.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Julie Torten Rabinowitz at Julie.TortenRabinowitz@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Photographer Tyler Phillips at Tyler.Phillips@colorado.edu.
