Junior guard Maeve McErlane drives towards the hoop in the game against the University of Wyoming at the CU Events Center on December 7, 2025. (Peter FitzGerald/CU Independent)
It isn’t always exciting, and it doesn’t always have to be. The Colorado women’s basketball team (7-3) was still able to take care of business against the University of Wyoming Cowgirls (3-5), Sunday, Dec. 7, taking the win, 58-46.
“We knew it would be like a really tough, gritty game because every game with Wyoming is tough and gritty,” head coach JR Payne said. “So, no real surprise that we weren’t able to open it up further than we wanted to.”
It took nearly three minutes for Colorado to find their first points, missing each of their first four shots. The defense stepped up, forcing three turnovers in that stretch.
Junior Desiree Wooten provided a jolt off the bench, going coast-to-coast for a layup after a steal and draining a three to put the Buffs up 7-5 over halfway through the first quarter.
An ensuing 10-2 Cowgirls’ run helped them carry a 15-13 lead into the second quarter, the Cowgirls shooting 60% from behind the three-point line.
Colorado started slow, but once they started working inside the paint, the offense kicked into gear. Scoring six points in a two-minute span to go ahead 22-19.
A buzzer-beating three from freshman Logyn Greer helped cap off a 10-0 run spanning over five minutes and put the Buffs ahead by eleven as they took a 30-19 lead into half.
Junior guard Zyanna Walker dives to keep the ball in bounds in the game against the University of Wyoming at the CU Events Center on December 7, 2025. (Peter FitzGerald/CU Independent)
The defense was a big part of the run, holding the Cowgirls scoreless for over six minutes in the second quarter.
Colorado came out of the locker room and began pushing the pace and focusing on their transition offense, which translated to another 10-4 run in the first four and a half minutes, as the Buffs went ahead 40-23.
Wyoming found their three-point shot again, hitting back-to-back three-pointers in 30 seconds but the Buffs stayed ahead 45-32 at the end of the third frame.
Colorado was able to extend their lead up to 17, but a 6-0 run for Wyoming trimmed the lead down to 11 with six minutes left.
The Buffs took care of business the rest of the way, taking home the win 58-46.
Both Payne and Greer pointed to the first-half buzzer-beater as a big stepping stone, pushing their lead up to 19 during the third quarter.
“It was real big for sure,” Greer said. “I was just happy we just got a shot off.”
Junior guard Zyanna Walker drives for a layup in the game against the University of Wyoming at the CU Events Center on December 7, 2025. (Peter FitzGerald/CU Independent)
“I was very happy,” Payne said. “Because it opened [the offense] up just a little bit more and made [us] a little bit more comfortable.”
Notably, senior Jade Masagayo, who has been a big part of the offense, was absent from the lineup.
“If we could get her three more days, you know, of rest before putting, you know, miles back on that leg, we thought it would be a good thing,” Payne said.
Masagayo will likely be in the lineup ahead of the Buffs’ next match against the University of Miami (OH) Redhawks (7-3). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. MDT on Sunday, Dec. 14. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jake Chau at jake.chau@colorado.edu
