Colorado Buffaloes redshirt junior guard, Zyanna Walker, playing against West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday, March 7, 2026 (Remi Krupinski/CU Independent).
March Sadness is back in season. The Colorado Buffaloes’ (22-11, 11-7 Big 12) postseason is momentarily paused, as they fell to the West Virginia Mountaineers (14-4, 26-6 Big 12) 48-47 in a wire-to-wire battle on Saturday.
It was a defensive matchup of two teams that stake their pride on that end of the court. The first half was the lowest-scoring half of a Big 12 semifinal game in history. With both teams shooting under 40% from the field, the defensive hustle made up for lack of offensive action.
As was the case throughout the tournament, foul trouble plagued the Buffs. Senior forward Jade Masogayo got called for two early and had to sit, preventing her from getting into a rhythm. And while the dynamic duo of redshirt junior guards Zyanna Walker and Desiree Wooten had 16 and 14 points respectively, it wasn’t enough to compensate for the lack of alternative scoring sources.
Colorado Buffaloes redshirt junior guard, Desiree Wooten, scores a reverse layup against West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday, March 7, 2026 (Remi Krupinski/CU Independent).
Colorado went over five minutes without scoring in the first quarter, as WVU got out to a five-point lead. Led by their star guard Jordan Harrison, West Virginia pushed the pace in transition, something that had hurt the Buffs in their last meeting.
However, whatever lid on the rim hindered the Buffs’ shooting also seemed to hit the Mountaineers. In the second quarter, they scored just four points while Colorado notched five, to tie it at 17 heading into the locker room.
“Press Virginia” put the pressure on the Buffs in the second half, and strung together some offensive production to build a 12-point lead. The Mountaineers’ press was lethal for Colorado. They used up most of the shot clock attempting to get it over half court and turned it over five times in the third quarter.
At the end of the third, though, Colorado finally found a groove. Masogayo got a couple physical buckets down low to fuel a 10-0 run that went into the fourth quarter.
Colorado Buffaloes senior forward, Jade Masogayo, attempts to score a layup against West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday, March 7, 2026 (Remi Krupinski/CU Independent).
The Buffs got their first 3-pointer of the game to cut the gap to one, and Walker scored on the next possession to take the lead and force a WVU timeout.
The Mountaineers struck back in the form of Kierra Wheeler. Their center ended the game in double digits and was a physical force down low. It was truly a down-to-the-wire battle at the end. Wooten hit a big three to put Colorado up two with one minute to go, but WVU got back. Colorado missed several opportunities on the floor and at the free-throw line, ultimately falling short by just a point.
While their Big 12 ended in heartbreaking fashion, the Buffs proved themselves as a capable postseason team with their two earlier wins.
Colorado Buffaloes head coach, JR Payne, redshirt junior guard, Zyanna Walker, at the post game conference after their 48-47 heart breaking loss against West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday, March 7, 2026 ( Remi Krupinski/CU Independent).
“I’m really proud of how our team competed,” Colorado head coach JR Payne said postgame. “After last week, I don’t think there were very many people outside of our locker room that believed we would come here and do what we’ve done.”
They will set their sights ahead to March Madness. Selection Sunday is on March 15 at 6 p.m. MT. It will be streamed on ESPN and Colorado is projected to be in the last four bye category.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Lila Nuttle at lila.nuttle@colorado.edu.
