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STANFORD, Calif. – Eleven of Colorado’s first 12 shots Sunday were off the mark.
The Buffaloes got a bit better from there, but the start set the tone for a 62-49 loss to Stanford at Maples Pavilion.
No. 24 CU (15-4, 6-2 Pac-12) played with the fourth-ranked Cardinal (19-2, 7-1) most of the afternoon, but couldn’t overtime a bad start or poor offense, as the Buffs’ seven-game winning streak came to a close.
“I thought our defense was pretty good all night; I thought our offense was pretty bad all night,” CU head coach JR Payne said.
Jaylyn Sherrod had 16 points, Quay Miller had 14 points and nine rebounds and Aaronette Vonleh recorded the first double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) of her career, but it was a struggle to score all afternoon for the Buffs.
After the dismal 1-for-12 start, CU finished at 28.8% (16-of-66) from the floor and was equally disappointing from the free throw line (37.5%, 6-of-16).
“Sometimes you just have one of those games and it was today,” said Sherrod, the only Buff to shoot well, going 5-for-9. “It was just one of those games where nothing was falling for us. Sometimes it happens in the game of basketball.”
Stanford wasn’t impressive offensively, making 33.9% of its shots, including only 21.4% in the second half. But, the Cardinal got a hot start from Hannah Jump and then changed the game with their shot-blocking ability.
Jump, who came in ranked 15th nationally in 3-point percentage (45.2%), had 16 of her game-high 21 points in the first half. She had four first-half 3s to help Stanford build its big lead of 17 points.
“Early, we were giving up pretty good looks to the best shooter in the country in Hannah Jump,” Payne said. “She was getting good looks, which you cannot allow.”
The Buffs got better in guarding Jump in the second half, but the blocks kept piling up. Stanford finished with 14 blocked shots – tied for the second-most ever by a CU opponent. All-American Cameron Brink had six blocks.
Payne credited Stanford, but also thought the Buffs’ shot selection contributed to that high number.
“I don’t really care about blocked shots, because they typically go out of bounds and you get the ball back,” she said. “But I don’t think our response was great. I think we played timid inside and you definitely can’t afford to do that.”
CU’s post players, Miller and Vonleh, still combined for 27 points, but also went 12-of-34 (35.3%). They came in hitting at a combined 57.1% clip for the season.
The Buffs also didn’t have much balance. Four players – Sherrod, Miller, Vonleh and Frida Formann (five points) – accounted for 48 of the 49 points. The only other point came from Charlotte Whittaker on a free throw with 38 seconds left in the game.
Despite all of the offensive woes, CU outscored the Cardinal 39-36 in the final 27 minutes and made a late run, pulling within 10 with three minutes to go.
“To play as poorly as we did offensively, I think it speaks to our defense that we were able to stay in the game like that,” Payne said.
Notable
Miller left the game briefly in the third quarter after apparently tweaking her ankle, but she returned just 39 seconds later. … Sherrod left the game in the fourth quarter, but said it was just bruising and she’ll be OK. … CU fell to 0-14 all-time at Maples Pavilion. … The Buffs have lost 52 consecutive road games against Associated Press Top 25 opponents. … The record for most blocked shots by a CU opponent is 15 by UNLV on March 18, 1989, in an NCAA Tournament game. … In their last two trips to Maples, the Buffs are 33-of-120 (27.5%) from the floor.
No. 4 Stanford 62, No. 24 Colorado 49
Snapshot: Stanford 62, CU Buffs women 49
Turning point: It happened early, as Stanford broke a 4-4 tie with a 12-0 run over the course of about 4 minutes in the first quarter. That put the Buffs in a 16-4 hole and Stanford led by double digits the rest of the game.
Buff of the game: Jaylyn Sherrod. Finished with a team-high 16 points, along with five rebounds and three steals.
What’s next?: The Buffs host No. 9 UCLA on Friday at 7 p.m. in Boulder.
COLORADO (15-4, 6-2 Pac-12)
Sherrod 5-9 3-6 16, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Formann 2-13 0-0 5, Miller 6-18 1-3 14, Vonleh 6-16 1-3 13, Sadler 0-5 0-0 0, Wetta 0-4 0-2 0, Wynn 0-1 0-0 0, McLeod 0-0 0-0 0, Whittaker 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 19-66 6-16 49.
STANFORD (19-2, 7-1 Pac-12)
Emma-Nnopu 1-1 0-0 3, Nivar 0-2 2-2 2, Brink 3-11 8-10 14, Jones 5-16 1-2 11, Jump 7-15 2-2 21, Belibi 2-7 0-0 4, Prechtel 0-1 0-0 0, Bosgana 0-0 0-0 0, Demetre 1-1 0-0 3, Harriel 0-0 2-2 2, Iriafen 0-0 0-0 0, Betts 0-2 2-4 2. Totals 19-56 17-22 62.
Colorado 8 16 7 18 – 49
Stanford 18 18 10 16 – 62
3-point field goals – CU 5-19 (Sherrod 3-4, Formann 1-7, Miller 1-5, Sadler 0-1, Wetta 0-1, Wynn 0-1), Stanford 7-17 (Jump 5-10, Emma-Nnopu 1-1, Demetre 1-1, Brink 0-2, Jones 0-1, Prechtel 0-1, Nivar 0-1). Rebounds – 42 (Vonleh 10), Stanford 48 (Jones 18). Assists – CU 8 (Formann 3), Stanford 12 (Jones 3). Steals – CU 6 (Sherrod 3), Stanford 6 (Jones 2). Turnovers – CU 13, Stanford 16. Total fouls – CU 17, Stanford 14. Fouled out – Vonleh. Technicals – Colorado coach. A – 4,122.
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