Fast break
Why the Buffs lost: Foul trouble proved to be a difference-maker, as Cincinnati attempted 22 more free throws than the Buffs. CU also got cold from the floor late in the game, missing 14 of its last 20, and struggled on the boards in the second half.
Three stars:
1. Cincinnati’s Tineya Hylton: Finished with a game-high 27 points, including going 10-of-12 from the free throw line. She had 18 of her points in the fourth quarter and also had three steals.
2. Colorado’s Jade Masogayo: Led the Buffs with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting. She also led the team with seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
3. Cincinnati’s Alliance Ndiba: Posted nine points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. She had nine offensive rebounds.
Up next: CU will host No. 11 Kansas State on Jan. 25 at the CU Events Center (1 p.m., ESPN+).
CINCINNATI – With 12 minutes to play on Saturday afternoon, the Colorado women’s basketball team was poised to pick up its first road win in Big 12 Conference play.
Very little went right in those last 12 minutes, however, as the Buffaloes lost to host Cincinnati, 65-59, at Fifth Third Arena.
CU (12-6, 3-4 Big 12) fell to 0-4 in conference road games, despite taking its biggest lead of the game, 45-33, with 2 minutes to play in the third quarter. From that point on, the Buffs were outscored 32-14. Cincinnati (11-5, 3-3) outscored the Buffs 15-4 in the last 4 minutes.
Jade Masogayo had 16 points and seven rebounds to lead CU, which out-shot the Bearcats 44.4% to 32.3% but didn’t make nearly enough plays down the stretch.
“We competed harder than we did a couple days ago (in a 73-46 loss at West Virginia), and so proud of that,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “But obviously, the areas that Cincinnati thrives are the areas that they beat us. Hitting the free throw line and offensive rebounding were huge priorities for us, and we did not do what we needed to do in those two areas, and they definitely took advantage.”
Cincinnati is one of the worst shooting teams in country but often makes up for it by being one of the best teams in the country at getting to the free throw line and grabbing offensive rebounds.
That held true Saturday, as the Bearcats went 21-of-65 (32.3%) from the floor, including just 4-of-23 from 3-point range (17.4%), but drew 25 fouls, went 19-of-26 from the free throw line (compared to 2-for-4 by CU) and grabbed a whopping 21 offensive rebounds, turning those into 22 second-chance points.
Cincinnati star Jillian Hayes, the second-leading rebounder in the Big 12, had just two boards and was in foul trouble all night. But, she sparked the Bearcats’ rally by scoring eight straight points late in the third and early in the fourth.
That eight-point surge was enough to get her team back in it. She fouled out with 8:38 to play, but the Bearcats kept rolling.
Guard Tineya Hylton scored 18 of her game-high 27 points in the final 7 minutes, 29 seconds to lead the Bearcats. She had 12 points in the last four minutes.
“When we turn on the film, we’ll see that we didn’t close down the penetration gaps and things, but she’s a very, very good player,” Payne said. “Credit to Cincinnati for being able to do what they did without their best player (Hayes).”
CU weathered the storm for a bit, taking a 53-47 lead midway through the fourth. But, Hylton hit a 3-pointer to slice the lead in half. Masogayo came back with a layup to bump the CU lead back to 55-50, but Hylton took over.
The Buffs’ Kindyll Wetta fouled out with 3:59 to go and Hylton hit both free throws. Just 30 seconds later she hit a layup.
With 1:30 to go and the game tied at 55-55, Hylton grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw, scored on the put-back to give Cincinnati a 57-55 lead. Seconds later, she got a steal, layup, drew a foul and converted the and-one to make it 60-55 with 1:16 to play.
The Buffs never recovered, losing their seventh consecutive conference road game, dating back to last season.
One game after a season-high 30 turnovers in a loss at West Virginia, CU finished with 21 turnovers against Cincinnati, but only six in the second half.
“In the end, that’s not what beat us,” Payne said. “It was the offensive rebounding and the fouls, putting them at the free throw line over and over and over again is what ended up really, I think, hurting us in the end.”
Cincinnati 65, Colorado 59
COLORADO (12-6, 3-4 Big 12)
Formann 4-9 0-0 12, Smith 1-3 0-0 2, Masogayo 8-12 0-0 16, Wetta 1-3 0-0 2, Teder 1-3 0-0 3, Johnson 1-2 1-2 3, Sanders 3-6 0-0 7, Nworie 1-1 0-0 3, Diew 0-2 0-0 0, Garzon 4-13 1-2 11, Oliver 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-54 2-4 59.
CINCINNATI (10-5, 2-3 Big 12)
Hylton 8-13 10-12 27, R. Jackson 1-6 0-0 2, Hayes 3-9 6-6 12, Ndiba 4-6 1-4 9, A. Jackson 0-7 2-4 2, Mann 4-18 0-0 11, Dunn 0-1 0-0 0, Holtman 0-1 0-0 0, Byars 0-1 0-0 0, Byrd 1-3 0-0 2, Snyder 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-65 19-26 65.
Colorado 18 8 19 14 – 59
Cincinnati 16 5 16 28 – 65
3-point goals – Colorado 9-20 (Formann 4-6, Garzon 2-8, Teder 1-2, Sanders 1-1, Nworie 1-1, Smith 0-2), Cincinnati 4-23 (Mann 3-8, Hylton 1-4, R. Jackson 0-4, A. Jackson 0-3, Hayes 0-2, Dunn 0-1, Holtman 0-1). Rebounds – Colorado 36 (Masogayo 7), Cincinnati 36 (Ndiba 12). Assists – Colorado 15 (Wetta 4), Cincinnati 7 (Hylton, Mann 2). Steals – Colorado 4 (Sanders 2), Cincinnati 9 (Hylton 3). Turnovers – Colorado 21, Cincinnati 12. Total fouls – Colorado 25, Cincinnati 18. Fouled out – Formann, Wetta, Hayes. Attendance – 1,649.