Without four regular starters, the Colorado women’s basketball team suffered a crushing 84-62 defeat to the No. 19 Baylor Bears at the CU Events Center on Wednesday. The loss marked CU’s third in its last four games, dropping the Buffs to 17-9 overall and 8-7 in Big 12 play.
Baylor (23-5, 13-2 Big 12) couldn’t miss from deep, as its 14 3-point makes marked a new high for a CU opponent this season, eclipsing the 13 the Buffs surrendered to Tennessee Tech in December. Guard Bella Fontleroy led the Bears’ 3-point barrage, connecting on six of her nine attempts en route to scoring a game-high 21 points. By contrast, the Buffs connected on only three of their 14 shots from beyond the arc.
Colorado, relying on underclassmen due to the injuries, turned the ball over 20 times, leading to 22 Baylor points. That helped Baylor carry a 38-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Buffs did win the fourth quarter, 24-8, thanks to effort plays from their cast of freshmen and sophomores.
After the game, head coach JR Payne spoke about CU’s injury woes, which sidelined Frida Formann, Lior Garzon, Sara-Rose Smith and Kindyll Wetta on Wednesday.
“I’m not going to make any excuses, but the reality is we’re missing a lot of players from our rotation,” 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 will travel to Stillwater for a matchup with the No. 24 Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Saturday (1 p.m. MT, ESPN+).
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado women’s basketball blown out by No. 19 Baylor Bears
