LAS VEGAS – Colorado’s women’s basketball team already had lofty expectations coming into the season.
The hype is only going to increase now.
In the season opener on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena, the 20th-ranked Buffaloes put together one of the most impressive wins in program history, dominating No. 1 and defending national champion LSU, 92-78.
It’s just the second win over a No. 1-ranked team in CU history, the first being a 77-72 overtime win against Stanford on Jan. 27, 2021.
It’s the first time that the top team in the AP poll lost its opener since the 1995-96 season when UConn fell to Louisiana Tech, according to ESPN. The Huskies were defending national champions that year and that game also marked the first time that the previous season’s NCAA title winners lost its first game.
CU had never opened a season against a ranked opponent, but did so in style Monday, winning its 24th straight opener with the dominating effort.
CU led by as many as 22 points and never trailed in the final 24 minutes of the game.
Frida Formann tied the school record with seven 3-pointers and finished with 27 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Aaronette Vonleh had 24 points and six rebounds for the Buffs.
CU came out aggressive and built an early 6-2 lead, but LSU’s Hailey Van Lith hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spark an 8-0 run for the Tigers.
Despite a scoring drought of 4 minutes, 15 seconds in the middle of the quarter, CU trailed just 16-14 at the end of the first.
LSU continued to put the clamps on CU early in the second, building a 24-18 lead on an Angel Reese put-back with 6:10 to play before the half.
CU took off from there, though. Sherrod scored on consecutive three-point plays to highlight a 14-1 run that gave the Buffs a 32-25 lead with 2:14 to play in the half.
The Buffs took a 38-32 lead into the break and then started the third just as strong.
Tameiya Sadler had a steal and layup, followed by a Formann 3-pointer as CU jumped ahead 43-32 in the first 1:09 of the third.
Another Formann 3-pointer late in the third gave CU its biggest lead at the time, 63-49.
Formann and Vonleh kept it up in the fourth, as the Buffs opened the quarter on a 14-4 run to essentially put the game away.
