Colorado women's basketball hits 13 3-pointers, roll over MTSU in March Madness
No. 6 seed Colorado hit 13-of-27 from 3-point range and dominated the boards in an 82-60 win over No. 11 Middle Tennessee State women's basketball Saturday at Cameron Indoor Arena in Durham, North Carolina.
The Lady Raiders (28-5) were ousted in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the ninth consecutive appearance in March Madness. The last time MTSU won a first-round game was in 2007.
"I thought Colorado came out and really, really played a great game," MTSU coach Rick Insell said. "We didn't play that bad. But they played extremely well. Hats off to them."
No. 20-ranked Colorado (24-8) entered the game averaging 5.7 made 3-pointers a game and hitting 34%, but its production never slowed down from the outside, topping its previous season high of 11.
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The Buffaloes also outrebounded MTSU 43-29, including 12 offensive boards. MTSU struggled with Colorado's length, whether it was finding an offensive groove to the discrepancy on the glass.
"We were very active (but) the worst thing we did was we didn't box out," said MTSU sophomore center Anastasiia Boldyreva, who led the Lady Raiders with 16 points.
The Lady Raiders shot just 25-of-64 from the field, including 4-of-24 from 3-point range.
"They were very aggressive, especially with their post players," said MTSU junior guard Savannah Wheeler, who scored 15. "We tried to match their physicality. Credit to them."
Colorado went on a 12-0 first-quarter run to race out to an 17-6 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers by Tayanna Jones and one each from Frida Formann and Brianna McLeod.
The Buffaloes then ended the quarter with a three-point play to go up 22-11. Colorado went 5-of-9 from 3-point range in the first 10 minutes.
The lead stayed around 11 for half of the second quarter until Wheeler's three-point play and two free throws by Boldyreva cut it to 28-22.
MTSU, which won the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles, trailed just 33-28 late in the quarter, but watched Colorado go on a 9-0 run to end the period. Inside the final 45 seconds the Buffaloes had a four-point possession and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Kindyll Wetta.
Colorado went 7-of-16 from 3-point range in the first half, compared to MTSU's 1-for-9. Even more damaging was rebounding, where the Buffaloes held a 26-11 advantage, including 10 offensive boards.
Formann's 3-pointer to start the third quarter made it a 45-28 lead for Colorado, which cruised from there. The Buffaloes stayed hot from 3-point range, hitting four in the first four minutes of the third, including three from Formann.
Colorado led by as much as 31 in the fourth quarter. Formann finished with 21 points, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range.
Kseniya Malashka added 13 points for MTSU. The loss marks the end of the MTSU career for graduate senior Alexis Whittington, a former Riverdale standout, who holds the program record for most games played (149).
"I thought we had a heck of a year," said Wheeler, who transferred to MTSU from Marshall in the offseason. "I'm proud of this group and proud I came here. I'm ready to get back to work for next season."
It was MTSU's 11th trip to the NCAA Tournament under Insell, who has guided the Lady Raiders since 2005-06.
"Our players have successfully had a great season," Insell said. "I'm very proud of them."
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: March Madness: Colorado rolls past Middle Tennessee in NCAA Tournament
