Vonleh helps No. 3 Colorado top Oregon 61-48

EUGENE, Ore. -- — Aaronette Vonleh had 16 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 3 Colorado beat Oregon 61-48 on Sunday.

Charlotte Whittaker added eight points for the Buffaloes (16-3, 6-2), who bounced back from a loss at Oregon State on Friday to remain in sole possession of second place in the Pac-12.

“Our conference is so good, you have to have a short memory because the next team can beat you,” Buffaloes coach JR Payne said. “I am proud of how we responded after what we felt was a disappointing way we played on Friday. To regroup and stay connected during this game, I thought we played well.”

Oregon (11-11, 2-7) was led by Grace VanSlooten with 16 points and eight rebounds. Phillipina Kyei added 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Ducks, who shot 31.6% from the field.

Colorado built a 20-point halftime lead and stretched it to 39-17 in the third quarter before Oregon made a late rally.

CU led 48-30 after Vonleh scored with 8:54 left in the game, but Oregon followed with 11 straight points to close within 48-41 on a bucket by VanSlooten with 5:25 left to play. That’s as close as the Ducks could get as CU scored six straight points down the stretch to secure the win.

“Friday was tough, but learning from the things we could have done better and applying those today help us come out aggressive and hungry to win,” Vonleh said.

Colorado trailed 8-7 late in the first quarter before scoring the final six points of the period during a 13-0 run to take control.

Maddie Nolan opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer before Sara-Rose Smith and Vonleh scored to push CU’s lead to 20-8 with 5:36 left before halftime. Kyei snapped Colorado’s burst with a pair of free throws before Tameiya Sadler scored and Whittaker added back-to-back baskets to push Colorado ahead 26-10. Nolan added another 3-pointer and Kindyll Wetta scored to put the Buffs ahead 31-10.

Oregon did not make a field goal in the second quarter as the Buffs took a 31-11 lead to the break.

“I thought our defense was phenomenal in the first half, but not as great in the second half,” Payne said.

Vonleh had seven points and six rebounds to pace Colorado during the opening half.

BIG PICTURE

Colorado: The Buffaloes bounced back from a loss to defeat the Ducks and likely secure a 12th straight week in the Top 10. CU’s split in Oregon began a stretch with seven of nine games on the road as they stay in the Northwest for a trip to the Washington schools next week. The Buffs remain in the mix for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with four ranked teams remaining on the schedule.

Oregon: The Ducks were swept by Utah and Colorado to kick off a run of seven straight games against ranked opponents. VanSlooten, who leads the Ducks with 15.4 points per game, returned after missing Friday’s game due to concussion protocol. Freshman Sofia Bell, who averages 7.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, missed her first game of the year due to a leg injury suffered on Friday. Priscilla Williams made her second start of the season in place of Bell.

UP NEXT

Colorado: The Buffaloes visit Washington State on Friday.

Oregon: The Ducks have a week off before hosting Oregon State on Sunday.

------