Colorado Opens the Preseason WNIT on Saturday

BOULDER – The 1-0 Colorado Buffaloes will look to continue its quick start to the season, welcoming in Jackson State on Saturday (2 p.m. MT).
 
The Buffs sprinted out of the gate with a 30-point win over New Mexico State to open the season on Monday. Senior Quay Miller helped lead the charge with 22 points and 17 rebounds. CU shot 57.4% from the field and 50.0% from 3-point range against the Aggies. The Buffs' bench combined for 27 points on the night.
 
One of the few lowlights of the opener was the team's 20 turnovers, a number that will have to shrink as the season grows older.
 
"We definitely want to take care of the ball more effectively than we did on Monday," head coach JR Payne commented. "I also think we can improve our overall communication. We're trying to grow and have the ability to talk through things. There are so many new things that can happen when you have new players playing a lot. Being able to talk our way through that live in the moment, is something that we've been working on a lot this week."
 
Senior Jaylyn Sherrod and Miller are two of the team's veterans that have been tasked with stepping into bigger leadership roles this season. The duo helped guide the Buffs through a shaky start to Monday's contest. NM State opened on a 6-0 run, while the Buffs started 0-for-4 shooting.
 
The Buffs got back on track with a 21-0 run, setting the table for the remainder of the night.
 
"We've been talking a lot about our poise in practice," Payne added. "What are we going to do when things aren't going our way? How do we respond? Who is going to step up and communicate what needs to be communicated? I thought our veterans did a good job of that and kind of keeping people calm and cool in the timeouts and halftime."
 
Jackson State fell to North Carolina to start its season but had a historic run in 2022-23. The Tigers finished 23-7 and went undefeated (18-0) in the SWAC. The Tigers finished fourth in the NCAA last season with 47.2 rebounds per game and 79.5 points per game.
 
JSU, like Colorado, fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
 
"They are really athletic from top to bottom," Payne added. "They can run, jump defend and rebound. I think we're going to have to have a different mindset. Luckily, we've played a couple of relatively athletic teams going into this game, but I think in a lot of ways they [Jackson State] have top to bottom more athleticism than we normally see."
 
Saturday's game will be streamed on CUBuffs.com/WatchWBB. Cory Lopez and Carol Callan will have the call on the stream and the Colorado Radio Network.