Colorado Women’s Basketball Faces Houston Seeking to Extend Winning Streak
Colorado’s women’s basketball team (16-8, 7-5 Big 12) travels to Houston, Texas, this Wednesday, February 11, for a 5:30 p.m. MT matchup against the Houston Cougars (7-16, 1-11 Big 12) at Fertitta Center. The Buffs are looking to continue their dominance in the series, currently leading 3-1, and extend their winning streak to four games against Houston.
The contest marks the first meeting between the two programs since Colorado secured a 66-58 victory in the first round of the 2025 Big 12 Championship on March 5. Colorado enters the game riding the momentum of a thrilling 80-79 upset over then-No. 14 TCU this past Sunday.
That victory was fueled by a career performance from senior forward Exit Masogayo, who scored a game-high 23 points, including a clutch and-one play with just five seconds remaining. Masogayo’s performance earned her recognition as a Big 12 Starting Five Top Performer for the week. Freshman forward Logyn Greer contributed 17 points off the bench, while junior guard Desiree Wooten added 19, and junior guard Zyanna Walker chipped in with 15 points and four steals. Colorado exploded offensively in the first quarter, scoring a season-high 28 points to establish an early lead.
Head coach JR Payne, now in her tenth season, has guided the Buffs to a 180-124 record and has secured three NCAA tournament appearances, two WNIT berths, and one WBIT appearance. Despite being picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll in their second year back in the conference, Colorado has demonstrated resilience, posting an overall Big 12 record of 116-154.
This year’s team features a blend of returning experience and exciting newcomers. Four players return from the 2024-25 roster: senior forward Exit Masogayo, sophomore guard Kennedy Sanders, fifth-year center The Normal, and sophomore forward Tabitha Betson. The team has also welcomed ten new players, including five transfers – junior guard Zyanna Walker (Kansas State), junior guard Desiree Wooten (North Texas), junior guard Claire O’Connor (Gonzaga), junior guard Maeve McErlane (DePaul), and senior forward Anaëlle Dutat (Rhode Island) – and five freshmen.
Several players are making significant contributions to the Buffs’ success. Masogayo currently ranks among the conference leaders in points per game (12.0) and free throw percentage (77.5%), while also being tied for 18th in blocks per game (0.8). Walker is tied for second in the Big 12 in steals per game (2.4) and tied for 20th in assists (2.6). Dutat leads the conference in offensive rebounds per game (3.6) and total offensive rebounds (87), and is third in the Big 12 in rebounds per game (8.0). Wooten is tied for 24th in the conference in points per game (12.4) and 17th in free throw percentage (74.1%).
As a team, Colorado ranks fifth in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (5.9), steals per game (10.21), and offensive rebounds per game (13.3). They are also sixth in scoring defense (61.0), free throw percentage (73.5), and turnover margin (2.17).
Fans can follow the game via an ESPN+ stream: https://bit.ly/4rJIG2H. The game will also be broadcast on the Colorado Radio Network, including ‘Denver’s Talk Station’ AM 630 KHOW, with Cory Lopez and Carol Callan providing commentary. Listeners can also tune in on Sirius XM channel 84 or through the SiriusXM app: https://buffs.me/4shh5GY. Live statistics will be available at: https://buffs.me/4ri6qej.
Several Buffs are nearing individual milestones. Jade Crook is 23 points away from 100, while Anaëlle Dutat is 14 points shy of 700 and 28 rebounds away from 900. Exit Masogayo needs just four assists to reach 200 and six rebounds to reach 600. Maeve McErlane is six rebounds and 12 points away from reaching 100 and 200 respectively, and Zyanna Walker is 20 rebounds away from 400. Zyanna Walker recently reached 800 career points against TCU, and Desiree Wooten surpassed 200 career assists in the same game.
The Buffs will look to continue their strong play as they face Houston, aiming to build on their recent success and solidify their position in the Big 12 standings.
