Frida Formann scores 23 points and No. 8 Colorado beats UT Arlington 95-74

BOULDER, Colo. -- — Frida Formann scored 23 points, matching a school record for 3-pointers in a game with seven, and No. 8 Colorado never trailed in beating UT Arlington 95-74 on Tuesday.

Quay Miller had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Aaronette Vonleh added 14 points for Colorado (9-1), which has won three in a row. Jaylyn Sherrod scored 11 points to go with a career-high 13 assists that fueled the inside scoring of Miller and Vonleh. Formann also had seven 3-pointers in a game earlier this season in Colorado's victory over then-No. 1 LSU on Nov. 6.

Keiori Lee had 18 points to lead UT Arlington (1-8), which lost its third straight since its lone win of the season.

The Buffaloes did have a down note, losing guard Tameiya Sadler to a right ankle sprain with 3:11 remaining in the third quarter. She and a teammate were both scrambling for a rebound when they became entangled and Sadler fell to the floor, losing one of her shoes in the process. She was tended to by team trainers and assisted off the court.

Texas Arlington lost forward Jamaya Perry in the first half to a leg injury after she made a diving attempt underneath the basket to stop a loose ball from rolling out of bounds.

Colorado coach JR Payne expressed general satisfaction over the Buffaloes' latest lopsided victory — all nine wins this season have been by double digits — but she also said she, her staff and the team had to turn the page quickly and continue working toward getting better.

"We've come a long ways when you can be, you know, not on cloud nine, winning by 20,” Payne said. “But I thinks it speaks to, as far as coaches, we just are wired to figure out how we can we do our best. And I think it's especially these guys, like upperclassmen. They're really good. We expect ourselves to be really good and we expect to do our job and do it at a high level. I think we have big goals, big dreams for the season, so we want to continue to be better every night.”

Mavericks coach Shereka Wright said her squad gained valuable lessons from playing against a top-tier team that will benefit Texas Arlington down the road.

“I think it's good for us,” Wright said. "It's good to play against top-10 teams in the country and to be able to get that experience and grow from that."

Wright also noted the level of experience possessed by the Buffaloes, who returned eight players from last season's team that became the first Colorado squad to advance to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 in 20 years.

“One of the things that makes Colorado really good is that they’re very, very experienced,” Wright said. “They don’t go away from the things that they do very well. And again, it helps when you have that leadership at the point with Sherrod, to be able to run those things. So, they do have the ability to be able to stretch the floor.”

The Buffaloes outscored the Mavericks 22-13 in the second quarter to take a 51-36 lead at halftime. Formann punctuated the quarter by hitting her sixth 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining in the period, celebrating the shot by dropping her hands and stretching out three fingers on each side.

Formann said she was energized by the cheering of hundreds of kids who were in attendance as part of field trip for elementary schools in the area. The school children waved placards and yelled wildly every time Colorado made a shot, especially a 3-pointer.

“I was just feeling it,” Formann said. “It's always really good with the kids because they're just so energetic and really fun to play in front of. So, the minute you do something cool, like, they hype you up. So yeah, that was fun.”

Colorado seized control with a 10-0 third-quarter run that put the Buffaloes up 72-41 late in the period. Sara Rose-Smith capped the flurry with a fastbreak layup and Maddie Nolan hit successive 3-pointers in the run.

UNSELFISH PLAY

Colorado finished with 28 assists, one under its season high, on 37 made shots. It was the eighth time in 10 games this season that the Buffaloes have had 20 or more assists in a game.

BIG PICTURE

The Buffaloes complemented their sharp perimeter shooting with a powerful inside game. Miller and Vonleh scored the bulk of their combined 35 points from near the basket with Sherrod finding the open player with passes to the perimeter or inside. Colorado dominated the boards 49-33.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Colorado came away with another runaway win which should keep them in good standing in the polls.

UP NEXT

UT Arlington: visits Sam Houston on Dec. 16.

Colorado: has a 16-day break before resuming play Dec. 21, when the Buffaloes host Northern Colorado.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball