Jaylyn Sherrod did all she could put the Colorado women’s basketball team in a position to win on Friday night.
For a brief moment, however, it appeared the Buffaloes would have to try to finish the job without her. A cramp wasn’t going to keep the senior down, however.
Sherrod fought through a late cramp and helped the 25th-ranked Buffs upset No. 8 UCLA, 73-70 in overtime at the CU Events Center.
“I’m not sure why she was cramping but that’s all that it was,” CU head coach JR Payne said.
Sherrod had an exceptional game for the Buffs (16-4, 7-2 Pac-12), with 20 points, six assists and two steals.
With a minute to play in overtime and the Buffs trailing 69-68, Sherrod got a steal on defense and raced down the court, stopped and hit a short jumper to give the Buffs the lead with 54.9 seconds to play. When she landed, however, she immediately turned to the official to call a timeout and fell to the floor in pain.
“Incredible, heady play by her,” Payne said. “She actually called that timeout. She made the basket, felt the cramp, called the timeout, which was a really smart play to make.”
That prevented UCLA from going on a 5-on-4 break. And, it allowed CU to set up its defense and for Sherrod to work on the cramp in her calf.
“We didn’t know if she could go because the defensive possession was going to be so important,” Payne said. “And if you can’t move, you can’t defend, no matter how much you want it. And she said, ‘Yeah, I can do it,’ and so she did.”
The Buffs were able to hold the Bruins to just a point and then Sherrod had the assist on Kindyll Wetta’s game-winning 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds to go.
It was fitting that Sherrod had the assist on the final basket, because she hit a milestone on Friday, topping the 400-assist mark for her career. She now has 404, becoming just the eighth player in CU history with 400-plus.
Doing the job
Quay Miller continues to play at an all-conference level, but the senior forward isn’t letting it go to her head.
Miller had her third double-double of the season on Friday, with 18 points and 12 rebounds, but treated it like another day at the office.
“I’m just trying to do whatever I can for my team to win,” she said. “I’ve realized the role that I had, and I’ve embraced it and I like being able to make my team feel like they can count on me and show up. So that’s what I try to do for them.”
Miller had her first double-double in conference play and reached 10-plus rebounds for the third time this season. She hit double digits for points for the 18th time in 20 games.
Notable
CU had lost 20 consecutive games that featured both teams ranked among the AP Top 25. The last time a ranked CU team beat another ranked team was on Jan. 7, 2004, at Baylor. … The Buffs trailed at halftime for just the fifth time this season. They are 2-0 when trailing at the half at home and 0-3 on the road. … Shelomi Sanders, the daughter of new CU head football coach Deion Sanders, was on the Buffs’ bench for the first time. Shelomi is a true freshman walk-on who transferred from Jackson State at the semester break. She has yet to be cleared to practice with the Buffs, but could be this next week.
