The Buffs’ defense was the star of the show Sunday in Eugene, completely shutting down the opposition for most of the game and allowing No. 3 Colorado to defeat Oregon, 61-48.

Clearly determined to bounce back from a tough loss a few nights ago, the Buffs (17-3, 7-2 Pac-12) came out Sunday and put on one of their best defensive showings. Right from the opening tip, the Ducks had no answers for how to attack the Buffs, and they were suffocated possession after possession in the first half.

Oregon (11-11, 2-7 Pac-12) got practically nothing going in the first quarter, making just four field goals and matching it with four turnovers. Its defense hung in against a slightly sluggish Buffs attack, whose offensive struggles from Friday night in Corvallis carried over, but Colorado was able to pull ahead 13-8 after one quarter.

In the second, Oregon’s offense went from a slow crawl to a complete stop. The Ducks weren’t on the board in the second until a pair of Phillipina Kyei free throws just over halfway in, and by then the Buffs had stretched their lead to double digits. By the end of the second, the Ducks scored just three points on 0-for-10 shooting with 6 turnovers.

Offensively, the Buffs continued to be opportunistic, scoring off of turnovers and offensive rebounds and trying to get looks in the lane any way they could. It was a grind on that end for Colorado, but it took care of the ball and did more than enough on the back of its defense to take a 31-11 lead into halftime.

Oregon had a few more answers to start the second half, finally finding its footing a bit on the offensive end. The Ducks started to get some shots to fall, took care of the ball a bit better, and began to make some inroads on the Colorado lead. Despite battling through a brutal afternoon shooting from the field, Oregon guard Chance Gray started to get to the line at will. Gray knocked down five of her eight free throws in the third quarter, helping cut the CU lead to 17 entering the fourth.

The Buffs’ fourth-quarter lead seemed insurmountable, but they relaxed and took their foot off the gas, and Oregon took advantage. While Colorado was sleepwalking through offensive possession after offensive possession, Oregon continued prodding along, using a 15-5 run in the first 5 minutes of the fourth to cut the lead to just seven, 50-43.

Colorado, as it has done all season, collected itself accordingly. JR Payne’s squad responded with six points in a row, led by a pair of Frida Formann buckets, to stretch its lead once again and cruise to the finish

Aaronette Vonleh was the driving force for the Colorado offense in Sunday’s matchup, as she recorded her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and also made a huge impact defensively with two blocks and four steals. Colorado shot just under 35% from the floor, its second-worst mark of the season, but made up for it by forcing 15 Oregon turnovers and collecting 20 offensive rebounds.

Oregon star Grace VanSlooten struggled from the field early on, but came on in the second half to finish with 16 points. Gray got up to 13 despite a 2-for-13 effort from the field, and Kyei added 12 with 17 rebounds.

After a home-heavy start to their Pac-12 schedule, the Buffs will spend next weekend on the road as well. Their next game action will be against Washington State in Pullman on Friday (Feb. 2) as they look to avenge last season’s Pac-12 Tournament semifinal loss. Tipoff of that contest will be at 8 p.m. MST.