Just 48 hours after its season-opening upset of No.1 LSU, there was no letdown for JR Payne and the Colorado women’s basketball team as they swiftly handled Le Moyne 97-38.

“That was a great game,” Payne said postgame. “I knew that we would be really focused and not have a hangover from the previous game. I knew that, but really great to see everyone locked in and really focused on this game. Great to have so many people play and so many people contribute, even playing some different positions. And a totally different type of team, obviously, than the team the other night, even just schematically and what they were running. So, loved how we responded, and great effort.”

The Buffs (2-0) blitzed the Dolphins from the opening tip, jumping out to a 15-2 lead in the opening five minutes and never looking back. They controlled the game in every aspect, forcing turnovers, dominating the glass, and moving the ball efficiently on offense against Le Moyne’s tricky 3-2 zone.

By the end of the first quarter, the Buffs’ lead was already 26-6, and the game was nearly out of reach. Payne’s group pushed the lead to 31 at the half and 49 at the end of the third quarter, never taking its foot off the gas.

The stellar Colorado defense that premiered against LSU was back in full force in this one, as the Buffs were suffocating all night on that end of the floor. The numbers speak for themselves. CU held the Dolphins (0-2) to just 30% shooting and kept them under 10 points in three of the four quarters. The Buffs also forced an astounding 25 turnovers, converting those into 42 points on the other end.

“Defense is always our focus,” Payne said. “We take a lot of pride in defending. We get frustrated when people score on us. We want to be awesome on defense, we want to be stingy on defense, get stops, create turnovers.”

Colorado also outrebounded a very undersized Le Moyne team 46-29, collecting 19 offensive boards and rebounding at will against the Dolphins’ zone.

Maddie Nolan was one of the stars on offense in this one, getting her outside shot going after a cold 0-for-3 night against LSU on Monday. The Michigan transfer found her spots consistently and knocked down shots at a blistering clip, leading the Buffs with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting, all from three-point range.

“It was nice to score my first points as a Buff,” Nolan said. “Finally shoot the ball well with my new team. It’s really nice to play on a team that has multiple people that are able to score in so many different ways and multiple people that can find you in different positions.”

Frida Formann continued her hot shooting as well, backing up her 27-point Monday night explosion in Las Vegas with an efficient 15 points in just 18 minutes Wednesday. Aaronette Vonleh added 13 points and Missouri transfer Sara Rose-Smith added 10 to round out the double-figure scorers for the Buffs.

Colorado moved the ball exceptionally well in Wednesday’s game, dicing up the Dolphins’ defense time and time again and finding open teammates for buckets. The Buffs finished with 29 assists, the most in a game under Payne.

“I love that for multiple reasons,” the CU head coach said. “I keep telling people how unselfish our team is. Truly, nobody cares who gets the shots or who scores the points or who gets the shine, which is really fun to play in that system.”

The Buffs struggled once again from the free-throw line in the win, backing up their 16-for-24 showing against LSU with just an 8-for-16 performance Wednesday night. It hasn’t cost them yet, but it's certainly something to monitor for the Buffs moving forward.

On the Dolphins side of things, guard Lytoya Baker was the only consistent source of offense, scoring nearly half of her team’s points and finishing with 18.

The Buffs handled their business in the home opener, but they will get a much stiffer test in Boulder when Oklahoma State comes to town for a Power Five nonconference clash Sunday afternoon. The two teams will get familiar with each other before the Buffs join the Cowboys in the Big 12 starting next season. Tip-off on Sunday will be at 4 p.m. MST.