Fast break

Why the Buffs won: Defense and rebounding. CU held the Bulldogs to a .389 field goal percentage and dominated the glass, outrebounding Fresno State 42-27.

Three stars

1. CU’s Logyn Greer. Nearly posted a double-double, going 9-for-18 overall and 2-for-5 on 3-pointers before finishing with game-high marks of 24 points and nine rebounds.

2. CU’s Mecailin Marshall. Helped shoot the Buffs into the early lead before finishing with three 3-pointers and 15 points.

3. FSU’s Mekhia Chase. Helped keep Fresno State within striking distance for much of the game by going 4-for-7 on 3-pointers with 20 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Up next: The Buffs play their first road game of the season Wednesday at San Diego State (8 p.m. MT).

The Colorado women’s basketball team has played two games. And the Buffaloes have two lopsided victories to their credit.

Still, the early returns have featured an annoying trait that head coach JR Payne doesn’t want her club to turn into a habit.

The Buffaloes cruised to their second victory of the season’s opening week Saturday, rolling past Fresno State for a 73-56 win at the CU Events Center. Still, although the Buffs have won their two games by an average of 31 points so far, they have been outscored in both third quarters after racing to big halftime leads.

“Great effort on the glass,” Payne said of her team’s 42-27 rebounding advantage. “To beat those guys by 15 on the glass with 21 offensive rebounds I think speaks to our intensity and desire to rebound. We’re not the biggest team or the bounciest, but I thought that was a game-changer. We thought the team that won the battle of the boards probably would have a good shot at winning the game.”

A pair of free throws kept Fresno State within 11-9 of the Buffs with 3 minutes, 29 seconds remaining in the first quarter, but the rest of the half was all CU.

The Buffs held the Bulldogs scoreless for the next 6:44 while reeling off a dominant 22-3 run that featured a pair of 3-pointers from Logyn Greer. CU led 41-23 at the break, but Fresno State chipped away with a 14-4 run to start the third quarter that pulled the Bulldogs within eight.

Fresno State ultimately outscored the Buffs 16-11 in the third quarter, but CU held the Bulldogs to only two points over the final 4:47 of the third while extending the lead with seven consecutive points.

In the season opener, CU defeated Morgan State by 45 points, 83-38, but was outscored 18-17 during the third quarter.

“It has been two games in a row, so it’s worth thinking about,” Payne said. “As coaches, processing, what are a couple things we might do differently? Maybe get them out a little bit earlier after halftime. Everybody gets gummy bears at halftime. I don’t know. It’s not a problem until it’s a problem. But we can’t keep doing it. We’re 2-for-2 now in slow third quarters, so we need to figure out ways, with their input, how we come out with more energy, more focus, more whatever.”

Like the opener, the Buffs received a balanced effort, with Greer leading the way with 24 points and nine rebounds. Mecailin Marshall hit three 3-pointers and finished with 15 points, while Jade Crook also just missed a double-double, recording nine points and eight rebounds. CU turned its 21 offensive rebounds into a 24-11 edge on second-chance points.

Greer was a Big 12 All-Freshman team selection last year after averaging 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds, but she shot just .259 on 3-pointers. Yet Greer was 2-for-5 from long range Saturday after going 3-for-5 from the arc during the Buffs’ preseason game against Adams State, showing signs that one of Greer’s big offseason priorities is going to pay dividends.

“I was in the gym a lot,” Greer said. “Like, a lot. Just working on it consistently.”

CU Buffs women’s basketball 73, Fresno State 56

Fresno State  11 12 16 17

Colorado        25 16 11 21

FRESNO STATE (1-1)

Chase 8-16 0-0 20, Donez 3-6 2-2 9, Marr 2-7 0-0 6, Rean 1-5 1-2 3, Ogot 1-2 0-0 2, Hunter 5-9 0-0 10, Sirowich 0-1 0-0 0, Clark 0-0 0-0 0, Gray 0-7 2-2 2, Brown 1-1 1-2 4, Schoonover 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-54 6-8 56.

COLORADO (2-0)

Sanders 4-6 1-1 9, Z. Walker 1-8 4-7 6, Greer 9-18 4-7 24, Marshall 6-11 0-0 15, Crook 4-6 1-2 9, O’Connor 1-5 5-6 8, B. Walker 0-1 0-0 0, Adler 0-0 0-0 0, McErlane 0-1 0-0 0, Reynolds 1-3 0-0 2, Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Jahnke 0-0 0-0 0. Totals. 26-59 15-23 73.

3-point field goals: Fresno State 8-25 (Chase 4-7, Donez 1-2, Marr 2-5, Rean 0-2, Hunter 0-2, Sirowich 0-1, Gray 0-5, Brown 1-1); Colorado 6-15 (Marshall 3-7, Greer 2-5, O’Connor 1-3). Rebounds: Fresno State 28 (Donez 5); Colorado 42 (Greer 9). Assists: Fresno State 5 (Chase 2); Colorado 13 (Sanders 5). Turnovers: Fresno State 18 (Gray 5); Colorado 18 (Marshall 4). Total fouls: Fresno State 28, Colorado 14. A: 1,974.