No. 20 Colorado stuns No. 1 LSU as Tigers’ national title defense starts off rocky

LSU, the No. 1 women’s basketball team to start the 2023-24 season and the defending national championships, were slapped with a dose of reality on Monday night in their season-opener.

The Tigers opened their national title defense with a loss to No. 20 Colorado, 92-78.

The Buffaloes’ Frida Formann scored 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including seven three-pointers in the win. She added five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Colorado center Aaronette Vonleh had 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jaylyn Sherrod added 19 points.

LSU came into the game with an incredible amount of hype after last season’s title run.

Angel Reese, the highly touted Tigers superstar, scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Returning star Flaujae Johnson had three points in eight minutes.

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LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith had 14 points in her debut along with seven assists. She transferred from Louisville in the offseason.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, LSU became the fourth defending champion in women’s Division I college basketball history to lose its season opener. They were the first since UConn lost to start the 1995-96 season.

Colorado is not a team to sneeze at. The Buffaloes made the Sweet 16 last season for the first time since 2003. The team led LSU by as many as 22 points.

The Buffaloes will be back on the court against Le Moyne on Wednesday. LSU returns home to face Queens University on Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.