There have certainly been some ups and downs for Colorado senior Lior Garzon this season on the court.

With her parents traveling to Boulder from Israel and sitting in the stands, however, she knew Wednesday had to be special.

“My mom was like, ‘You have no other option,’” Garzon said with a laugh. “So I was like, I have to go out and do something. It’s great. It’s a great feeling, always good to play well.”

One of six seniors honored after the Buffaloes’ 89-54 rout of Arizona State at the CU Events Center, Garzon had 17 points and a season-high eight rebounds.

A 6-foot-1 fifth-year senior who spent two seasons at Villanova and two at Oklahoma State, Garzon came into Wednesday averaging 10.2 points and 2.8 rebounds. Wednesday was one of her most complete games of the year.She also hit three 3-pointers, hearing CU’s public address announcer do the 1-2-3 call in Hebrew, as he’s done all season.

“The past two years have been really, really hard, so having this appreciation, just like people care and want to make you feel home, so I just really appreciate it,” she said. “Every time I (hear the Hebrew call), it makes me really smile on the court. So I think that was really cool.”

Garzon went through senior day at Oklahoma State last year but came back for her bonus COVID year in Boulder, experiencing a senior day for a second time.

“Last year, I knew I had the option like to come back and play another year, and now it’s like actually, like, this is it,” she said. “There’s no other year, so I think that was a little more special because I’m actually going to the real world. But they were both great. Every time you leave a place or you’re done, it’s always pretty emotional.”

Garzon said that although her time in Boulder has been short, she’s enjoyed it.

“I really love this place,” she said. “I told my parents, they just came and I was like, ‘The sun came out,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just love it in this state all the time.’ I really love Boulder, I really love the community.”

Emotional night

While Garzon’s journey to CU has taken her from Israel, with stops at Villanova and Oklahoma State, CU point guard Kindyll Wetta has never been far from home.

Wetta, whose mother grew up in Colorado Springs and played for CU years ago, grew up in Castle Rock, played at Valor Christian and has spent all four seasons with the Buffaloes.

Talking about her time at CU brought tears to Wetta’s eyes on Wednesday.

“It’s meant everything,” she said. “I could not have asked for a better four years here, getting to come and play in front of my family every night and play with the best teammates and the best coaches and the best fans. It has been an incredible four years.”

Classy move

As they do every year on senior night, the Buffs honored the seniors for the opposing team, as well. ASU has seven seniors, four of which played in the game.

“Unless you’ve done what these guys are doing, nobody really realizes how difficult it is — physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually — like it’s a very difficult thing to spend four to five years being a student-athlete; full time student, full time athlete,” Colorado head coach JR Payne said. “I think it’s incredible to honor everyone that’s been able to persevere and they’re earning degrees and competing at the highest level. So I think it’s great to be able to honor both teams.”

Notable

CU (18-10, 9-8 Big 12) will visit Texas Tech (14-16, 3-14) for the regular-season finale on Saturday. The Buffs are tied with Arizona for eighth in the standings and can secure eighth place and a first-round bye for next week’s Big 12 tournament with a win. … CU moved up eight spots, to No. 57, in the NET rankings after Wednesday’s win. Texas Tech is No. 86.