Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
8-1
Brigham Young
6-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| BYU | 36 | 47 | 83 |
| Colorado | 48 | 44 | 92 |
Buffs Top BYU For Eighth Straight Win
December 12, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado coach Tad Boyle has been waiting for his team to put together a beginning-to-end, solid 40-minute performance this year.
The Buffs came close Saturday night — "about 36 minutes" by Boyle's estimation — and it was enough to produce a 92-83 win over BYU, the 8-1 Buffs' eighth-straight victory.
"That was a really good win for Colorado basketball," Boyle said. "I've got a lot of respect for BYU and a lot of respect for (head coach) Dave Rose. They're going to win a lot of games as this season unfolds."
The Buffs received their third consecutive double-double effort from senior Josh Scott, who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Buff sophomore George King led Colorado in scoring with 23 points, including a 4-for-6 night from 3-point range, while Josh Fortune added seven points, six rebounds and five assists and Dom Collier had a nine-point, seven-rebound, four-assist effort.
Nick Emery led BYU with 23 points, 18 of them coming in the second half, when the Cougars turned a potential blowout into a game that kept the biggest Coors Events Center crowd of the season (8,913) in their seats until the end.
The Buffs' pattern this year has been to start slowly and play well in the second half. Saturday night, they changed it up and put together probably their best first half of the season, taking a 48-36 lead into the locker room at intermission. Scott had 16 points in the first half and King and Xavier Talton each had eight as the Buffs took control midway through the half with a 12-2 run and seemed prepared to blow the game open.
That feeling didn't change in the early minutes of the second half. CU opened the period by outscoring the Cougars 13-0, and with 15:46 left in the game, Colorado held a 61-36 lead.
At that point, all that seemed left for the Buffs was to take care of the lead and coast home with the win. The Cougars, however, put the brakes on in a hurry. Almost before Colorado fans had a chance to revel in the big lead, the Cougars crafted an 18-3 burst that reduced the deficit to 10 with 11 minutes still left in the game.
"We knew they were going to make a run, no question," Boyle said. "We helped it with six turnovers in eight possessions. It went from a 25-point game to a 10-point game pretty darned quickly."
Indeed, in the few minutes when the Buffs were committing six of their 13 total turnovers, the Cougars were finding their shooting eye. Emery and fellow freshman Zac Seljaas (18 points) fueled a 13-0 BYU surge that saw the Cougars pull to within 64-54, finally forcing Boyle to call a timeout.
"I was going to call a timeout (earlier), but there was a media timeout coming," Boyle said. "I have confidence in our defense. We're up 13, then Emery comes down and and hits a 3 in transition and cuts it to 10. I called a timeout a possession too late."
But from that point on, the Buffs managed to keep the Cougars at bay. A King 3-pointer, two Scott free throws and a Tory Miller tip-in bumped the lead back to 16, 83-67, with 4:40 left, and while the Cougars cut the lead back to eight with 2:40 left and to six in the waning seconds, they never managed to get it back to a one-possession game.
"An issue with this team is turning the ball over in inopportune times," Scott said. "They (BYU) went on a run in the second half when we were up 25 to bring it within 10. I think that made them believe they could come back and win the game. We have to improve on that by not being let down when a certain group comes off the floor and another comes in. It has to be constant."
An Emery basket with 1:10 left pulled BYU to within seven, 87-80, but King and Collier each hit a pair of free throws and Fortune hit one in the final minute to seal the win.
"Colorado is a really good team," BYU's Rose said. "They are very well-coached and they spaced the floor really well. They beat us in big, key moments. We did some really good things … but overall, Colorado really impressed me with their team and how they play together."
The Buffs finished with a 49-41 edge in rebounding and held the Cougars to 39 percent shooting from the field (30 for 77). CU shot 46 percent (31 for 68) and recorded 18 assists against 13 turnovers.
"We had a chance for a letdown coming off the CSU game," said Boyle, who also noted his players are in the midst of preparing for final exams. "The way they came out and answered the bell tonight, to me that's how you are judged. I like this team. I like their composure, I like their intensity. They're taking care of business. We've got room for improvement, but it was a good win."
The Buffs play again next Friday and Saturday when they host a pair of games in the opening rounds of the Las Vegas Classic. CU hosts Nicholls State on Friday and Hampton on Saturday, with both games scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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