Colorado
4-1,0-0Big 12
Michigan State
5-1,0-0Big Ten
Buffaloes Fall To Michigan State In Maui Opener
November 25, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
LAHAINA, Hawaii — Colorado started fast but couldn't keep pace with Michigan State on Monday, as the Buffaloes dropped a 72-56 decision in the opening round of the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 4-1 while Michigan State improved to 5-1.
Colorado now plays second-ranked and defending national champion UConn in a 1:30 p.m. (MT) game Tuesday. The Huskies were upset by Memphis, 99-97, in overtime Monday.
The Buffs got off to a good start, taking an early lead on 3-pointers from Julian Hammond III and Andrej Jakimovski. The Buffs were still tied with the Spartans midway through the first half when Elijah Malone scored inside to knot the score at 21-21.
But the Buffs went cold from that point on and the Spartans closed the half with a 17-4 run to take a 38-25 lead at halftime.
CU then briefly cut the lead back to seven early in the second half on two more 3-pointers from Hammond. But the Spartans then slowly pulled away, building their lead to 17 at the midway point of the half and pushing it to as much as 20 down the stretch.
Hammond led CU with 15 points while Malone added 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting along with five rebounds.
Jase Richardson led MSU with 13 points.
Colorado was dominated inside as the Spartans held a 50-28 edge in points in the paint, including a 22-6 edge in fast break points. CU also shot just 37 percent from the floor (20-for-56) while MSU shot 49 percent (40-for-61) despite hitting just two of 21 3-point tries.
Michigan State also held a commanding 42-29 rebound edge.
"They didn't do anything that we didn't expect," Boyle said. "Unfortunately, we didn't show up. We showed up the first 10 minutes. We played hard, you know, we made shots, but then we lost this game on every front — offensively, defensively, rebounding the ball, all the things that we work on, and they were better than us in every phase of the game."
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs started out on a hot note, hitting their first three shots, including 3-pointers from Hammond and Jakimoski, to take a quick 8-6 edge.
The two teams then traded the lead several times, with Colorado taking a 16-13 edge on a Bangot Dak transition dunk. MSU then jumped ahead with a quick 4-0 surge before the Buffs battled back to tie the game at 21-21 on a Malone basket inside with 9:13 to play in the half.
But then the roof caved in on the Buffs. CU endured a 1-13 shooting slump over the final nine minutes of the half, including an 0-for-7 stretch. That paved the way for a 17-4 MSU run, sending Colorado into the locker room at halftime trailing 38-25.
"We didn't do a good job of adjusting and getting back to what we did in the first 10 minutes of the game," said Buff Trevor Baskin, who finished with nine points and three rebounds.
Along with their shooting slump, the Buffs were also pounded inside. While the Spartans missed all nine of their 3-point attempts in the first half, they still held a decisive 26-10 edge in points in the paint to take their halftime lead.
"We knew they were going to crash the boards, we knew they were going to get out and run on makes and misses," Boyle said. "We knew they wanted to get downhill, get the ball in the paint. We just didn't do anything to stop them."
Colorado started again fast in the second half, getting a Malone bucket and back-to-back 3-pointers from Hammond to cut MSU's lead to seven, 40-33.
But the Buffs then turned the ball over on their next three possessions and couldn't come any closer.
The Spartans then finally found their 3-point shot after missing their first 14 from long distance. MSU hit a pair from beyond the arc, with the second from Frankie Fidler putting Colorado in a 52-37 hole with 12:09 to play.
The Buffs never threatened again as Michigan State built its lead to as much as 20 down the stretch.
DECISIVE MOMENT: After the Buffs pulled to within seven early in the second half, they committed turnovers on their next three possessions, giving MSU a chance to rebuild its lead.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado's first game against a high major opponent showed what the Buffs need to work on as their schedule becomes more difficult.
NEXT UP: The Buffs will play defending national champion UConn in a 1:30 (MT) p.m. game (ESPN2). The Huskies lost to Memphis in overtime, 99-97, in the opening round.
