Wednesday, March 12
Kansas City, MO
1 p.m.
Colorado
14-19,3-17Big 12
67
vs
60
West Virginia
19-13,10-10Big 12
1
2
F
Colorado
23
44
67
West Virginia
29
31
60
Colorado Keeps Marching On
March 12, 2025 | Men's Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Colorado's run in the Phillips 66 Men's Basketball Championship continues after upsetting eighth-seeded West Virginia in the second round 67-60 after the Buffaloes outscored the Mountaineers 44-31 in the second half Wednesday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center.
In March, all that matters is "survive and advance," and No. 16 seed Colorado (14-19) did just that. After struggling to score in the first half, the Buffs used a 15-0 second half run to knock off West Virginia (19-13).
"Heck of a win," head coach Tad Boyle said. "We just felt like when we were scratching and clawing to get back in the game, whether it was the first half or in the second half, I felt if we could get back if we could get it tied or take the lead, that they might tighten up a little bit. When you shoot 61% in the second half against one of the best defenses in the league, that's a credit to these guys and our offense and our movement."
This is the seventh time under Boyle that Colorado has won two games in a conference tournament and just the eighth time in program history.
In the second half, Elijah Malone and RJ Smith carried the team, scoring 25 of the team's 44 points. On the day, Malone scored a team-high 14 points on 7 of 10 shooting with 12 points after halftime. Smith scored all 13 of his points in the second half on 3 of 5 from deep.
"I wanted to provide anything to help my team win tonight," Smith commented. "Tonight I shot the ball, and my team kept encouraging me to shoot even though I have had an up-and-down season shooting tonight they went in."
After Colorado built an eight-point lead, West Virginia made one final push, making two 3-pointers. Still, the Buffaloes came through in the clutch, sinking the last six free throws courtesy of Julian Hammond III, Andrej Jakimovski, and Smith to clinch the victory.
In the midst of the game turning 15-0 run, freshman Felix Kossaras played big minutes defending West Virginia's best players, scoring a new career-high seven points, and picking up two impactful offensive rebounds.
Colorado shot 60.9% from the field and 13 of 16 from the charity stripe as a team. The offense improved in all areas, only turning over the ball four times after giving it up seven times in the first half.
West Virginia was led by First-Team All-Big 12 performer Javon Small, who finished with 23 points and five assists. Colorado did not allow him to make a shot outside the first 12 minutes of the game and the final three minutes.
With the win, Colorado will advance to play the No. 1 seed and No. 2 team nationally, Houston, tomorrow in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship.
"All I know is we're ready to take on Houston, and we'll worry about that tonight," Boyle said. "I am really, really proud of this group because we have had a rough year in terms of coming up short in some of these games, and these guys have stuck together."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jakimovski started the scoring, building on his scoring success from the second half against TCU. After trading baskets early, Bangot Dak was left alone and knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game 7-7.
West Virginia responded with a 6-0 run to lead 13-7 after six quick points by Small, including a shot from deep and a transition dunk.
What followed was almost four minutes without any points being scored by either team. After six straight missed shots and four turnovers by Colorado, Assane Diop took the lid off the basket with a free throw. The offensive struggles continued as Small scored seven straight points for West Virginia to help them build a 27-14 lead, the Mountaineers' largest of the game.
The Buffs started to really lock in defensively, holding the Mountaineers without a point for over five minutes. They took advantage and cut into the lead with a layup by Malone and seven points from Jakimovski, including a 3-pointer, to go into the half down 29-23.
Neither offense shot the ball well in the first half. Colorado shot 8 of 26 (30.8%) from the field and 2 of 7 (28.6%) behind the arc. West Virginia was 11 of 29 (37.9%) overall and 4 of 10 from deep.
Early in the second half, with the shot clock winding down, Smith hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 31-28. Malone put in a layup on the next possession to keep the game at one possession.
Over the next few minutes, the offense struggled to make shots, giving West Virginia an opportunity to extend the lead to 42-33.
Malone continued to make his presence known down low, scoring six straight for the Buffs to keep them close. Kossaras cut into the lead even further with an unconventional 3-point play. After making the first of two free throws, he missed the second but then got the offensive rebound and putback layup to put the Buffs within four at 42-46.
Colorado continued putting pressure on West Virginia, extending to a 9-0 run with another layup by Malone and a driving layup by Smith to tie the game 46-46 for the first time since being tied 7-7 early in the first half.
With Malone dominating inside, West Virginia was forced to double, leaving Smith open. After kicking it out, he put down another 3-pointer to lead 49-46. Colorado continued its run, pushing it to 15 straight points after three points from Trevor Baskin on a running layup and a free throw to lead 52-46.
West Virginia made one free throw before Kossaras drove and made a layup, giving him seven points on the day, a new career high.
The Mountaineers scored four quick points to cut the lead to three points, but Colorado continued to feed Malone, throwing it into the post and getting a basket. Another common trend today, on the following possession, it got kicked out, and Smith hit his third 3-pointer of the day to push the lead to 61-53, the largest lead of the game for the Buffs.
Small made a late push for West Virginia, hitting two 3-pointers, but free throws by Hammond, Jakimovski, and Smith iced the game for Colorado.
UP NEXT
Colorado will advance to play the No. 1 seed and No. 2 team nationally, Houston, tomorrow in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championships at 1 p.m. at the T-Mobile Center (ESPN or ESPN 2 / KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM).
In March, all that matters is "survive and advance," and No. 16 seed Colorado (14-19) did just that. After struggling to score in the first half, the Buffs used a 15-0 second half run to knock off West Virginia (19-13).
"Heck of a win," head coach Tad Boyle said. "We just felt like when we were scratching and clawing to get back in the game, whether it was the first half or in the second half, I felt if we could get back if we could get it tied or take the lead, that they might tighten up a little bit. When you shoot 61% in the second half against one of the best defenses in the league, that's a credit to these guys and our offense and our movement."
This is the seventh time under Boyle that Colorado has won two games in a conference tournament and just the eighth time in program history.
In the second half, Elijah Malone and RJ Smith carried the team, scoring 25 of the team's 44 points. On the day, Malone scored a team-high 14 points on 7 of 10 shooting with 12 points after halftime. Smith scored all 13 of his points in the second half on 3 of 5 from deep.
"I wanted to provide anything to help my team win tonight," Smith commented. "Tonight I shot the ball, and my team kept encouraging me to shoot even though I have had an up-and-down season shooting tonight they went in."
After Colorado built an eight-point lead, West Virginia made one final push, making two 3-pointers. Still, the Buffaloes came through in the clutch, sinking the last six free throws courtesy of Julian Hammond III, Andrej Jakimovski, and Smith to clinch the victory.
In the midst of the game turning 15-0 run, freshman Felix Kossaras played big minutes defending West Virginia's best players, scoring a new career-high seven points, and picking up two impactful offensive rebounds.
Colorado shot 60.9% from the field and 13 of 16 from the charity stripe as a team. The offense improved in all areas, only turning over the ball four times after giving it up seven times in the first half.
West Virginia was led by First-Team All-Big 12 performer Javon Small, who finished with 23 points and five assists. Colorado did not allow him to make a shot outside the first 12 minutes of the game and the final three minutes.
With the win, Colorado will advance to play the No. 1 seed and No. 2 team nationally, Houston, tomorrow in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship.
"All I know is we're ready to take on Houston, and we'll worry about that tonight," Boyle said. "I am really, really proud of this group because we have had a rough year in terms of coming up short in some of these games, and these guys have stuck together."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jakimovski started the scoring, building on his scoring success from the second half against TCU. After trading baskets early, Bangot Dak was left alone and knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game 7-7.
West Virginia responded with a 6-0 run to lead 13-7 after six quick points by Small, including a shot from deep and a transition dunk.
What followed was almost four minutes without any points being scored by either team. After six straight missed shots and four turnovers by Colorado, Assane Diop took the lid off the basket with a free throw. The offensive struggles continued as Small scored seven straight points for West Virginia to help them build a 27-14 lead, the Mountaineers' largest of the game.
The Buffs started to really lock in defensively, holding the Mountaineers without a point for over five minutes. They took advantage and cut into the lead with a layup by Malone and seven points from Jakimovski, including a 3-pointer, to go into the half down 29-23.
Neither offense shot the ball well in the first half. Colorado shot 8 of 26 (30.8%) from the field and 2 of 7 (28.6%) behind the arc. West Virginia was 11 of 29 (37.9%) overall and 4 of 10 from deep.
Early in the second half, with the shot clock winding down, Smith hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 31-28. Malone put in a layup on the next possession to keep the game at one possession.
Over the next few minutes, the offense struggled to make shots, giving West Virginia an opportunity to extend the lead to 42-33.
Malone continued to make his presence known down low, scoring six straight for the Buffs to keep them close. Kossaras cut into the lead even further with an unconventional 3-point play. After making the first of two free throws, he missed the second but then got the offensive rebound and putback layup to put the Buffs within four at 42-46.
Colorado continued putting pressure on West Virginia, extending to a 9-0 run with another layup by Malone and a driving layup by Smith to tie the game 46-46 for the first time since being tied 7-7 early in the first half.
With Malone dominating inside, West Virginia was forced to double, leaving Smith open. After kicking it out, he put down another 3-pointer to lead 49-46. Colorado continued its run, pushing it to 15 straight points after three points from Trevor Baskin on a running layup and a free throw to lead 52-46.
West Virginia made one free throw before Kossaras drove and made a layup, giving him seven points on the day, a new career high.
The Mountaineers scored four quick points to cut the lead to three points, but Colorado continued to feed Malone, throwing it into the post and getting a basket. Another common trend today, on the following possession, it got kicked out, and Smith hit his third 3-pointer of the day to push the lead to 61-53, the largest lead of the game for the Buffs.
Small made a late push for West Virginia, hitting two 3-pointers, but free throws by Hammond, Jakimovski, and Smith iced the game for Colorado.
UP NEXT
Colorado will advance to play the No. 1 seed and No. 2 team nationally, Houston, tomorrow in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championships at 1 p.m. at the T-Mobile Center (ESPN or ESPN 2 / KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM).
Team Stats
CU
WVU
FG%
.449
.412
3FG%
.385
.316
FT%
.818
.667
RB
31
30
TO
11
15
STL
7
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
F
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