Colorado
11-1
Penn State (Las Vegas Classic)
8-4
Buffs Hold Off Penn State For 11th Straight Win
December 22, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
LAS VEGAS — When their offense struggled Tuesday night, the Colorado Buffaloes leaned on the three things on which they know they can always depend:
Defense, rebounding and Josh Scott.
That combination, along with some hot shooting in the second half, was enough to produce a 71-70 win over Penn State in the Las Vegas Classic semifinals and set up a Wednesday night meeting with unbeaten and 18th-ranked SMU (8:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1).
The 11-1 Buffs weren't at their best, and the game seldom approached a thing of beauty. But, as head coach Tad Boyle said, "Over a 30-plus game season, you're going to have those nights where you're not at your best and you've got to find a way to win. Tonight was one of those nights where we found a way to win."
Indeed, after struggling for much of the game on the offensive end, the Buffs finally hit a hot streak midway through the second half. Colorado hit five consecutive 3-pointers — including three from Josh Fortune — in a four-minute stretch to go up by 11, and still led by nine, 68-59, with less than two minutes to play.
CU then had to  withstand a furious PSU rally in the final minutes, and it wasn't until George King hit two free throws with 7 seconds left for a 71-67 lead that the Buffs' 11th straight victory was clearly in hand.
"The first half we turned the ball over nine times, the second half we turned it over twice," Boyle said. "We took care of the ball and made some shots. Guys stepped up and made some big shots for us in the second half. We scored and we got stops in succession, and that's what allowed us to get the lead."
Scott led the Buffs with 18 points — 15 in the first half — and eight rebounds, while Fortune chipped in 13, Dominique Collier added 12 and Wesley Gordon tossed in 10. Gordon also had six rebounds and three blocks and Collier and Fortune each had three assists.
Shep Garner led Penn State with 26 points, with seven coming in the game's final 26 seconds.
"We needed a close game," Boyle said. "We haven't had a close game. We're going to have some close games in conference play and we're going to have games like this in conference play where you've got to just grind it out and find a way to win, especially when you're not playing your best. I think our players showed great mental toughness. They didn't let the offensive frustrations seep into the defensive end of the floor. That's a great stride the team made tonight."
The Buffs were certainly not at their best offensively, particularly in a first half that never saw them in the lead and ended in a 25-25 tie. But despite shooting just 27 percent (6-for-22) from the field, they stayed in the game thanks to some solid defense, a dominant performance on the boards and 15 points from Scott, Â including a stretch when he scored 13 in a row.
Scott said he took it upon himself to carry the offensive load when his teammates were struggling. Scott shot 4-for-6 from the field in the first half; the rest of the Buffs were just 2-for-16.
"That was mentally a decision I made," Scott said. "If I miss, make — I need to be aggressive here. We're struggling and I'm talented enough to do those things."
Scott was indeed aggressive in his 13-point run. He opened it with an offensive rebound and basket (the Buffs outrebounded the Lions 22-13 in the first half), added a pair of conventional three-point plays and also threw down a dunk in the run.
"For them to see somebody was out there confident and being aggressive, it helps other people do the same thing," Scott said.
Boyle said Scott's run was just another example of the senior's leadership.
"He's the most underrated player America," Boyle said. "But if we can get some signature wins for this program the rest of this season, it's not going to stay that way, because he's just too good."
CU took the lead for the first time early in the second half on a Gordon jumper, then went ahead for good, 35-34, on another Gordon jumper from the paint at the 14:22 mark. The Buffs slowly built the lead into double digits with their 3-point burst, then did just enough down the stretch to keep the Lions at bay.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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