Colorado
15-13,7-9Pac-12
USC
20-9,11-5Pac-12
Buffs Fall To USC's Late Surge
February 21, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado couldn't hold off a late-game surge by USC on Wednesday, as the Buffs fell 75-64 to the Trojans at the Coors Events Center.
After falling behind by 12 early in the second half, the Buffs put together a 14-0 run to take the lead with just more than 12 minutes to play, 52-50, and the score was still tied 58-58 with 8:26 remaining. But the Trojans put together a 17-6 run — including a 12-0 burst — over the final eight minutes to produce the win.
The loss, CU's third in a row, dropped the Buffs to 15-13 overall and 7-9 in Pac-12 play while the Trojans improved to 20-9, 11-5. It was also CU's third loss at home this season, as the Buffs fell to 11-3 at the Events Center.
Lucas Siewert led CU with 16 points, McKinley Wright IV chipped in 12 and Dominique Collier added nine. Colorado senior George King, though, scored just four points — all on free throws — as the Buffs shot just 41.5 percent from the field (22-for-53).
Chimezie Metu scored 21 and Jordan McLaughlin added 18 for the Trojans, who shot a red-hot 54.7 percent from the field (29-for-53), including 10-for-20 from 3-point range.
"We scratched and clawed to get back in this thing, tied it at 58, and they come out and go on a 13-0 run, 11-0 run, whatever it was," CU head coach Tad Boyle said. "We just didn't have an answer. Metu played really well. Jordan McLaughlin played really well for them down the stretch. We couldn't get buckets, we couldn't get stops. That's the name of the game."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado trailed by five at the half, 36-31, then saw the Trojans expand that lead to 50-38 five minutes into the period.
But just when it looked like USC might run away with the game, the Buffs put together a 14-0 run to take a 52-50 lead with 12:27 to go. Siewert scored nine points in the burst, hitting a pair of 3-pointers, then collecting an offensive rebound, putback and free throw.
The Trojans, though, regained the edge by going to Metu inside and McLaughlin outside. Metu scored 10 points in a 14-4 USC surge that left Colorado trailing by eight, 66-58, with 5:22 to play, and a CU timeout couldn't halt the surge.
The Buffs committed three straight turnovers after the break, and a McLaughlin 3-pointer, part of a 12-0 USC run, gave the Trojans a 69-58 edge with just more than three minutes to play.
The Buffs, meanwhile, endured a seven-minute scoring drought, one that started with the score tied at 58-58 and didn't end until Siewert hit a bucket with just more than a minute to play.
"We got some good shots through that stretch but we missed some tough ones and we turned it over," Wright said. "We can't make mistakes like that and turn the ball over."
In their last homestand, one that produced three straight wins, the Buffs held each opponent to under 37 percent shooting. But the Trojans got hot midway through the first half and stayed that way the rest of the game.
"Our defense was not good enough tonight," Boyle said. "When we did get stops, got some stops, we couldn't get rebounds."
The Buffs actually won the rebound battle, 32-26, but they also committed 13 turnovers compared to USC's six and USC reaped 17 points off those Colorado miscues.
"We have 13 turnovers, they have six — that's plus seven for them," Boyle said. "You add to that eight offensive rebounds, that's 15 times they have the ball that they shouldn't have had the ball. You can't overcome that when you're not guarding."
Colorado led by as much as six early when a Collier 3-pointer gave CU a 16-10 lead. But the Trojans slowly chipped away at the edge, then put together an 11-3 run late in the half to take a 36-29 lead. USC hit eight consecutive field goal attempts over the last eight minutes of the half. Colorado, meanwhile, hit a four-minute scoring drought, finally getting on the board at the halftime buzzer on a McKinley Wright layup to cut USC's lead to 36-31.
TURNING POINT: After the Buffs tied the game at 58-58 with 8:26 to play, the Trojans went on a 12-0 run to put the game away.
WHAT IT MEANS: The game was another hit to Colorado's postseason hopes. CU must win the Pac-12 Tournament to earn an NCAA Tournament berth, and their NIT hopes are now on the bubble with just three guaranteed games remaining.
CU STANDOUTS: Lucas Siewert had 16 points and eight rebounds. … McKinley Wright IV scored 12 points to go with six assists and a pair of rebounds. … D'Shawn Schwartz had eight points and two rebounds. … Dominique Collier had nine points.
KEY STATISTICS: The Trojans shot 54.7 percent from the field (29-for-53), including 10-for-20 from 3-point range.
QUOTEWORTHY:  "We wanted to win this game because it was the next game because it was an important game for us to put ourselves in position for postseason play. Every loss you get further and further away from that. That's why this loss hurts. It has nothing to do with that other stuff." — CU coach Tad Boyle
"Colorado is an exceptional team at home. This is the toughest place to play as anywhere in the Pac-12. Give Colorado credit. They are a very good team. They play hard. We were fortunate enough to score the ball and our upper-class guys played great defense, especially in the last eight minutes." — USC coach Andy Enfield.
NEXT UP: The Buffs wrap up their regular season home schedule Sunday with a 2 p.m. game against UCLA.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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