
BUFFS OUTLAST GARDNER-WEBB IN SHOOTOUT
December 28, 2004 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER -- Marcus Hall scored 22 points and Chris Copeland added 17 as Colorado notched its fifth straight victory with a 97-88 win against Gardner-Webb Tuesday at the Coors Events Center.
Colorado (7-2) saw its 18-point second-half lead dwindle to six in the final 72 seconds before keeping its lead with free throws.
Simon Conn scored 26 and Brian Bender scored 22 points each for Gardner-Webb (5-4), an Atlantic Sun Conference team from Boiling Springs, N.C.
Colorado's 48-38 lead at the break was its biggest in a half that featured 12 lead changes and two ties. Copeland scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half.
At the start of the second half, Colorado used an 8-2 run to build a 16-point lead.
Colorado built an 18-point advantage but then struggled defensively and allowed the visitors to draw within 10, 85-75 with 4:07 remaining.
Bender's jumper, a 3-pointer by Bret Noonan and two free throws by Tim Jennings cut the lead to six, 90-84, with 1:12 to go.