Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
4-2
Georgia
4-3
Brooks: Buffs Freshmen Step Up Against Bulldogs
November 28, 2011 | Men's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER – The more Tad Boyle sees of his pair of California freshman guards – Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker – the more he likes. And did he ever like them on Monday night at the Coors Events Center.
The talented Dinwiddie shook himself out of a first-month freshman funk and Booker – Can you say 'Ski' season is upon us? – played up to his role as Boyle's "energizer bunny" in helping Colorado overcome then outlast athletic, game Georgia, 70-68. In pushing its non-conference home winning streak to 26, CU won its third consecutive game this season and improved to 4-2, while UGA lost its second straight and dropped to 4-3.
Before Boyle stated the obvious – "It wasn't pretty" – he emphasized a couple of points that were every bit as noticeable: "There's a lot of room for improvement for this team – and that's exciting . . . this was a great win for our program, especially where we are in the developmental stage."
He can say that with conviction, namely because he's allowing big minutes for freshmen like Dinwiddie and Booker – and the new kids are responding. Taking Boyle's and his teammates' advice to heart, Dinwiddie opened aggressively with a three-pointer from the left wing for CU's first points and went on to score a career-high 16 and tied a career high with seven rebounds.
Dinwiddie said those are the kinds of numbers he expects from himself, and when they weren't showing up "it was rough . . . but I thank my teammates and my coach for believing in me."
Booker, meanwhile, came off the bench and contributed a career-best 14 points in his 23 minutes. He provided a second-half lift after the Bulldogs had fallen behind by six early but rallied to tie the score at 45-45.
"Those freshmen have an unbelievable belief in themselves . . . I had more confidence in 'Ski' and Spencer than I've had all year," Boyle said, adding that Dinwiddie knew he was playing below his capabilities while Booker might be playing above the ticket-buying public's expectations – but not those of Boyle and his staff. "'Ski' is such an energizer bunny . . . the quintessential guy to bring off the bench," Boyle said.
"He's fearless."
Under that same heading, it's appropriate to place Buffs sophomore forward Andre Roberson, who added 15 points and continued his beastly board work with 15 rebounds. "The kid's incredible," Boyle said.
CU also got 10 points from senior Carlon Brown, whose three-pointer with 3:12 remaining before halftime tied the score at 30-30 and completed a Buffs comeback after they found themselves trailing by a dozen points (26-14).
Georgia had fashioned that advantage mainly through uncanny three-point marksmanship that saw the Bulldogs hit six of their first eight trey attempts, including five straight – not bad for a team that came to Boulder shooting 28.3 percent from behind the arc in its first six games.
"We knew they couldn't keep that up – not for 40 minutes," Booker said. And Boyle knew it, too, provided his team stepped up its ball-screen defense. That's what happened in the second half, "and it was the key," Boyle said. "They're so athletic and fast, it was hard for us to get a hand in their face."
But before the ball-screen 'D' improved, with the Buffs getting through screens and contesting UGA's shooters "it was like shooting fish in a barrel" in the first half, Boyle said. The Bulldogs were playing the final contest of a four-game road swing, but if they were weary it didn't show in their first-half shooting. At the end of their three-point surge – and with a couple of two-point baskets by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Donte' Williams – the Bulldogs were up 26-14 and had their largest lead of the half.
But if Boyle told his players that the visitors couldn't continue to bomb away as they had in the game's first 9:45, he was right. And when the Bulldogs cooled, the Buffs made their move. Roberson got them going with five consecutive points – a nice scoop from the right side of the basket, a steal/stuff and a free throw.
CU kept applying defensive pressure and whittling at Georgia's lead, and with 3:12 left before intermission, Brown's trey from the right wing tied the score at 30-30. But the Bulldogs, who had lost two of their last three – including a 70-46 blowout by No. 18 California, responded with an 8-4 surge to close out the half and led 38-34 heading to their locker room. After its torrid start from beyond the arc, Georgia was at 50 percent (6-of-12) from long range at halftime.
After CU adjusted its ball-screen defense in the second half, the Bulldogs finished the night at 40 percent (10-of-25) from beyond the arc. The good news for the Buffs was going to the free throw line 37 times, the bad news was making just 22 of those attempts.
"We got to the free throw line, now we've just got to make them," Boyle said. "We just need to get in the gym, get confidence and have the gumption to knock them down. I'd like to say another word, but gumption's a good one."
Dinwiddie and Booker showed big, ah, gumption, hitting 13 of 16 free throws between them. Dinwiddie missed only one of his eight attempts, Booker only two of his eight. If Boyle wasn't overly happy with the Buffs' 15 missed free throws that essentially allowed the Bulldogs to stay in the game, he was ecstatic about his bunch committing a season-low seven turnovers against an aggressive, athletic opponent.
After trailing for the first half's last 14:16 – with the exception of the 30-30 tie – the Buffs hit the "ON" button early in the second half, outscoring the Bulldogs 11-1 in the first 4 minutes to take a 45-39 lead.
The damage was done by Brown, who scored five points, and Roberson, Dinwiddie and Nate Tomlinson, who contributed a field goal each. After managing only a free throw by Donte' Williams at the 18:52 mark of the last half, UGA finally got a three-pointer by Nemanja Djurisic – it was the Bulldogs' first trey since midway through the first half – and cut the Buffs' advantage to 45-42 with 12:30 to play.
Just over a minute later, Dustin Ware followed with another trey and the score was tied at 45-45. Over the next 90 seconds, it was Booker's show. He drew three fouls in under a minute and scored CU's next seven points – a field goal, two free throws and a conventional three-point play – and allowed the Buffs to break the tie and go up 52-47 with 10:03 remaining.
"It was just a spark for us," Booker said. "That's my role, come off the bench and spark the team as soon as possible, as fast as I can." After snatching a rebound, Roberson added an up-and-under basket, was fouled and converted for a 57-52 lead, and when Tomlinson buried a three from the right wing the Buffs were up 60-52 with 4:47 left.
A minute later, Shane Harris-Tunks scored off an in-bounds play and CU had its first double-digit lead (62-52) of the night. When a Tomlinson free throw pushed the advantage to 11 (63-52) with 2:52 showing, the Bulldogs were close to done. But not quite . . . UGA closed to 68-64 in the final 10.4 seconds before Tomlinson hit one of two free throws to push the Buffs up 69-64. A Vincent Williams layup with 5 seconds left brought the Bulldogs to 69-66 before Booker hit one of two free throws at 4.5 to give the Buffs their four-point margin (70-66).
Georgia needed more than Williams' layup at the buzzer – but that's all the Dawgs got. The Buffs travel to Fort Collins to play Colorado State on Wednesday (6 p.m., the mtn), an always difficult trip that Boyle calls "a big game for us. If we can sneak out with a win, the schedule sets up for this team. We don't go on the road again until Jan. 12 (at California). But Colorado State is going to be a great challenge for our guys."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
