Photo by: Joel Broida
Buffs’ Offensive, Free Throw Shooting Woes Take Toll In 72-58 Loss
November 30, 2016 | Men's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
CSU hands CU first home loss of 2016-17 men's basketball season
BOULDER – A sub-par night offensively and from the free throw line, plus a stifling Colorado State defense, made Wednesday night a miserable one for the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center.
The Rams rolled over the Buffs 72-58, handing CU its second loss of the season (5-2) and snapping a 12-game winning streak at the CEC. The Buffs' 58 points were a season low and their fewest at home since a 56-54 loss to Utah on Jan. 8, 2016 -- also their last home loss.
CSU (6-1) made 17 of its first 18 free throw attempts, finishing 26-of-33, while CU was 17-of-31 from the foul line (54.8 percent) and only 19-of-59 (a season-low 32.2 percent) from the field.
"You've got to find a way to win this game ugly . . . Colorado State makes the game ugly," CU coach Tad Boyle said. "They're a very physical team (and) I've got a lot of respect for them . . . we weren't mentally tough enough tonight to win ugly."
CU senior Wesley Gordon believed the Buffs "underestimated (their) guys and they came out and handed it to us . . . we lost to a team we should have beat. If we don't come out to play that's what's going to happen every game."
Derrick White led the Buffs with 17 points and Gordon added 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. CSU had four players in double figures, topped by Emmanuel Omogbo's 15.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs led by as many as six points on two occasions in the first half, the last being 17-11 on a baseline drive and basket by Thomas Akayzili.
But the Rams didn't roll over. Instead, behind nine points by Ombogo, they reeled off an 11-2 run and finally overtook the Buffs 24-21 on Ombogo's only third trey of the season. CU would trail the rest of the night.
CSU's lead grew to 30-25 – its largest of the first half – on two free throws by 6-11 freshman Nico Carvacho with :58 seconds left before intermission.
Tory Miller brought the Buffs to within 30-27 with 17.9 seconds left in the half on a lay-in. But he missed a free throw that would have given him a 3-point and pulled CU to within a basket at the half.
Instead, the Buffs trailed 30-27, and they could point to 2-of-7 free throw shooting and disjointed offensive play (11-of-25 from the field, 44 percent) compounded by nine turnovers (14 for the night) as the main culprits.
Boyle called his team's 14 missed free throws "a big factor tonight. It started in the first half and it bled over to the second half. That could have gotten us back into the game, maybe tied the score or got us a lead."
The Rams regained their five-point advantage (32-27) on a driving layup by Carvacho to open the second half. And Carvacho wasn't done. With the shot clock dwindling to 2 seconds, he drained a 3-pointer that preceded another trey by Omogbo and a layup by Prentiss Nixon.
Suddenly, CSU was up 40-31 with 15:57 remaining. And CU had one second-half field goal – a stuff by Xavier Johnson – and a pair of free throws. The Rams were on a 10-4 run and weren't slowing down – or at that point being slowed down by the Buffs.
That was about to change – but only temporarily. Over the next 5:30 CU outscored the visitors 9-2 and crept to within 42-40 on a conventional 3-point play by Akayzili, who was fouled on a layup.
But by the half's halfway point, the Rams maintained a 46-40 lead and the Buffs were still struggling at the free throw line. And what had been an inconsistent CU offense took a hit when George King went to the bench with his fourth foul with 8:12 to play and the Buffs still trailing by six (48-42).
There was time enough for CU to pull it together, but a spark was needed. Wesley Gordon tried to provide it with a put-back (48-44) but he missed a free throw and yet another 3-point play opportunity slipped away.
"It was a four-point game and we were making a comeback," Boyle said. "We get a steal on our press then we turn it right back over to them and they get a layup. It could have gone to two, the crowd was into it. It's just really disappointing. We just couldn't get over that hump."
The Rams increased their lead to seven points – 56-49 – on a pair of free throws by junior college transfer Che Bob with 4:35 remaining. White connected on a pair of foul shots 15 seconds later, reducing the Buffs' deficit to 56-51.
But Bob hit one of two free throws – his miss was CSU's first of the night after hitting 18 in a row – for another six-point Rams lead (57-51). The Buffs had 3:53 to make their comeback and avoid their first homecourt loss of the season.
A 3-pointer from the left wing by Wesley Paige with just over 3 minutes to play, one of two free throws by Bob and a layup by Devocio Butler pushed CSU's lead to 12 points – 63-51.
The Rams would push their lead to 16 with 1:08 remaining, and the night was all but over for the Buffs.
"We got our heads down and they stayed down," Boyle said. "We didn't have anyone who could pick us up and make a big play . . . Portland isn't going to feel sorry for us; they're licking their chops with a Pac-12 team coming into their gym."
TURNING POINT: CSU overcame a six-point first-half CU lead with an 11-2 run, going up 24-21 and never trailing again. Omogbo scored nine of the 11 points.
CU STANDOUTS: Derrick White scored a team-best 17 points, with 6 rebounds and two assists; Wesley Gordon scored 11 points and had 9 of CU's 46 rebounds and blocked three shots.
KEY STATISTIC: CU shot 17-of-31 from the free throw line, CSU 26-of-33 – including making 17 straight.
WHAT IT MEANS: Launching a pivotal four-game non-conference stretch, the Buffs obviously have work ahead of them in all areas – particularly regaining their offensive rhythm and their free throw shooting touches.
NOTEWORTHY: The Buffs had won 14 straight games against non-conference opponents, with their last loss also against CSU (62-60 on Dec. 10, 2014) . . . . CU senior Derrick White opened the night needing six points to reach 2,000 for his career. In his first season in Boulder, the bulk of his scoring was done from 2012-15 at UCCS (Colorado Springs). He totaled 82 points in the first six games (13.7 ppg) . . . . White reached 2,000 with a conventional 3-point play that put CU up 11-6 with 12:31 left in the first half . . . . Junior forward Tory Miller returned to the lineup after missing the Wofford win on Sunday with a foot injury . . . . Xavier Johnson, who scored 27 points in Sunday's win, finished with six Wednesday night and fouled out with 2:07 left . . . . CU won the board battle 46-37; it was the first time in six games the Buffs had a rebounding edge but lost . . . . Gordon has grabbed at least nine rebounds ini six of seven games this season . . . . The Buffs were the Rams' second Pac-12 opponent this season. CSU lost 56-49 at Stanford on Nov. 20. CU plays at Stanford on Feb. 2 . . . . The Buffs opened the 2016 football season with a 44-7 rout of the Rams. Of course, CU students remembered; several signs touting that score were held aloft in the student section.
NEXT UP: The Buffs play at Portland on Saturday (8 p.m. MST, TV TBA). They return to the CEC on Wednesday, Dec. 7, playing host to Xavier (7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
The Rams rolled over the Buffs 72-58, handing CU its second loss of the season (5-2) and snapping a 12-game winning streak at the CEC. The Buffs' 58 points were a season low and their fewest at home since a 56-54 loss to Utah on Jan. 8, 2016 -- also their last home loss.
CSU (6-1) made 17 of its first 18 free throw attempts, finishing 26-of-33, while CU was 17-of-31 from the foul line (54.8 percent) and only 19-of-59 (a season-low 32.2 percent) from the field.
"You've got to find a way to win this game ugly . . . Colorado State makes the game ugly," CU coach Tad Boyle said. "They're a very physical team (and) I've got a lot of respect for them . . . we weren't mentally tough enough tonight to win ugly."
CU senior Wesley Gordon believed the Buffs "underestimated (their) guys and they came out and handed it to us . . . we lost to a team we should have beat. If we don't come out to play that's what's going to happen every game."
Derrick White led the Buffs with 17 points and Gordon added 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. CSU had four players in double figures, topped by Emmanuel Omogbo's 15.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs led by as many as six points on two occasions in the first half, the last being 17-11 on a baseline drive and basket by Thomas Akayzili.
But the Rams didn't roll over. Instead, behind nine points by Ombogo, they reeled off an 11-2 run and finally overtook the Buffs 24-21 on Ombogo's only third trey of the season. CU would trail the rest of the night.
CSU's lead grew to 30-25 – its largest of the first half – on two free throws by 6-11 freshman Nico Carvacho with :58 seconds left before intermission.
Tory Miller brought the Buffs to within 30-27 with 17.9 seconds left in the half on a lay-in. But he missed a free throw that would have given him a 3-point and pulled CU to within a basket at the half.
Instead, the Buffs trailed 30-27, and they could point to 2-of-7 free throw shooting and disjointed offensive play (11-of-25 from the field, 44 percent) compounded by nine turnovers (14 for the night) as the main culprits.
Boyle called his team's 14 missed free throws "a big factor tonight. It started in the first half and it bled over to the second half. That could have gotten us back into the game, maybe tied the score or got us a lead."
The Rams regained their five-point advantage (32-27) on a driving layup by Carvacho to open the second half. And Carvacho wasn't done. With the shot clock dwindling to 2 seconds, he drained a 3-pointer that preceded another trey by Omogbo and a layup by Prentiss Nixon.
Suddenly, CSU was up 40-31 with 15:57 remaining. And CU had one second-half field goal – a stuff by Xavier Johnson – and a pair of free throws. The Rams were on a 10-4 run and weren't slowing down – or at that point being slowed down by the Buffs.
That was about to change – but only temporarily. Over the next 5:30 CU outscored the visitors 9-2 and crept to within 42-40 on a conventional 3-point play by Akayzili, who was fouled on a layup.
But by the half's halfway point, the Rams maintained a 46-40 lead and the Buffs were still struggling at the free throw line. And what had been an inconsistent CU offense took a hit when George King went to the bench with his fourth foul with 8:12 to play and the Buffs still trailing by six (48-42).
There was time enough for CU to pull it together, but a spark was needed. Wesley Gordon tried to provide it with a put-back (48-44) but he missed a free throw and yet another 3-point play opportunity slipped away.
"It was a four-point game and we were making a comeback," Boyle said. "We get a steal on our press then we turn it right back over to them and they get a layup. It could have gone to two, the crowd was into it. It's just really disappointing. We just couldn't get over that hump."
The Rams increased their lead to seven points – 56-49 – on a pair of free throws by junior college transfer Che Bob with 4:35 remaining. White connected on a pair of foul shots 15 seconds later, reducing the Buffs' deficit to 56-51.
But Bob hit one of two free throws – his miss was CSU's first of the night after hitting 18 in a row – for another six-point Rams lead (57-51). The Buffs had 3:53 to make their comeback and avoid their first homecourt loss of the season.
A 3-pointer from the left wing by Wesley Paige with just over 3 minutes to play, one of two free throws by Bob and a layup by Devocio Butler pushed CSU's lead to 12 points – 63-51.
The Rams would push their lead to 16 with 1:08 remaining, and the night was all but over for the Buffs.
"We got our heads down and they stayed down," Boyle said. "We didn't have anyone who could pick us up and make a big play . . . Portland isn't going to feel sorry for us; they're licking their chops with a Pac-12 team coming into their gym."
TURNING POINT: CSU overcame a six-point first-half CU lead with an 11-2 run, going up 24-21 and never trailing again. Omogbo scored nine of the 11 points.
CU STANDOUTS: Derrick White scored a team-best 17 points, with 6 rebounds and two assists; Wesley Gordon scored 11 points and had 9 of CU's 46 rebounds and blocked three shots.
KEY STATISTIC: CU shot 17-of-31 from the free throw line, CSU 26-of-33 – including making 17 straight.
WHAT IT MEANS: Launching a pivotal four-game non-conference stretch, the Buffs obviously have work ahead of them in all areas – particularly regaining their offensive rhythm and their free throw shooting touches.
NOTEWORTHY: The Buffs had won 14 straight games against non-conference opponents, with their last loss also against CSU (62-60 on Dec. 10, 2014) . . . . CU senior Derrick White opened the night needing six points to reach 2,000 for his career. In his first season in Boulder, the bulk of his scoring was done from 2012-15 at UCCS (Colorado Springs). He totaled 82 points in the first six games (13.7 ppg) . . . . White reached 2,000 with a conventional 3-point play that put CU up 11-6 with 12:31 left in the first half . . . . Junior forward Tory Miller returned to the lineup after missing the Wofford win on Sunday with a foot injury . . . . Xavier Johnson, who scored 27 points in Sunday's win, finished with six Wednesday night and fouled out with 2:07 left . . . . CU won the board battle 46-37; it was the first time in six games the Buffs had a rebounding edge but lost . . . . Gordon has grabbed at least nine rebounds ini six of seven games this season . . . . The Buffs were the Rams' second Pac-12 opponent this season. CSU lost 56-49 at Stanford on Nov. 20. CU plays at Stanford on Feb. 2 . . . . The Buffs opened the 2016 football season with a 44-7 rout of the Rams. Of course, CU students remembered; several signs touting that score were held aloft in the student section.
NEXT UP: The Buffs play at Portland on Saturday (8 p.m. MST, TV TBA). They return to the CEC on Wednesday, Dec. 7, playing host to Xavier (7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
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