Colorado
7-2
Xavier
7-2
Buffs Rally To Knock Off No. 13 Xavier
December 07, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — One week after one of the most disappointing losses in the Tad Boyle era at Colorado, Boyle's Buffaloes bounced back in a big way Wednesday night.
A barrage of CU 3-pointers erased an eight-point deficit midway through the second half and senior Derrick White made some big plays down the stretch to lead the Buffs to a 68-66 win over No. 13 Xavier at the Coors Events Center.
"Great win for our program and certainly for our league," Boyle said. "We knew it was going to be a helluva game. They battled, they scratched, they're tough. I've got a lot of respect for Xavier — that's why this win is such a big win for our program."
The win won't completely erase the sting of last week's loss to Colorado State, a defeat the Buffs know could still have an impact when it comes time for NCAA Tournament selection in March.
But Wednesday night's win will also have an equally positive impact, coming against a team that entered the week with a No. 8 NCAA RPI.
"We talked a lot in film sessions, talked a lot in practice, talked a lot in meetings about players have to make plays," Boyle said. "Tonight our players made plays. Down the stretch, that's the Derrick White I've been talking about, our fans have been expecting to see. He was terrific down the stretch. 'X' (Xavier Johnson) made some big plays for us, Wesley (Gordon) made some good passes, George made a big 3 there to put us up one and get the momentum going. Big win."
Indeed, the Buffs received big contributions from a variety of players. White finished with 23 points and six rebounds, Johnson had 18 points and seven rebounds and King recorded his third double-double in the last six games, a 16-point 10-rebound effort.
But it was White who made the biggest difference down the stretch with two baskets and a big blocked shot in the final 1:13 to help secure the win.
"Last year we lost a lot of close ones," White said. "So we just want to focus on finishing down the stretch and we were able to finish here."
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs looked to be ready to take control late in the first half when a White 3-pointer gave CU a 28-23 lead with 2:57 left in the half.
But that brought on a Xavier timeout, and the Musketeers then answered with an 8-0 run to end the half and an 8-2 run to start the second half. Trevon Bluiett had four 3-pointers in the Xavier surge as CU's five-point lead turned into a nine-point deficit, 39-30, in a five-minute span.
The Buffs, though, refused to let the game get away. Trailing 47-39, Colorado went on a 15-0 run to take a 54-47 lead at the 5:57 mark. Xavier Johnson had two 3-pointers in the run and White and George King each had one, with King's trey giving the Buffs a 48-47 lead, their first since the first half.
At the same time, Colorado ratcheted up its defense. The Buffs put together eight straight defensive stops in the run, including a pair of turnovers.
"It's all about getting stops," White said. "We went on a run there where they didn't get buckets. That's the reason we got back in the game and that's the reason we won. It's all about defense."
The Musketeers didn't go away quietly. They quickly shaved CU's seven-point lead back down to three at several different junctures, but the Buffs held them at bay down the stretch.
A White basket with 1:08 remaining and the shot clock ticking down to zero gave CU a 65-60 lead. Bluiettt cut the margin to 65-63 with a basket and free throw but White answered with another bucket with 29.2 remaining to put the lead back to four, 67-63.
Xavier's Edmond Sumner then missed one of two free throws to cut CU's lead to three and the Buffs turned it over on the inbounds. But White then blocked a Quentin Goodin layup, a Bluiett 3-pointer bounced long and King grabbed his 10th rebound of the night before taking a foul.
King hit one of two free throws with six seconds left to clinch the game before Xavier hit a layup at the buzzer to complete the scoring.
The Buffs managed to collect the win despite missing big man Wesley Gordon for some key stretches because of foul trouble. Gordon and Johnson both found themselves on the bench late in the second half with four fouls, leaving the rebounding to King and White.
TURNING POINT: CU's 15-0 run midway through the second half changed momentum for good and brought the crowd of 7,743 alive. The Buffs hit four 3-pointers in the stretch and also produced eight consecutive defensive stops.
CU STANDOUTS: Derrick White had 23 points, six rebounds and four assists. … Xavier Johnson had 18 points and seven rebounds. … George King had a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. … Wesley Gordon had just four rebounds but also had a team-high five assists.
KEY STATISTICS: After starting 1-for-9 from 3-point range, the Buffs hit eight of their next 11. … CU shot 44.6 percent from the field while holding Xavier to just 37.7 percent, including just 7-for-27 from 3-point range. … The Buffs had opened the game hitting just one of nine attempts from beyond the arc; they then hit eight of their final 11.
WHAT IT MEANS: After a disappointing loss a week ago to Colorado State at home, the Buffs bounced back with one of their biggest nonconference wins in years with solid defense and balanced scoring.
NOTEWORTHY: Colorado has now won its last two games against ranked opponents, with a win over No. 22 Texas coming earlier in the season. It's the first time the Buffs have beaten two ranked opponents in the same year since 2013-14. Boyle's teams have now recorded 14 wins over ranked foes, accounting for 24 percent of CU's wins in that category (58) since 1949-50. … CU won for the first time in five games when losing the rebounding battle (41-36). … Johnson was 3-for-4 from 3-point range and hit his 100th career trey in the game. Johnson is now 25th on CU's all-time scoring list (1,123). … King's double-double was his third of the season and fourth of his career. His 3-for-4 night from 3-point range came on the heels of 0-for-6 in the last two games. … White recorded CU personal highs in points and field goals made and attempted (9-of-17). … Gordon made his 100th career start, 10th on CU's all-time list. … Tory Miller did not play because of a lingering ankle injury. … Dom Collier missed his seventh straight game with a foot injury.
MOMENT OF SILENCE: A moment of silence was held before the game in honor of late Buffs football star Rashaan Salaam. The Heisman Trophy winner died earlier this week at age 42.
QUOTEWORTHY: "That's absolutely what I was envisioning with him coming here. You have to have that at the highest level of college basketball. If you don't have players who can make plays down the stretch you're not going to win games like this and tonight we made the plays." — CU coach Tad Boyle on Derrick White.
"Colorado was better than we were. They generated some easy opportunities that are unacceptable from our end. … I thought they stepped up and made some big-time plays and some big-time shots; we didn't necessarily do that." — Xavier coach Chris Mack.
"We wanted to get this one back from the Colorado State loss, so yeah, this made it up. But it also gave our team confidence, so we're on the rise right now." — CU senior Wesley Gordon.
"I think we learned we can compete at a high level, which I think we already knew but it is better going out and doing it rather than talking about it." — CU junior George King.
NEXT UP: The Buffs head back out on the road for an 8 p.m. Saturday game at BYU (ESPN2). They then have a week off for final exams before returning home for a Dec 17 noon game with Fort Hays State.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
