Buffs Freshman Peters Makes Most Of First Collegiate Start
January 26, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado freshman Bryce Peters didn't squander the opportunity when he was presented with his first career start Thursday night.
The 6-foot-4 guard scored a career-high 15 points, including three 3-pointers, to go with four rebounds and two assists to help the Buffs to an 85-78 win over Oregon State at the Coors Events Center.
Peters was one of four Buffs who got their first start of the year, joining fellow freshman Lucas Siewert, junior Tory Miller and sophomore Thomas Akyazili. Also in the starting lineup was freshman Deleon Brown, who had started just two of CU's first 20 games.
The newcomers held their own in helping Colorado end a seven-game losing streak, giving the Buffs a lead early in the game and again early in the second half.
Peters and Miller, however, were around for crunch time to help put the game away. Peters' back-to-back 3-pointers gave Colorado an 8-point lead with six minutes to go while Miller (six points, five rebounds) had four points in the final 3:45 to help Colorado rebuild a 10-point lead after the Beavers had pulled to within two.
"I was happy that I was starting because I wanted to prove that not only could I bring energy off the bench from the jump," Peters said. "A lot of the younger guys, me and Tommy (Akyazili) and Deleon (Brown) have a lot of energy built up. We're all jittery and wired and ready to make plays. I think that's how we came out with the win tonight."
Peters finished with career highs in points (15), rebounds (four), 3-pointers (three) and minutes played (23). He also provided an offensive spark when the Buffs needed it.
"Tonight I feel like I was feeling it, had a little Steph Curry inside of me, and just pulled it," Peters said. "I knew that the starters like Derrick (White), George (King) and Xavier (Johnson) get us off to a great start offensively. I wanted to bring that same intensity offensively and put more pressure on the defense as well."
After the game, Boyle said his lineup switch was a "reward."
"That move was more a way to honor and to reward the guys who come to practice every day and who don't get the minutes or haven't gotten the starts," Boyle said. "It's not anything against the guys who have been starting but it was more because the guys who haven't been starting deserved a chance, and I thought that they handled it well."
It was the first time this season that Derrick White, Xavier Johnson and Wesley Gordon did not start, and only the second time for George King to be on the bench at the opening tipoff.
"I think that Derrick White, Xavier Johnson, and George responded really well to not starting tonight," Boyle said.
King finished with a season-high 24 points and three rebounds, Johnson had 10 points and three rebounds, and White had five points, three rebounds and a pair of assists. Gordon finished with just one rebound and two assists in 15 minutes of play.
BUFFS NOTES: Derrick White did not start for the first time in his collegiate career, a span of 108 games at UC-Colorado Springs and CU. … The Buffs are now 13-6 all-time against OSU, including 9-1 in Boulder. … CU has now scored at least 80 points in three straight conference games, the first such streak since the 2006 Big 12 season.
Colorado's 15-for-31 night from the free throw line (48.4 percent) was the lowest percentage by the Buffs since they hit just 37.5 percent (9-for-24) against Arizona State in 2014. … Thanks to Boyle's new starting lineup, Colorado's bench outscored its OSU counterparts 52-4 in the game. … Xavier Johnson is now 16th on CU's all-time scoring list with 1,310 points and tied for 19th in all-time games played (116). … Dom Collier had a season-high three steals, two of which led to Colorado baskets. … Thomas Akyazili tied his career high with six assists. … Lucas Siewert hit a 3-pointer for his first points in Pac-12 play. … Wesley Gordon is now tied for 10th on CU's all-time list of games played with 120.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
