Colorado
4-0
Drake
2-1
Buffs Top Drake To Advance To Paradise Jam Title Game
November 18, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
LYNCHBURG, Va. — One night after a furious comeback produced a buzzer-beating win over Quinnipiac, the Colorado Buffaloes withstood an opponent's rally to claim an 86-81 win over Drake on Saturday in the Paradise Jam semifinals.
The Buffs led by as many as 17 points the second half, but saw that lead whittled down to one before rebuilding their lead down the stretch.
Now 4-0, Colorado will meet 4-1 Mercer, a 78-59 winner over Drexel, in Sunday's 6:30 p.m. championship game.
CU freshman McKinley Wright IV just missed his first collegiate double-double, finishing with 21 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Junior Namon Wright added 19 points and three rebounds and senior George King added 14 points and seven rebounds.
Reed Timmer led Drake with 28 points, including a 16-for-18 night from the free throw line.
"Last night we didn't panic when we were down," head coach Tad Boyle said of his Buffs, who overcame a 13-point deficit in the final four minutes against Quinnipiac to collect a 70-69 win. "Tonight we were up and they made a run and we didn't panic. We staved them off and I'm really proud of this team."
HOW IT HAPPENED: After taking an eight-point lead at intermission, the Buffs threatened to blow the game open early in the second half, jumping out to a 17-point lead after a Deleon Brown 3-pointer gave Colorado a 52-35 edge.
But the Bulldogs, much as they did one night earlier against Wake Forest, battled back. Drake put together a 23-7 run and with 7:54 to go in the game, the Bulldogs had cut Colorado's cushion down to one, 59-58, thanks in large part to regular trips to the free throw line. The Bulldogs were 25-for-31 from the free throw line, including 20-for-24 in the second half.
"In the second half they just started driving it and the whistles started blowing," Boyle said. "We have to do a better job with that. But it's hard to guard in college basketball now because any contact going to the rim seems like it's going to be on the defense."
The Buffs, however, regained their composure. After Drake had cut the lead to 59-58, Colorado went on an 18-9 run over the next five minutes to bump the cushion back to 10, 77-67, with just more than three minutes to go. McKinley Wright, who fouled out late in the game, had seven of the first eight points in the run, then finished it with a 3-pointer. Also getting key buckets in the surge were Namon Wright (five points) and Tory Miller-Stewart.
CU then kept the Bulldogs at bay down the stretch, getting buckets from Dominique Collier and Miller-Stewart, plus a handful of free throws in the final minute.
"They never gave up," Namon Wright said. "It was a great learning experience for us. We know how to play hard now."
Once again, the Buffs did not shoot the ball well from 3-point range. After going 4-for-20 from beyond the arc Friday, they hit just four of 17 tries Saturday. CU was also outrebounded, 32-30, but the Buffs outscored the Bulldogs 50-26 in the paint and also had an 8-0 edge on fastbreak points.
"We got away from each other a little and we let up on the defensive end," McKinley Wright said. "We're supposed to put our foot down and we let off the gas a little. Next time we have a lead like that, we can't let up."
The Buffs finished with 15 assists after having just seven in Friday's 70-69 win over Quinnipiac.
Colorado led by as much as 15 in the first half when a Namon Wright layup gave CU a 31-16 edge with 6:28 to go. Colorado then went cold, going without a field goal over the last 5 minutes of the half, but still held a 39-31 edge at intermission thanks to hitting six of eight free throws in the final three minutes.
CU shot 14-for-27 from the field in the first half, but just 2-for-10 from 3-point range.
TURNING POINT: After the Bulldogs had closed a 17-point CU lead to one, the Buffs responded with an 18-9 run over a five-minute span to go back up by 10, 77-67, with just more than three minutes to play.
WHAT IT MEANS: The game provided another learning experience for the young Buffs. One game after having to come back from a double-digit deficit, they had to withstand a big rally from an opponent and keep their composure — another valuable lesson.
CU STANDOUTS: McKinley Wright IV had 21 points, nine assists, five rebounds and a steal. … Namon Wright scored 19 points and added three rebounds, an assist and a steal. … George King had 14 points and seven rebounds. … Tory Miller-Stewart scored 11 points and grabbed two rebounds. … Deleon Brown had seven points and four rebounds. … Lucas Siewert had seven points and three rebounds.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs outscored the Bulldogs 50-26 in the paint while shooting 27-for-38 from 2-point range.
NOTEWORTHY: This is Colorado's first 4-0 start since the 2012-13 season, when CU started out 6-0, including a win in the Charleston Classic. … Lucas Siewert left the game in the second half with an ankle sprain. That, Boyle said, will mean more time for redshirt freshman Dallas Walton.
QUOTEWORTHY: "He plays both sides of the ball. He's not just an offensive player. He's a terrific defender. He learned some things tonight defensively, what you can get away with, what you can't get away with. There were a couple ticky-tacks that got him there at the end . But I can't say enough about him and our guys feed off of him. He's the best freshman in the country that nobody's talking about. But he's opening up some eyes." — CU head coach Tad Boyle on freshman McKinley Wright
"Now I know what I can get away with on defense — can't swipe down. Guys are smart. They cut and throw their hands into you. I learned a lot of things on the defensive end." — McKinley Wright
"Mercer is by far the best team we've played this year. It's not even close. They start five seniors, they're a veteran team, they're well-coached. They play with great grit and toughness and we're going to have to execute well both offensively and defensively. They're a really good team." — Tad Boyle
NEXT UP: The Buffs meet Mercer in a 6:30 p.m. game Sunday for the Paradise Jam championship. In other games Saturday, Mercer beat Drexel 78-59, Wake Forest beat Quinnipiac 72-55 and Houston beat Liberty, 68-66.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
