Colorado
15-11,5-8Pac-12
Washington State
11-14,4-9Pac-12
Buffs Roll Past Washington State, 81-49
February 12, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — History suggested the Colorado-Washington State game Sunday night might be a close one.
The Buffs didn't let history have a say. Colorado put together perhaps its most complete game of the season on both ends of the floor, rolling to an 81-49 win at home, the Buffs' fifth victory in their last six games.
Colorado improved to 15-11 overall and 5-8 in Pac-12 play while the Cougars, who lost for the fifth time in their last six games, fell to 11-14, 4-9.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The last time the two teams met, the Buffs dropped a 91-89 overtime decision — the third overtime contest between the two teams in their last five meetings.
The Buffs never gave overtime a chance in this one. CU used a 13-0 run late in the first half to build a 33-17 lead and take a 37-24 edge into the locker room at halftime. Colorado then scored the first seven points of the second half and the Cougars never came closer than 15 again, with the Buffs building the margin to as much as 35 down the stretch.
"That was our best all-around performance we've had all year," head coach Tad Boyle said. "There's not a lot of things I can point to as a coach that I was disappointed in. I thought our guys defended, they rebounded, we turned them over 24 times and we had 16 assists and 11 turnovers, a good ratio. Overall it was a great team effort."
Indeed, the Buffs dominated in virtually every facet of the game. Four Buffs scored in double figures, led by Derrick White, who finished with 23 points, three assists and three steals. George King and Tory Miller both added 11 points and four rebounds while Bryce Peters had 12 points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals as CU shot 51.6 percent from the floor (32-for-62).
Defensively, the Buffs were equally dominant. Colorado forced WSU into a season-high 24 turnovers — nine more than in any previous Pac-12 game — and CU converted those miscues into 34 points. The Buffs also had a 37-24 edge on the boards and held Washington State to just 38.6 percent shooting (17-for-44).
"I thought they just completely took us out of everything," WSU head coach Ernie Kent said. "We couldn't run our offense and couldn't handle the ball. We didn't handle their defensive intensity. … Defensively, they were at another level. That's not the same team we saw in Pullman. If they keep playing that way, they're going to cause a lot of teams problems."
The difference between the Jan. 21 loss at WSU and Sunday night's win couldn't be more dramatic. In the first game, the Cougars shot 53 percent from the field (35-for-65), including 50 percent from 3-point range. Sunday, they managed only 44 shots and made just 17.
The explanation, White said, is simple.
"We guarded," the CU senior said. "They scored 91 points (in WSU) and tonight they scored 49 points. We've committed to the defensive end. We talked about it early but we really didn't commit to it. So these last few games, starting with the Oregon game, we committed to the defensive end and that is the reason we're on this run right now."
The Buffs put Sunday's game away late in the first half with the 13-0 run. King started the run with a baseline drive and two-handed jam. Miller then added a bucket inside, Peters hit a 3-pointer and Lucas Siewert then looped in a turnaround jump-hook before Josh Fortune closed the run with another 3-pointer, giving Colorado a 33-17 lead with 2:40 to go in the half.
Colorado led 37-24 at the half, then scored the first seven points of the second half to bump the lead to 20. WSU managed to briefly cut the lead to 15, but Colorado quickly regained control and steadily built the lead for the rest of the game, pushing it to as much as 35 in the final minutes.
CU also turned in another solid game in the paint. Senior Wesley Gordon returned after a two-game suspension and finished with seven points and seven rebounds, and along with Miller, accounted for 18 of the Buffs 42 points inside. Gordon and Miller also did a solid job on WSU big men Josh Hawkinson and Conor Clifford, limiting the duo to just 12 points. Hawkinson's eight points were only the fourth time this season he's been held to single digits.
TURNING POINT: Colorado went on a 13-0 run to break open a relatively close game in the first half, turning a 20-17 lead into a 33-17 margin. The Cougars never threatened again.
WHAT IT MEANS: With five wins in their last six games, the Buffs still hold onto hopes for a postseason bid. Colorado has five games remaining — two at the Oregon schools next week followed by the last three regular season contests at home. A 20-win season is still within reach, as is a hot streak down the stretch — something that can catch the eye of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
CU STANDOUTS: Derrick White had 23 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. … Bryce Peters had 12 points, two assists, two steals and two rebounds. … Tory Miller had 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting and four rebounds. … George King had 11 points, four rebounds, one block and one steal.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs forced 24 turnovers and reaped 34 points off the miscues while turning the ball over just 11 times, which WSU could convert into just five points. … The Buffs had a 42-14 edge in the paint against Washington's big lineup. … Colorado had a 37-24 rebounding edge.
NOTEWORTHY: Colorado had 12 steals Sunday, following up a 10-steal effort against Washington. It's the first time the Buffs have had back-to-back double-digit steals games in conference play since 2010 and the first time in the Tad Boyle era. … Miller is shooting 40-for-63 in Pac-12 play (63.4 percent) and his 11 rebounds tied his season high. Sunday was his fourth straight double-figure scoring game. … The Buffs never trailed in the game. … Coaches and players from the Tom Miller era, who held a reunion this weekend, were introduced during the game. … The Buffs are 11-0 when holding an opponent under 70 points this season. … CU now leads the all-time series with WSU 10-3, including a 9-2 mark in Pac-12 games. … Gordon is now in a four-way tie for seventh on CU's all-time list of games played with 123 while Xavier Johnson is in a five-way tie for 13th in career starts with 89. … White had his 10th 20-plus point scoring night. … Peters has scored in double digits in four of his last six games.
QUOTEWORTHY: "A great team victory. We talked all week long about the mantra, 'It's not about you, it's about us.' That's the mindset we want every player on our team to have. It's not about you individually, it's about us as a team. If we can buy into that down the stretch here, we can have a lot of success." — CU head coach Tad Boyle.
"You keep looking at their defensive numbers coming down and now I know why. They're a very physical team. See how they beat Oregon — that's the kind of intensity they played with tonight." — WSU head coach Ernie Kent
NEXT UP: CU heads to Oregon for its final two road games of the year, playing at Oregon State on Thursday in a 7 p.m. game, then at Oregon on Saturday in a 1 p.m. contest. The Buffs then finishes the regular season with three games at home: Utah (Feb. 23), Stanford (March 2) and Cal (March 4).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
