Colorado
14-11, 4-8Pac-12
Washington
9-15, 2-10Pac-12
Buffs Roll To Win Over Huskies, 81-66
February 09, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Both Colorado and Washington were missing some firepower Thursday night in their Pac-12 matchup at the Coors Events Center.
But the Buffs had plenty of other weapons while the Huskies … not so much.
The result was an 81-66 Colorado win, with the Buffs getting six players in double-figure scoring, led by George King's 21-point, 12-rebound double-double.
The win, a little payback for an overtime loss in Seattle earlier this season, was CU's fourth in the last five games and improved the Buffs' record to 14-11 overall and 4-8 in Pac-12 play. The Huskies lost their sixth in a row to fall to 9-15, 2-10.
Washington played without the Pac-12's leading scorer, freshman Markelle Fultz, who sat out with a knee injury. The Buffs played without seniors Xavier Johnson and Wesley Gordon, both of whom missed their second straight game because of a violation of team rules.
The Huskies obviously greatly missed Fultz, who scored 37 points against the Buffs in their first game.
The Buffs, however, had plenty of balance to make up for the absence of the two seniors. Along with King's 21 points, Derrick White added 16, Lucas Siewert had 12, Tory Miller had 11 and Dominique Collier and Bryce Peters each had 10.
David Crisp led Washington with 17 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs were in control for most of this one, breaking open a tight game nine minutes into the first half to build a double-digit lead that hit as much as 14 in the first half and was still at 11 at halftime, 42-31.
In their first meeting this year, the Buffs saw the Huskies erase a 15-point Colorado lead at the half to come back and force overtime, then collect the win in the extra period.
Thursday, the Buffs never let the Huskies back in the game. Colorado built the lead to as much as 16, 59-43, midway through the second half and while the Huskies did manage to momentarily close the gap to seven with just more than five minutes to go, Colorado quickly answered with an 11-0 run to seal the victory.
Siewert hit a 3-pointer to start the run, then grabbed a defensive rebound to lead to a White bucket. Peters continued the run with a drive down the lane and dunk before King hit two free throws and a basket to put the game away. CU's defense, meanwhile, forced five straight empty possessions in the run.
"It was a good victory for us," head coach Tad Boyle said. "I thought we played well, even though we were shorthanded a few guys. We had six guys in double figures, 15 assists and eight turnovers, which is a really good ratio. I really thought the guys played together and shared the ball offensively, and we finally got some stops there at the end to get the victory. Overall it was a great team victory."
King's stat line was no doubt the standout of the night, as he continued to be Colorado's leading rebounder in Pac-12 play.
But the Buffs had plenty of help from other players, a necessity on a night when Johnson and Gordon didn't play.
"Not having Xavier and Wesley out there was a learning experience for everyone involved," Boyle said. "We came back from 23 down at Cal on the road, and they're a really good team and they're tied for third in the conference. And we were able to cut it to five on the road without Johnson or Gordon. Tonight Washington cut the lead to seven and when we came out of the timeout we ran a play were Bryce Peters comes of a screen and finds Lucas Siewert, another freshman, across the court and he knocks it down.
"So some of these freshmen are coming and that's good. And as we go down the stretch run here we've got quality depth. And those guys know that when they're in the game at the Pac-12 level that they can produce and they did that tonight. So the positives that can come out of this is that you're bench guys see their minutes go up and they gain a lot of confidence from that."
Not only did the Buffs get contributions from virtually everyone, they got them at key moments.
Peters started a 10-0 run in the first half that broke an 18-18 tie by following his own miss and collecting a layup. White then added a layup before Peters scored again, this time getting a slam dunk courtesy of a Dominique Collier steal and assist. The Buffs then added four more free throws — two each from Dominique Collier and Tory Miller — to take a 28-18 lead with 8:35 to go in the half.
The Buffs also turned up the defense in that stretch, forcing five consecutive empty UW possessions, including a pair of turnovers — two of Washington's 10 in the first half. The Huskies briefly cut the gap back to six, but Colorado rebuilt the cushion to 14, then took an 11-point edge into the locker room at the half, 42-31.
The Huskies, who have struggled even with Fultz on the floor, had no backup to make up for his absence. Boyle said he found out about an hour before the game that the star freshman wouldn't be playing.
"It was a good thing for us and a bad thing for them," Boyle said. "You hate to see a good player like that not play because he's special and it's unfortunate that our fans didn't get to see him play. However it didn't break my heart."
Boyle also said that Gordon and Johnson would return to the floor for Sunday's game against Washington State.
TURNING POINT: With the score tied at 18-18 nine minutes in, the Buffs went on a 10-0 run and Washington never came closer than seven again.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs have won four of their last five and kept alive their hopes for a strong Pac-12 finish and a postseason berth.
CU STANDOUTS: George King had his sixth double-double of the year and seventh of his career with 21 points and 12 rebounds. … Derrick White had 16 points, four rebounds and three assists. … Bryce Peters had 10 points and six assists. … Dom Collier had 10 points, five assists and four steals. … Tory Miller had 11 points and five rebounds. … Lucas Siewert had 12 points and six rebounds.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs finished with 15 assists and just eight turnovers and outscored UW 48-28 in the paint.
NOTEWORTHY: Boyle collected his 200th career win as a college head coach. … Colorado is now 11-12 all-time against the Huskies and 5-5 since joining the Pac-12. … The six Buffs in double figures was the most for CU this season. … The Buffs have now won four of their last five and during the stretch CU is shooting 46.5 percent from the field while averaging 15.8 assists per game. … Colorado recorded a team season high 10 steals.
QUOTEWORTHY: "The thing about coaching is that the wins are nice, but they're almost a relief. The losses are something I'd like to get rid of. That's why I don't have any hair and what I've got is gray. It doesn't mean a whole lot, other than it's just a number, but it's a round number so people talk about it. I want to win every game as the head coach at Colorado. This is a special place and I'm more concerned about our team winning the last four of five and getting on a roll down the stretch then I am about getting to 200." — CU head coach Tad Boyle
"We've said all year long that the strength for this team is the balance and depth. When someone goes down and people aren't playing, we have people like Lucas and Bryce stepping up. Tommy was huge. Top to bottom we were great so we just have to keep up with that mentality that the strength of this team is the team." — CU senior Derrick White
NEXT UP: The Buffs play host to Washington State on Sunday in a 6:30 p.m. game at the Coors Events Center.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
