Colorado University Athletics
Colorado's men's basketball team with Dream Team Italy
Buffs Pull Away Late To Beat Dream Team Italy
August 17, 2017 | Men's Basketball
George King Scores 13 Points, Grabs 10 Rebounds
ROME - Few exhibitions are this highly anticipated, but few have as many questions leading into them.
Colorado played its first of four summer-tour games in Italy, featuring a lineup where six of the 11 that played have never suited up for the Buffaloes. Throw in a mixed group of Italian professionals to make up "Dream Team Italy" as the opponent, so scouting opportunities were slim to none.
The questions were never expected to be fully answered after one 40-minute session, but the contest gave head coach Tad Boyle and his staff a first look and their new squad in a game situation.
Colorado had two key spurts in the second and fourth quarters, allowing the Buffaloes to pull away from Dream Team Italy 70-56 Thursday night.
Senior wing George King led Colorado with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman point guard McKinley Wright IV had 12 points and two assists. Senior Dominique Collier fought off foul trouble, but came up huge in Colorado's final stretch finishing with 12 points as well.
"I was pleased with our effort," Boyle said. "For a young team, we've really got to talk more on the floor both offensively and defensively."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the first seven minutes, but Italy quickly erased the Buffaloes advantage, ending the period with a 9-0 run to tie the score at 14-14 at the quarter break.
In the second quarter, King took over, scoring nine points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the field. A King 3-pointer two minutes in, broke a 16-16 tie and sparked the Buffaloes on an 18-5 run. Colorado made 11 of 14 shots (.786) in the quarter, building a 44-29 lead at the half.
Colorado cooled off considerably in the third quarter, allowing Italy to get back in the game. Collier picked up his fourth foul early and the Buffaloes struggled from the field, hitting just 31 percent (4 of 13). Italy took advantage, cutting the Buffaloes' lead to 56-50 at the end of the quarter.
Collier didn't let his foul trouble shake him. Reinserted early in the fourth quarter, he took over during the final run. He scored eight of Colorado's final 14 points attacking offensively, while also staying in control. Collier also had four rebounds and an assist during that stretch.
TURNING POINT: It was Colorado's seniors. While King was at another level in the second quarter, confidently shooting outside and dominating the paint defensively, Collier played like the experienced senior the team needs him to be late. Tory Miller-Stewart pitched in seven points and five rebounds.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado truly didn't know what kind of game they were going to see. Dream Team Italy was an All-Star squad made up of professionals from every level in the country. It was a good start for CU's veterans and a nice starting point for its newcomers.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado was 16-of-27 from the free throw line, a percentage that needs to improve, but the Buffaloes also kept Italy off the line as the Dream Team was just 3 of 7….Wright IV was 5-of-6 from the field with two assists…Freshman Tyler Bey had seven rebounds with four points and four steals. He was 2-for-7 from the field, missing a couple of athletic put-back attempts off offensive rebounds. Bey had the highlight of the night, an Italy turnover in the back court led to a nice feed from Wright on a massive alley-oop jam with Bey soaring above the rim.
QUOTEWORTHY: "We did not rebound the ball the way Colorado teams are expected to rebound the ball. We defended off and on. When we were good, we were good, but we had a lot of silly mistakes defensively." – Head coach Tad Boyle
"He is a baller. He knows how to play; has great change of pace. He's tough, strong, understands the game. He's mature beyond his years. He's going to be a lot of fun to coach." – Boyle on freshman guard McKinley Wright.
"For the most part we played pretty hard, guys competed. I liked our effort and the fact that we all rallied from the adversity and opened up the gap on our leads. That was nice. We need to rebound as a team better. If we rebounded like we did today in our league it's going to be hard for us to win games. We need to make sure we rebound as a team better." – Senior guard George King.
Colorado played its first of four summer-tour games in Italy, featuring a lineup where six of the 11 that played have never suited up for the Buffaloes. Throw in a mixed group of Italian professionals to make up "Dream Team Italy" as the opponent, so scouting opportunities were slim to none.
The questions were never expected to be fully answered after one 40-minute session, but the contest gave head coach Tad Boyle and his staff a first look and their new squad in a game situation.
Colorado had two key spurts in the second and fourth quarters, allowing the Buffaloes to pull away from Dream Team Italy 70-56 Thursday night.
Senior wing George King led Colorado with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman point guard McKinley Wright IV had 12 points and two assists. Senior Dominique Collier fought off foul trouble, but came up huge in Colorado's final stretch finishing with 12 points as well.
"I was pleased with our effort," Boyle said. "For a young team, we've really got to talk more on the floor both offensively and defensively."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the first seven minutes, but Italy quickly erased the Buffaloes advantage, ending the period with a 9-0 run to tie the score at 14-14 at the quarter break.
In the second quarter, King took over, scoring nine points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the field. A King 3-pointer two minutes in, broke a 16-16 tie and sparked the Buffaloes on an 18-5 run. Colorado made 11 of 14 shots (.786) in the quarter, building a 44-29 lead at the half.
Colorado cooled off considerably in the third quarter, allowing Italy to get back in the game. Collier picked up his fourth foul early and the Buffaloes struggled from the field, hitting just 31 percent (4 of 13). Italy took advantage, cutting the Buffaloes' lead to 56-50 at the end of the quarter.
Collier didn't let his foul trouble shake him. Reinserted early in the fourth quarter, he took over during the final run. He scored eight of Colorado's final 14 points attacking offensively, while also staying in control. Collier also had four rebounds and an assist during that stretch.
TURNING POINT: It was Colorado's seniors. While King was at another level in the second quarter, confidently shooting outside and dominating the paint defensively, Collier played like the experienced senior the team needs him to be late. Tory Miller-Stewart pitched in seven points and five rebounds.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado truly didn't know what kind of game they were going to see. Dream Team Italy was an All-Star squad made up of professionals from every level in the country. It was a good start for CU's veterans and a nice starting point for its newcomers.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado was 16-of-27 from the free throw line, a percentage that needs to improve, but the Buffaloes also kept Italy off the line as the Dream Team was just 3 of 7….Wright IV was 5-of-6 from the field with two assists…Freshman Tyler Bey had seven rebounds with four points and four steals. He was 2-for-7 from the field, missing a couple of athletic put-back attempts off offensive rebounds. Bey had the highlight of the night, an Italy turnover in the back court led to a nice feed from Wright on a massive alley-oop jam with Bey soaring above the rim.
QUOTEWORTHY: "We did not rebound the ball the way Colorado teams are expected to rebound the ball. We defended off and on. When we were good, we were good, but we had a lot of silly mistakes defensively." – Head coach Tad Boyle
"He is a baller. He knows how to play; has great change of pace. He's tough, strong, understands the game. He's mature beyond his years. He's going to be a lot of fun to coach." – Boyle on freshman guard McKinley Wright.
"For the most part we played pretty hard, guys competed. I liked our effort and the fact that we all rallied from the adversity and opened up the gap on our leads. That was nice. We need to rebound as a team better. If we rebounded like we did today in our league it's going to be hard for us to win games. We need to make sure we rebound as a team better." – Senior guard George King.
Players Mentioned
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