Tuesday, November 26
Las Vegas, Nev.
9:30 PM
Colorado
5-0,0-0Pac-12
71
vs
67
Clemson
5-2,0-1ACC
1
2
F
Colorado
33
38
71
Clemson
36
31
67
Colorado celebrates the 2019 MGM Main Event championship.
Buffs Rally To Defeat Clemson In MGM Title Game
November 26, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
LAS VEGAS — McKinley Wright had a steal and two free throws in the final 10 seconds Tuesday night to lead Colorado to a 71-67 win over Clemson in the MGM Main Event championship game at T-Mobile Arena.
Tad Boyle's No. 21 Buffaloes improved to 5-0 with the win while Clemson dropped to 5-2.
The Buffs rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half and led by six with 2:36 to play before the Tigers closed the gap to two, 69-67, with 1:45 to go. After the two teams traded misses, Wright finally came up with his steal with 10 seconds on the clock and was fouled with six remaining.
He calmly hit both free throws for his ninth and 10th points of the night to seal the win.
"He's a winner, there's no other word to describe it," Boyle said. "He didn't play his best basketball tonight but he found a way to affect the game."
Tyler Bey, named the tournament's MVP, had his fourth double-double of the season for the Buffs (23rd career), finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds, along with four blocks and three assists. D'Shawn Schwartz had 12 points and five rebounds, Evan Battey had 11 points and three rebounds and Wright finished with 10 points and six boards.
Aamir Simms led Clemson with 24 points.
The Buffs shot just 20-for-51 from the floor (39.2 percent), including only 7-for-22 from 3-point range. But they also hit 24 consecutive free throws after missing their first one of the night. Colorado had entered the game hitting just 60 percent of its free throws.
Clemson wasn't much better from the floor, hitting just 40.8 percent of its shots (20-for-49), including 8-for-21 from beyond the arc.
The Buffs did have a 32-24 edge in rebounds that led to a 26-16 edge in points in the paint.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs trailed by three at the half, 36-33, then saw Clemson extend its lead to 12 with an early 14-3 run for a 50-38 cushion.
But Battey fueled a comeback, hitting the first four points of a 9-0 burst, which also included a Shane Gatling 3-pointer and a Wright bucket, his first of the night after missing his first seven shots. Clemson momentarily halted the run with a Simms 3-pointer, but the Buffs then put seven unanswered points on the board to take their first lead of the game, 54-53, with 7:57 remaining.
Bey started the run with a dunk, followed by another Battey offensive rebound and putback and free throw. Battey played just five minutes of the first half because of foul trouble, but had 12 minutes in the second half, when he scored all of his points. Wright then capped the run with a steal and dunk.
Clemson regained the lead and pushed its edge to three at four different junctures over the ensuing three minutes before Colorado finally took control with a 9-0 run.
Wright started the surge with a layup off a feed from Bey, followed by a Schwartz 3-pointer and two free throws each from Wright and Bey that turned a 63-60 deficit into a 69-63 lead.
Clemson then cut the lead down to two with a free throw and Newman 3-pointer with 1:45 remaining. Colorado then missed two shots and Clemson one over the next minute, with the Tigers then taking a timeout with the Buffs still leading, 69-67, with 22.4 on the clock.
That set the stage for Wright's steal from Al-Amir Dawes and the ensuing free throws.
"Our guys late in the game were locked in defensively," Boyle said. "D'Shawn (Schwartz) was locked in to (Tevin) Mack. Tyler did a great job on (John) Newman late in the game, McKinley is McKinley. They got stops when they needed to get stops and that's what you have to do in close games."
Colorado had trouble connecting from the floor in the first half as Clemson carved out a 10-point lead, 27-17, with 6:07 left in the half.
But the Buffs compensated for their problems from the floor by hitting 13 straight free throws that included an 8-0 run that pulled Colorado back within two, 27-25. Bey had four free throws in the surge and Daylen Kountz and D'Shawn Schwartz each had a pair.
Clemson then pushed the lead back to five before CU finally ended a 7:16 field goal drought with a Lucas Siewert 3-pointer. Maddox Daniels pulled the Buffs to within one, 34-33, with a 3-pointer with 49 seconds left in the half, but Clemson got a Curran Scott jumper with 21 seconds remaining to take a 36-33 edge into intermission.
Bey had 10 points and three rebounds in the first half while Colorado's Wright had a rare scoreless half.
QUOTABLE:
"Obviously we struggled on the offensive end; myself I couldn't get anything going. My teammates stuck with me, told me to keep my head up, they trusted me. My teammates had my back, I can't say enough about them. They trusted me, I could feel that with the bottom of my heart," – McKinley Wright IV
"It's going to help us. This was a quality opponent. I can't emphasize enough how well coached Clemson is. Offensively they run good stuff. Defensively they kept us off balance. Our guys did a good job not letting that frustrate them." – Tad Boyle
"This team has something about it, I think it's character, it's toughness, I think it's resiliency. All the things you have to have to win close games. The mental toughness that we've talked about the last couple of years, maybe at times we've lacked. We didn't lack it tonight because we overcame some woes on offense." – Tad Boyle
"I love this team so much and we're just ready for anything that comes our way. We just compete and take care of business. We really wanted it." – Tyler Bey
NEXT UP: The Buffs return home for a 7 p.m. game Saturday against Sacramento State.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Tad Boyle's No. 21 Buffaloes improved to 5-0 with the win while Clemson dropped to 5-2.
The Buffs rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half and led by six with 2:36 to play before the Tigers closed the gap to two, 69-67, with 1:45 to go. After the two teams traded misses, Wright finally came up with his steal with 10 seconds on the clock and was fouled with six remaining.
He calmly hit both free throws for his ninth and 10th points of the night to seal the win.
"He's a winner, there's no other word to describe it," Boyle said. "He didn't play his best basketball tonight but he found a way to affect the game."
Tyler Bey, named the tournament's MVP, had his fourth double-double of the season for the Buffs (23rd career), finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds, along with four blocks and three assists. D'Shawn Schwartz had 12 points and five rebounds, Evan Battey had 11 points and three rebounds and Wright finished with 10 points and six boards.
Aamir Simms led Clemson with 24 points.
The Buffs shot just 20-for-51 from the floor (39.2 percent), including only 7-for-22 from 3-point range. But they also hit 24 consecutive free throws after missing their first one of the night. Colorado had entered the game hitting just 60 percent of its free throws.
Clemson wasn't much better from the floor, hitting just 40.8 percent of its shots (20-for-49), including 8-for-21 from beyond the arc.
The Buffs did have a 32-24 edge in rebounds that led to a 26-16 edge in points in the paint.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs trailed by three at the half, 36-33, then saw Clemson extend its lead to 12 with an early 14-3 run for a 50-38 cushion.
But Battey fueled a comeback, hitting the first four points of a 9-0 burst, which also included a Shane Gatling 3-pointer and a Wright bucket, his first of the night after missing his first seven shots. Clemson momentarily halted the run with a Simms 3-pointer, but the Buffs then put seven unanswered points on the board to take their first lead of the game, 54-53, with 7:57 remaining.
Bey started the run with a dunk, followed by another Battey offensive rebound and putback and free throw. Battey played just five minutes of the first half because of foul trouble, but had 12 minutes in the second half, when he scored all of his points. Wright then capped the run with a steal and dunk.
Clemson regained the lead and pushed its edge to three at four different junctures over the ensuing three minutes before Colorado finally took control with a 9-0 run.
Wright started the surge with a layup off a feed from Bey, followed by a Schwartz 3-pointer and two free throws each from Wright and Bey that turned a 63-60 deficit into a 69-63 lead.
Clemson then cut the lead down to two with a free throw and Newman 3-pointer with 1:45 remaining. Colorado then missed two shots and Clemson one over the next minute, with the Tigers then taking a timeout with the Buffs still leading, 69-67, with 22.4 on the clock.
That set the stage for Wright's steal from Al-Amir Dawes and the ensuing free throws.
"Our guys late in the game were locked in defensively," Boyle said. "D'Shawn (Schwartz) was locked in to (Tevin) Mack. Tyler did a great job on (John) Newman late in the game, McKinley is McKinley. They got stops when they needed to get stops and that's what you have to do in close games."
Colorado had trouble connecting from the floor in the first half as Clemson carved out a 10-point lead, 27-17, with 6:07 left in the half.
But the Buffs compensated for their problems from the floor by hitting 13 straight free throws that included an 8-0 run that pulled Colorado back within two, 27-25. Bey had four free throws in the surge and Daylen Kountz and D'Shawn Schwartz each had a pair.
Clemson then pushed the lead back to five before CU finally ended a 7:16 field goal drought with a Lucas Siewert 3-pointer. Maddox Daniels pulled the Buffs to within one, 34-33, with a 3-pointer with 49 seconds left in the half, but Clemson got a Curran Scott jumper with 21 seconds remaining to take a 36-33 edge into intermission.
Bey had 10 points and three rebounds in the first half while Colorado's Wright had a rare scoreless half.
QUOTABLE:
"Obviously we struggled on the offensive end; myself I couldn't get anything going. My teammates stuck with me, told me to keep my head up, they trusted me. My teammates had my back, I can't say enough about them. They trusted me, I could feel that with the bottom of my heart," – McKinley Wright IV
"It's going to help us. This was a quality opponent. I can't emphasize enough how well coached Clemson is. Offensively they run good stuff. Defensively they kept us off balance. Our guys did a good job not letting that frustrate them." – Tad Boyle
"This team has something about it, I think it's character, it's toughness, I think it's resiliency. All the things you have to have to win close games. The mental toughness that we've talked about the last couple of years, maybe at times we've lacked. We didn't lack it tonight because we overcame some woes on offense." – Tad Boyle
"I love this team so much and we're just ready for anything that comes our way. We just compete and take care of business. We really wanted it." – Tyler Bey
NEXT UP: The Buffs return home for a 7 p.m. game Saturday against Sacramento State.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Team Stats
CU
Clem
FG%
.392
.408
3FG%
.318
.381
FT%
.960
.864
RB
32
24
TO
12
13
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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