Buffs Cruise In Final Exhibition

Wednesday, November 6

Suzhou, cn

1:00 AM

Colorado

109

vs. Tsinghua Univ. (China)

Sophomore Eli Parquet hammers a dunk home for two of his 11 points.

November 06, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Men's Basketball Ticket Information Center

By: Troy Andre, Associate SID

SUZHOU, China – No scouting report. No names. The opponent changed less than 24 hours before tip.

No problem.

Five players scored in double figures as the University of Colorado cruised to a 109-42 win over Tsinghua University in a men's basketball exhibition Wednesday afternoon at the Suzhou Sports Center.

Tyler Bey, Dallas Walton and Maddox Daniels each had 12 points. Eli Parquet scored 11 off the bench while Evan Battey pitched in 10.

Colorado was originally scheduled to play Peking University from Beijing while neighboring Tsinghua was slated to face Arizona State in the nightcap. The state-side rivals using this as a final tune up for their own meeting – the 2019 Pac-12 China Game on Friday, Nov. 8 (8:30 p.m. MT, ESPN2).

However, the exhibition opponents were switched by Federation of University Sports of China officials Wednesday morning. Full names weren't even available for the official box score.

It didn't matter. Colorado blew this one open early with to a 23-0 run straddling the first and second quarters of the contest played under FIBA rules.

"You just prepare yourself for whatever is thrown out there," Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said. "You don't know if you're going to see man, zone, you've just got to be ready for it. It's good because you have to think on your feet, you have to understand personnel as the game goes on – who's right handed, who's left handed, who's a driver, who's a shooter, who's a rebounder. All those things they have to figure out on the fly."

The Buffaloes scored the first six points of the game, highlighted by a Bey alley-oop dunk from McKinley Wright IV. Colorado upped its lead to 12-1 after Bey scored on a nice post move, resulting in a traditional 3-point play.

Tsinghua pulled back to within nine at 20-11 on a 3-point field goal with 2:22 left in the first quarter. Parquet and Daniels answered with back-to-back 3-pointers give Colorado a 26-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, igniting the Buffaloes' run.

Bey, who also had a game-high nine rebounds, scored the first four points of the second quarter. Shortly after Battey scored, he stole the ball under the Tsinghua basket which led to a powerful dunk by Daylen Kountz on the other end to put the Buffaloes up 35-11.

Tsinghua scored its first points in nine minutes with 3:25 left in the half. By then the Buffaloes had stretched their lead to 34.

Colorado extended its lead to 50 after three (84-34) and led by as many as 69 in the closing minutes.

Colorado moved the ball well, dishing out 25 assists on 42 baskets, shooting an even 50 percent. All 13 players had at least one assist. Kountz led the way with four, adding eight points, five rebounds and a pair of steals.

"Unselfishness is the key," Boyle said. "We could have had 30 (assists) if we had made some shots. I thought we shared the ball well, that's the first thing I mentioned to the team in the locker room after the game, is how we shared it, and if we continue to do that, we've got a lot of weapons on this team."

All 13 Buffaloes on the trip scored at least two field goals and played a minimum of 10 minutes. Kountz was the only starter to play into the fourth quarter and was the only player to extend past 20 minutes overall.

Jakub Dombek, Frank Ryder and Alexander Strating played the bulk of the fourth quarter along with a mix of Kountz, Parquet, Daniels and Shane Gatling. The Dombek-Ryder-Strating front court combined for 14 points and nine rebounds in the final frame. Their performance was telling of Colorado's dominance in the paint. The Buffaloes outscored Tsinghua 60-16 inside and doubled up their opponent on the boards, 61-30.

"We've got a lot of weapons on this team," Walton said. "No matter what situation we may encounter, we're always going to be able to counter it."

Tsinghua struggled from the field hitting only 26 percent. The Buffaloes forced 23 turnovers leading directly to 38 points.