Colorado
Oregon
Bey Leads Buffs To Rout Of Oregon
February 02, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Throughout Colorado's early struggles in Pac-12 play this year, Colorado coach Tad Boyle has insisted the Buffaloes could still make some noise in conference play.
The Buffs turned up the volume in a big way Saturday night. Led by sophomore Tyler Bey's ninth career double-double (27 points, 10 rebounds), the Buffs put together their most complete game of the season to run away with a 73-51 win over Oregon in in front of 8,654, the biggest CU Events Center crowd of the season.
Colorado improved to 12-9 overall and 3-6 in Pac-12 play while also improving to 8-0 all-time against the Ducks in Boulder. Oregon fell to 13-9, 4-5.
Colorado dominated the Ducks in virtually every regard. CU used a 17-0 run to take a 24-5 lead with 11:02 to play in the first half and Oregon never came closer than 15 again. Colorado led by 23 at the half, 40-17, and pushed the lead to as much as 30, 64-34, in the second half.
"Obviously it's a great win," Boyle said. "We defended, we rebounded. I think Oregon expended a lot of energy on Thursday against Utah. This is a tough road trip. We didn't get their best shot. I have great respect for coach (Dana) Altman and their players. They're good. They didn't play really well tonight, but hopefully I think we had something to do with that. I was extremely proud of our players for responding after a tough loss on Thursday."
Daylen Kountz added 11 points for Colorado and Lucas Siewert had 10 points and six rebounds. McKinley Wright IV added nine points, six rebounds and a pair of assists.
The Ducks had just two players in double figures, led by Louis King with 12 points.
Colorado also controlled the boards, finishing with an 45-32 rebound edge, and held Oregon to just 31 percent shooting from the floor (18-for-58) — the Ducks' worst shooting effort this season. Colorado's defense was particularly stifling in the first half, holding the Ducks to just 6-for-29 shooting (20.6 percent).
HOW IT HAPPENED: Bey was a dominant force from the beginning. After a four-point, four-rebound effort in Thursday's CU loss to Oregon State in just 18 minutes on the floor, he bounced back with a ferocious effort Saturday. Bey's seventh double-double of the season included an 18-point first half, when he outscored the Ducks by himself. Bey finished with a 9-for-9 night from the floor while also hitting 9 of his 11 free throw tries in finishing with a career-high 27 points.
Boyle said Bey's bounce-back effort came after an individual film session with assistant coach Kim English.
"Quite frankly, I didn't talk to Tyler a lot from Thursday to tonight," Boyle said. "I stayed away on purpose. … Boy did that kid respond. He was dialed in tonight. He was concentrating, he was focused, he made his free throws. The kid responded. That's a great, great sign. … I was really proud of how he responded to a very disappointing performance on Thursday. He's not the reason we lost on Thursday. It's important that people understand that. But when Tyler Bey brings it like he did tonight, he elevates this team. We need the consistency factor of his concentration, his effort, his toughness and all the things he showed tonight. Couldn't be more proud of that young man."
The Buffs put forth their best 20 minutes of basketball this year in the first half, jumping out to a 40-17 lead. Colorado used a 17-0 run over a six-minute span to go up 24-5 with 11:28 to go in the half, then pushed the lead to 20 on a Siewert 3-point play with 9:47 to go.
But it was Bey who fueled the Buffs for the entire first half. Bey's 18 first-half points included 13 points in a 20-point CU run that featured an alley-oop dunk, a ferocious follow slam on a CU miss and an offensive rebound and putback and two free throws to cap the surge.
"To be honest, I should give my teammates credit," Bey said. "I had a bad game on Thursday and they were there for me. They always tell me to keep my head up and that's something I'm still working on. So I'm going to give the credit to them. They got me shots and they were there for me when I was in deep."
The only places the Buffs struggled came from the 3-point line and against Oregon's press. With point guard McKinley Wright playing just nine minutes because of foul trouble, Colorado committed nine turnovers before halftime. But even that didn't hurt the Buffs as Oregon failed to convert a single turnover into points. Colorado also shot just 3-for-20 from 3-point range.
But CU's defense and rebounding more than made up for the Buffs' difficulties from long range — and Boyle believes the Buffs will find their shooting eye.
"I see us in practice every day," Boyle said. "That will come in time. If it doesn't we have to keep defending and keep rebounding. But when it does and we put all three of those things together, look out — this team can beat anybody."
Even with a 23-point lead at the half, the Buffs knew they weren't out of the woods at halftime. Colorado came into the game having lost its last two — Oregon State and Stanford — after holding leads over both teams at intermission.
But the Buffs didn't let up on the gas against the Ducks. Colorado kept its cushion in the 20s for most of the half, building it to as much as 30 at one point.
"I'm really proud of us," Siewert said. "It's something coach has challenged us for I don't know how many games, but tonight we responded to it. You just saw how good we can be when we meet those goals."
TURNING POINT: The Buffs took control with a 17-0 run in the first half to take a 22-5 lead with 11:28 still to go in the half. The Ducks never came closer than 15 again the rest of the game.
VALUABLE LETTER FROM FAN: After the game, Boyle took several minutes to note the importance of a letter he received Friday from Buffs fan Dan Cashmore, a 2007 CU grad.
Boyle said the letter talked about the resurgence of Colorado basketball during his nine-year tenure in Boulder — and how that resurgence has upped the expectations around the program.
"It gave great perspective of where this program is today relative to where it's been," Boyle said. "After losses like Thursday night that are gut-wrenching for coaches, they're gut-wrenching for players, they're gut-wrenching for fans. He brought perspective to where this program is and the fact that our expectation levels have risen externally and internally, with our players, with our coaches, with our fans."
Boyle said Cashmore noted that interest in the program has grown dramatically.
"Let's not forget where it's been," Boyle said. "When he was a student here the first couple years you could throw a rock in this place and not hit anybody. It's changed. The expectation level has changed. When you have a loss like that (Oregon State), people are upset and they should be. But that's a testament to the players that have come before and helped turn this thing into a place where you can have a crowd like we did tonight after a tough loss on Thursday and our team responds. I want to thank Dan for doing that.
Boyle shared the letter with his players at their pre-game meal Saturday.
"It's a touching letter," Boyle said. "It's emotional for me. I could tell our players were really, really affected by it. Perspective is something as a coach sometimes it's difficult to keep or to have during tough times. Fans can sometimes help you out and he did."
WHAT IT MEANS: More than anything, Saturday night's win should give the Buffs a much-needed boost of confidence, something that should serve them well as they head into the second half of the Pac-12 schedule.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado held Oregon to a season-low 31 percent shooting from the field (18-for-58), CU's best defensive effort of the year. … Colorado also held a commanding 45-32 edge on the boards, held a 14-8 lead in points off turnovers and a 15-2 edge in fast-break points.
NOTEWORTHY: Bey just missed the school record for most field goals without a miss, falling just short of the 10-for-10 effort by David Harrison in 2004. … Oregon's 17 first-half points were the fewest by a CU opponent since Colorado led Washington 30-17 at the half in 2015. … Daylen Kountz had a career high in free throws made (five) and had his fifth double-figure scoring game of the season with 11 points. … Oregon's 51 points were the fewest allowed by CU this season. … One night after shooting 61 percent from the free throw line (16-for-26), the Buffs shot 85.7 percent against the Ducks (24-for-28), matching a season high. … Colorado is now 56-4 under Boyle when holding an opponent to 40 percent or worse shooting and holding at least a plus-eight edge in rebounding.
QUOTEWORTHY: "I think it's a performance that can give our guys confidence. That's what I think this team needs and they should have it. Confidence is something as a coach, it's hard to give it to them. They have to get it themselves. Performances like tonight should help them in that regard." - CU head coach Tad Boyle
NEXT UP: The Buffs head to Los Angeles for a pair of games next week, beginning with a 7 p.m. game Wednesday at UCLA, followed by an 8 p.m. game Saturday at USC.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
