Colorado
4-3,0-0Pac-12
Yale
6-1,0-0Ivy League
Buffs Hold Off Yale For Home Win
November 27, 2022 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER — Colorado put three players into double figures Sunday and the Buffaloes held off a Yale rally in the final minutes to collect a 65-62 win at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs improved to 4-3 while the Bulldogs suffered their first loss of the season, dropping to 6-1.
The Buffs led from the outset and built their margin to as much as 12 late in the first half. But Colorado could never completely put the Bulldogs away as they stayed within range to the end, closing the gap to one in the final seconds before the Buffs finally clinched the win at the free throw line.
Tristan da Silva led CU with 20 points, J'Vonne Hadley added 12 and KJ Simpson chipped in 10.
Yale's John Poulikidas led all scorers with 22 points on 6-for-8 shooting from long range.
CU shot just 42 percent from the floor (25-for-59) while the Bulldogs hit 45 percent of their shots. Yale also had a 37-33 edge on the boards, but Colorado hit 11 of 16 free throw attempts while the Bulldogs shot just one free throw the entire game.
"We beat a really, really good program team that's really well coached," Boyle said. "I've got such respect for James Jones and what he's done with that program. We were fortunate to win this game. We snuck out of this one with a win and I think as we hit league play, at least our guys understand that nothing's going to be easy. Our guys showed grit and toughness down the stretch but there are still areas we can improve on."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado led by 10 at intermission, 38-28, but the Buffs couldn't administer a knockout punch.
Yale cut CU's cushion down to two, 48-46, with 12:25 to play before the Buffs pushed the margin back to 11 with a 6-0 run. Hadley, returning to the lineup after missing two games with an injury, had four points in the surge.
But the Bulldogs kept coming back. Yale slowly chipped away at the lead and with 1:49 to play, cut the CU margin to 61-58 on a Poulakidas 3-pointer. Less than a minute later, Yale narrowed the deficit to one on a Bez Mbeng drive to the hoop.
Colorado then came up empty on its next possession and Yale had a chance to take the lead.
But the Buffs then came up with a pair of decisive defensive plays. Colorado forced a Yale turnover on the Bulldogs' next trip down the court and Julian Hammond III was fouled. Hammond hit two free throws with 10 seconds left to give CU a 63-60 lead.
Yale still had a chance to tie the game on its ensuing possession, but Simpson produced another turnover. Colorado's Jalen Gabbidon — who transferred to CU from Yale in the offseason — finally clinched the win with a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining.
"Those were two big plays for us down the stretch," Boyle said. "KJ knocking that ball away and Julian knocking down those free throws."
The Bulldogs produced a layup at the buzzer to finish the scoring.
The Buffs led by 11 midway through the half, 19-8, before the Bulldogs shaved the cushion down to four with four straight 3-pointers.
But following a timeout, Colorado slowly rebuilt its edge to double digits. Da Silva, Simpson and Ethan Wright all had buckets at the rim over a three-minute stretch while CU's defense forced five straight empty Yale possessions to give Colorado a 30-20 edge with just under four minutes to play.
Da Silva finished with season highs in points (20) and rebounds (6).
"Coach told me to go out and play my game," da Silva said. "If I'm aggressive, it helps the team. It's something coach and I talked about."
The two teams then traded buckets down the final minutes of the half and CU carried a 38-28 lead into the break.
Da Silva led the Buffs with 11 points and six rebounds in the first 20 minutes in his best half of the season. CU shot 44 percent from the floor and held a 20-10 edge in points in the paint.
TURNING POINT: This one wasn't decided until the final second, when CU's Simpson came up with a big defensive play to force Yale turnover with the Buffs clinging to a three-point lead.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs gain a little momentum as they head into a pair of key games next week with two early Pac-12 contests on tap. CU has yet to win back-to-back games this season.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs were 11-for-16 from the free throw line while Yale shot just one free throw the entire game … Colorado's bench outscored their Yale counterparts 24-11 … CU forced 13 Yale turnovers and collected 15 points off those miscues.
NEXT UP: The Buffs play their two "early" Pac-12 games next week, beginning with a 6:30 p.m. (MT) home game Thursday against Arizona State at the CU Events Center (FS1). The Buffs then travel to Seattle for a 1 p.m. game Sunday against Washington (Pac-12 Network).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
