Colorado
7-5,0-2Pac-12
Northern Colorado
5-6,0-0Big Sky
Buffs Top UNC As Boyle Ties All-Time Program Win Mark
December 18, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado pulled away from Northern Colorado down the stretch and head coach Tad Boyle tied the CU men's basketball all-time win record Sunday as the Buffaloes collected an 88-77 win at the CU Events Center.
The victory, which came against the program that provided Boyle with his head coaching start, gave him his 261st victory as CU's head coach and moved him into a tie with legendary Russell "Sox" Walseth. Boyle can break the record Wednesday when CU plays host to Southern Utah (5 p.m.).
The win, Colorado's third in a row, pushed the Buffs to 7-5 overall while UNC fell to 5-6.
Colorado took the lead for good late in the first half, but could never completely shake the Bears until midway through the second half. The Buffs used an 8-0 run to take a 66-53 lead with 8:21 to play and then built the margin to as much as 19 before UNC made one more charge in the final minutes to momentarily cut the deficit back to single digits.
CU's Tristan da Silva had a career high in scoring for the second game in a row, finishing with 26 points while KJ Simpson added 18 for Colorado. The Buffs got a nice boost from their bench as Javon Ruffin scored 12 and Julian Hammond III chipped in 11. J'Vonne Hadley had nine points and nine rebounds for Colorado.
Dalton Knecht led UNC with 24 points.
The Buffs had one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season, shooting 56.5 percent from the floor (35-for-62), including an 8-for-15 effort from long range. Colorado had a commanding 38-28 edge on the boards, including nine offensive rebounds that produced 14 second-chance points.
CU held the Bears to 47 percent shooting, including just 13-for-30 in the decisive second half.
"It was a good win for us," Boyle said. "I was nervous coming in because UNC has some really dynamic offensive players. We didn't finish the game like I wanted but we're doing some really good things. We were good again offensively sharing the ball, we were efficient on offense and we rebounded the ball well. I just think we can finish a little bit better than we did tonight. But it was a good win."
HOW IT HAPPENED: After the game produced 10 lead changes in the first 13 minutes, Colorado pulled away in the final minutes of the first half. CU led by 10 late in the period and still had a seven-point edge at intermission, 46-39.
The Buffs, though, couldn't create any real separation early in the second half. With just more than 10 minutes to play, Colorado's lead had been cut to five, 58-53, after the Bears converted a turnover into a dunk.
But Colorado finally pushed its lead back into double digits with an 8-0 run. Da Silva connected inside, Hadley hit a free throw, Hammond drove the lane and Ruffin drilled a long 3-pointer to give CU a 66-53 edge at the 8:21 mark.
Da Silva and Simpson were particularly efficient all night on the offensive end. Da Silva, who had 25 points in CU's win last week over North Alabama, was shot 10-for-15 from the floor while Simpson was 7-for-10 with four assists and just one turnover.
"Tristan is playing with a lot of confidence," Boyle said. "Not that he wasn't before, but you can just tell his demeanor on the floor is a little different. He's such a matchup nightmare … And KJ tonight, that was his most efficient game offensively for us as well."
While the Buffs had trouble getting consistent defensive stops for most of the night, they did come up with a key stretch to help fuel their decisive run. Colorado forced five consecutive empty UNC possessions to aid its 8-0 run and the Bears finally called a timeout.
But the break didn't slow the Buffs down. Colorado slowly continued to build on its margin down the stretch and stretched its lead to as much as 19 over the final five minutes.
The Bears did have one more rally in their pocket, pulling to within single digits with just more than a minute to play. But the Buffs held UNC off to collect the win, with da Silva hitting four free throws down the stretch.
"We didn't finish like I wanted to," Boyle admitted. "They got aggressive and we gave up some threes. We have to close better than that. But overall, I was pleased."
After the first 13 minutes featured 10 lead changes and six ties, the Buffs finally took the lead for good when Hammond hit a long 3-pointer after a Hadley offensive rebound to give the Buffs a 30-27 lead. Hammond's bucket was the beginning of a 13-4 Colorado run and the Buffs led 40-31 with just under three minutes to play in the half.
Colorado then pushed its lead to 10 in the final minute on a da Silva rebound and dunk. But the Bears cut Colorado's cushion to seven at the half when former Buff Daylen Kountz hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending CU into the locker room with a 46-39 edge.
Da Silva led the Buffs with 11 points in the first half while Hadley collected eight rebounds.
Colorado shot 56 percent from the floor (19-for-34) while the Bears shot 17-for-34.
EMOTIONAL MOMENT: Five of Boyle's former players from UNC were at the game Sunday, something that obviously meant a great deal to Colorado's coach.
"That school gave me my start and those guys helped me become the coach I am," said Boyle in an emotional post-game radio interview. "That meant a lot to me, to have them be here. It was an incredible feeling … I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for those five guys and other guys like them that played their tails off for the Bears."
The court at the Events Center is named after Walseth, whose record Boyle tied on Sunday. Walseth had a 261-145 record in 20 years as CU's men's coach, and also compiled a 77-21 record in three years' as the school's women's coach. He died in 2004.
"It's a great honor," Boyle said. "I have the greatest respect for Sox and his family. His family has been season ticket holders since the day I arrived, and before that. When I'm gone from this earth, I hope people talk about me the way they talk about Sox. I've never heard anybody have something bad to say about him."
TURNING POINT: The Bears cut Colorado's lead to five midway through the second half, but the Buffs responded with an 8-0 run and held a comfortable lead the rest of the way.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs won their third straight game and have one more non-conference meeting before Pac-12 play begins.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs shot 56.5 percent from the floor (35-for-62), including an 8-for-15 effort from long range … Colorado had a commanding 38-28 edge on the boards, including nine offensive rebounds that produced 14 second-chance points … CU held the Bears to 47 percent shooting, including just 13-for-30 in the decisive second half.
NEXT UP: Tad Boyle will have the opportunity to become the program's all-time winningest coach Wednesday when the Buffs wrap up their non-conference with a 5 p.m. home game vs. Southern Utah (Pac-12 Mountain).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
