Colorado
9-5,1-2Pac-12
Stanford
5-8,0-3Pac-12
Buffs Rally To Get Road Win At Stanford
December 29, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
STANFORD, Calif. — KJ Simpson scored Colorado's last 11 points of the game Thursday night, including the go-ahead bucket and two free throws in the final 18 seconds, to lift CU to a 73-70 road win over Stanford at Maples Pavilion.
Simpson finished with a career-high 31 points as Tad Boyle's Buffs improved to 9-5 overall and 1-2 in Pac-12 play with their fifth straight win. Stanford fell to 5-8, 0-3.
The Buffs trailed by four at the half and by as much as eight early in the second period. They closed the gap to one at multiple junctures after intermission but couldn't get over the hump until Simpson hit two free throws with just more than two minutes remaining to give CU a 69-68 lead.
Stanford then momentarily regained the lead but the Buffs came up with a big defensive stop in the final minute. Simpson then delivered a drive along the baseline to give Colorado a 71-70 lead with 17 seconds left.
CU's Luke O'Brien followed with another key defensive stop, Simpson rebounded and was fouled and he calmly hit two free throws with 3 seconds remaining to provide the game's final points.
Joining Simpson in double figures for the Buffs were O'Brien with a career-high 12 and Lawson Lovering with a career-high 10. Simpson also led CU in rebounds with seven, O'Brien nabbed six and Lovering grabbed five.
Spencer Jones led Stanford with 25 points.
After a less-than-stellar first half effort, the Buffs kept themselves in the game after intermission with rebounding and defense. The Buffs outrebounded Stanford 23-15 in the final 20 minutes and held Stanford to just 30 percent shooting in the second half after the Cardinal had hit 52 percent of its shots in the opening half.
"We really got on them at halftime and challenged them," Boyle said. "Boy did they respond. Our defense in the second half really cranked up."
HOW IT HAPPENED: After leading by nine early, the Buffs trailed by four at intermission and by eight early in the second half.
Colorado then managed to shave the deficit to one at several junctures but could not get over the hump for the first 18 minutes of the half. CU several times had possession and a chance to take the lead but came up short each time and with just under four minutes to play, Stanford had pushed its lead back to 68-64.
But with just more than two minutes remaining, the Buffs finally took the lead. Simpson hit a three-point play with 3:19 remaining to pull Colorado within 68-67, then hit two free throws with 2:06 on the clock to give the Buffs a 69-68 lead.
The Cardinal, though, regained the lead 30 seconds later on a pair of Spencer Jones free throws. CU then missed a tough shot from the lane on its next possession, and the Cardinal called timeout with the ball in hand and 55 seconds left on the clock.
But the Buffs forced an errant Stanford shot, Lovering came up with a big defensive board and Simpson delivered on the offensive end again. The sophomore guard drove the baseline for a bucket off the glass and a 71-70 Colorado lead with 17 ticks left on the clock.
"I've been watching a lot of film with the coaching staff, just to see where I could get to, reading the defense, how they're playing," Simpson said. "Today was just one of those days. On that last one I just wasn't looking for a call, I wanted to get to the basket."
CU's defense then came up big again on the defensive end, forcing a miss from the lane and Simpson followed with a rebound. He was immediately fouled and knocked down both free throws to give CU a 73-70 lead with 3.2 seconds remaining.
Stanford then missed a desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer to give the Buffaloes the win.
"KJ is showing big-time growth," Boyle said of his sophomore standout. "He's mature and the one thing you don't have to worry about with him is toughness. He's got toughness, he's got grit. He's got what it takes to be a big-time guard in this league and he showed it tonight."
With CU's J'Vonne Hadley and Tristan da Silva combining for just 10 points, O'Brien and Lovering stepped in to fill the gap. Lovering had a pair of critical offensive rebounds and buckets in the second half to keep the Buffs within range while O'Brien played solid defense — especially in the final minutes — and also delivered three 3-pointers to match his total for the season.
Simpson, meanwhile, simply continued to show the growth and maturity that could make him one of the best guards in the Pac-12.
"KJ was terrific," Boyle said. "Obviously he was the player of the game, there's no question. But you look at Luke O'Brien and Lawson Lovering — they had their best games as Buffs. Not even close. I was really proud of those two kids."
Colorado jumped out to a nine-point lead early as the Buffs hit seven of their first eight field goal tries. An O'Brien bucket and free throw at the 12:54 mark gave CU a 17-8 lead and Colorado appeared to be in control.
But CU just as quickly went cold from the field, opening the door for a 17-2 Stanford run. The Cardinal drained four 3-pointers in the surge to take a 25-19 lead with 7:37 left in the half.
The Buffs finally stopped the bleeding and briefly tied the game at 28-28 with a 7-0 run. Simpson had five points in the surge and Nique Clifford added a bucket.
But Colorado couldn't come up with any defensive stops over the ensuing four minutes and Stanford rebuilt its edge to four, 37-33. Colorado had four possessions in the final two minutes but couldn't convert and the half ended with the Cardinal holding that 37-33 lead.
The Buffs did turn eight Stanford turnovers in the first half into 16 points, but the Cardinal matched that differential by collecting five offensive rebounds and converting them into 11 points. The Buffs, meanwhile, had just one offensive rebound in the first 30 minutes as the Cardinal held a 15-10 overall edge on the boards.
TURNING POINT: This one wasn't decided until the final minute. The Buffs came up with two critical defensive stops and scored both times on the offensive end to collect the win.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs avoided an 0-3 start in Pac-12 play and picked up a critical road victory in the process. They have a chance for a road sweep when they play at Cal on Saturday.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs outrebounded Stanford 23-15 in the final 20 minutes to finish with a 33-30 overall edge on the boards … Colorado held Stanford to just 30 percent shooting in the second half after the Cardinal had hit 52 percent of its shots in the opening half … CU finished with 22 points off 14 Stanford turnovers … CU shot 48 percent from the field (27-for-56).
NEXT UP: The Buffs continue their road trip to the Bay Area on Saturday with a 4 p.m. game at Cal (Pac-12 Network). Colorado then returns home next week for a pair of games, hosting Oregon on Thursday in a 7 p.m. game at the CU Events Center and Oregon State on Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. game.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
