Colorado
11-9,3-6Pac-12
Washington
12-8,4-5Pac-12
Buffs Rally Comes Up Short As CU Falls To Washington
January 19, 2023 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER — Colorado struggled against Washington's zone all night Thursday and a furious CU rally came up just short at the end as the Buffaloes dropped a 75-72 decision at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs fell to 11-9 overall and 3-6 in Pac-12 play while Washington improved to 12-8, 4-5.
The Buffs trailed for nearly the entire game and Washington led by as much as 13 early in the second half. But CU managed to shave the deficit down to 73-72 in the final minute and had a chance to take the lead after collecting a steal with 18 seconds remaining.
But the Buffs turned the ball over with six seconds left and Washington hit two free throws with 4.7 on the clock to complete the scoring.
Sophomore guard Julian Hammond III led CU with 18 points while Tristan da Silva scored 17 and KJ Simpson added 11.
Keion Brooks scored 25 for Washington.
Colorado shot just 44 percent from the floor (28-for-64), including a season-low 3-for-19 (16 percent) from 3-point range.
But the big difference for the Buffs came on the defensive end. The Huskies shot 54 percent from the floor for the game (27-for-50), including a 64 percent effort in the second half (14-for-22). UW also hit nine of its 20 3-point tries.
The Buffs connected on just 13 of their 20 free throw tries while the Huskies were 12-for-14 from the line.
Colorado's defense did force 22 turnovers and collect 25 points off those UW miscues, but it wasn't enough.
"This was a really, really disappointing loss," Boyle said. "You score 72 points at home, it's good enough to win. There's a lot of ways you can look at this game and see how we lost it. You can look at the free throw line, you can look at our defense in the second half when they shoot almost 64 percent in our building. We did a great job creating turnovers but we just couldn't get over the hump. We had some really good looks that didn't go in and at some point you have to make shots to help yourself."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado trailed by as much as 11 in the first half and by seven at intermission, 33-26.
UW then built its lead to 13 on a Brooks 3-pointer seven minutes in before the Buffs began chipping away. A 6-0 CU run that included buckets from Lawson Lovering, Ethan Wright and Luke O'Brien pulled Colorado to within 48-41 with 12:08 still to play.
Minutes later, CU shaved the deficit to six on two Hammond free throws and another O'Brien bucket.
But the Huskies responded with a 3-pointer and two unanswered baskets to push their cushion back to double digits, 58-47, with 8:42 remaining.
The Buffs, though, refused to quit. Colorado closed the gap to five on a Tristan da Silva dunk with 4:38 to play and after a UW bucket, pulled to five again on another da Silva basket. With 3:52 to play, the Buffs had narrowed Washington's lead to 65-60.
The Huskies briefly pushed their lead back to eight on two free throws and a basket from Brooks.
"Brooks was just lighting us up," Boyle said. "He scored 25 points on 12 shots. We didn't do a very good job on him as a team or individually."
But a Hammond steal and 3-pointer pulled CU to within three, 71-68, with 1:48 to play. Two more Hammond free throws and a Simpson basket then cut Washington's lead to one, 73-72, with 43 seconds remaining.
Colorado then had possession and a chance to win the game after collecting one more steal on the defensive end with 18 seconds left. But a Simpson turnover with 6.2 on the clock handed the ball back to Washington and the Huskies then hit two free throws for a 75-72 lead.
CU's last possession ended with a loose ball to hand UW the victory.
"Washington deserved to win," Boyle said. "They were the better team and I apologize to our fans. Our fans deserve more than they're getting from this team. They deserve more than they're getting from me, their coach. This building was ready to explode tonight and we couldn't get over the hump to give them a win and for that I apologize."
Colorado started slowly and remained out of synch for most of the first half. Washington used an early 9-0 run to take an 11-4 lead and the Buffs deficit hit as much as 11 late in the half.
CU struggled to find a weakness in the Huskies' zone defense. Colorado endured an 0-for-7 stretch from the floor early and with under five minutes left in the half the Buffs were 1-for-9 from 3-point range.
The Huskies, meanwhile, made a living from beyond the arc, hitting five of their first 11 tries from long distance.
But Colorado did manage to close the gap in the final minutes, holding Washington scoreless over the last 2:59. J'Vonne Hadley cashed in a fast break layup and Lawson Lovering closed with a follow jam in that span to pull CU to within 33-26 at intermission.
TURNING POINT: While Washington led for nearly the entire game, the Buffs had a chance to take the lead in the final seconds, only to see one more turnover seal their fate.
WHAT IT MEANS: CU's second home loss of the season dropped the Buffs into ninth place in the Pac-12 and leaves the Buffs three games under .500 in league play with 11 conference games remaining.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs shot a season-low 3-for-19 (16 percent) from 3-point range … Colorado was just 13-for-20 from the free throw line … The Huskies shot 54 percent from the floor for the game (27-for-50), including a 64 percent effort in the second half (14-for-22) … UW hit nine of its 20 3-point tries.
NEXT UP: The Buffs wrap up their two-game homestand Sunday with a 4 p.m. game against Washington State (ESPNU) at the CU Events Center, a game that will also mark the halfway point of the Pac-12 schedule for the Buffs. Colorado then heads to the Pacific Northwest next week for a pair. CU plays at Oregon on Thursday at 7 p.m., then faces Oregon State on Saturday (Jan. 28) at 8:30 p.m. Both games will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
