Colorado
12-9,4-6Pac-12
Washington State
9-12,4-6Pac-12
Buffs Sink Cougars In Final Seconds
January 22, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado's KJ Simpson hit the deciding 3-pointer in the final seconds and Tristan da Silva scored 27 points to lead the Buffaloes to a 58-55 win over Washington State on Sunday at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs improved to 12-9 overall and 4-6 in Pac-12 play while breaking a three-game losing streak. WSU dropped to 9-12, 4-6, and fell to 0-12 all-time in Boulder.
Simpson's 3-pointer came with 4.8 seconds on the clock after the Cougars had tied the game at 55-55. WSU then missed a shot at the buzzer to help the Buffs end their skid.
Da Silva hit his first nine shots and finished 11-for-13 en route to his sixth 20-point game of the season. Simpson finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, J'Vonne Hadley added nine points and four rebounds and Luke O'Brien collected six rebounds.
WSU's TJ Bamba finished with 18 points, but Colorado's defense, led by big man Lawson Lovering, held Cougars leading scorer Mouhamed Gueye scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting.
The Buffs were by no means at their best, but they came up with big plays and big moments when necessary. Colorado shot just 14-for-23 from the free throw line, but the Buffs were 50 percent from the floor (21-for-42). CU also had a 30-27 edge on the boards, and while Colorado committed 17 turnovers the Buffs also forced 17 WSU miscues. CU also held WSU to just 39 percent shooting from the floor (20-for-51), including just 4-for-16 from 3-point range.
"That was a battle extraordinaire and we beat a good, good basketball team," Boyle said. "Nothing comes easy in league play. What our guys have been through, you know, over the last three, four weeks, I really just feel like we deserved this and they deserved it. This is a young team that continues to learn about itself and about what it takes to be successful in college basketball in a conference like this. You're not gonna be given anything and we earned everything."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado took a 26-25 lead at the half, thanks to a closing 13-2 run. But the Buffs gave up the lead early in the second half, opening the door for five lead changes and two ties over the first 12 minutes of the period.
Colorado finally broke a 43-43 tie when J'Vonne Hadley hit a free throw with 7:48 to play, the beginning of a 4-0 CU run. The Buffs kept their lead at four over the next four minutes, getting a monstrous Simpson dunk and a da Silva bucket inside off a Simpson assist for a 51-47 CU edge with 3:23 to play.
But the Cougars cut Colorado's lead to one, 53-52, with 1:43 to play on a Bamba basket, then got another Bamba bucket after a timeout to take a 54-53 lead with 42 seconds to play.
"Our guys battled and they competed," Boyle said. "I told myself on the bench that the game was going to come down to who's got the ball last or who makes plays."
The Buffs made the plays.
Simpson hit two free throws to give Colorado the lead again with 35 seconds remaining before Bamba knotted the score again at 55-55 with a free throw with 26 seconds remaining.
Colorado then called timeout to set up its final possession. The Buffs worked the ball up the floor and Simpson took control at the top of the arc. He worked off a screen, squared up and calmly drilled a 3-pointer with 4.8 seconds on the clock to give Colorado a 58-55 lead. The Cougars missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Buffs walked off with a much-needed win.
"We know during crunch time like that, you have to step up," Simpson said. "It's just a testament to our hard work and being ready for the moment."
Boyle said the Buffs drew up two different plays for the final possession, one designed for a WSU zone defense and the other for a man-to-man.
While Simpson said the game winner "wasn't exactly like it was drawn up," the end result proved to be perfect.
"There's no fear in his heart," Boyle said. "That's what I love about him."
Turnovers plagued the Buffs early as 11 miscues in the opening 14 minutes led to 11 points for the Cougars and a 23-13 WSU lead.
But Colorado finally found its rhythm late in the half while the defense stepped up its pressure. The Buffs put together a 13-0 run over a four-minute span to take a 26-23 lead with 2:17 to play in the half. Da Silva had eight of his 14 first-half points in the surge, Simpson had three and Hadley had a steal and dunk.
Defensively, Colorado forced seven straight empty WSU possessions in the run.
WSU finally ended a four-minute scoring drought with a basket in the final two minutes, sending Colorado into the locker room at intermission with a 26-25 lead.
When the Buffs gave themselves a chance to shoot in the opening half, they were on target, hitting 11 of their 19 first half attempts. CU also limited the Cougars — who lead the Pac-12 in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage — to 2-for-8 from long range.
TURNING POINT: This one wasn't decided until the final seconds and CU's Simpson came up with the game-winning play.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs ended a three-game losing streak with a much-needed win. CU climbed into a tie for seventh in the Pac-12 standings, with five of their remaining 10 conference games at home.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs were 50 percent from the floor (21-for-42) … CU also had a 30-27 edge on the boards … The Buffs reaped 17 points off 17 WSU turnovers … Colorado held the Pac-12's leading 3-point shooting team to just 4-for-16 from long distance .
NEXT UP: Colorado 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 at 8:30 p.m. Both games will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
