Colorado
5-1,0-0Pac-12
Iona
2-4,0-0MAAC
No. 18 Buffs Top Iona At Home
November 26, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado broke open a tight game early in the second half Sunday and the No. 18 Buffaloes carved out an 85-68 win over Iona at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs improved to 5-1 with the win while Iona dropped to 2-4.
Tristan da Silva led the Buffs with 17 points and he surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career. KJ Simpson added 15, Cody Williams and J'Vonne Hadley each scored 12 and Julian Hammond III chipped in 11. Luke O'Brien and Eddie Lampkin Jr. each had seven rebounds and Simpson added six, and Simpson also had five of CU's 17 assists.
Colorado led by five at the half, 42-37, and then used a 14-9 surge in the opening minutes of the second period to take control. The Buffs steadily built their lead for much of the rest of the game, extending their cushion to as much as 20 down the stretch.
CU dominated most of the statistical categories. The Buffs shot 61 percent from the floor (31-for-51) while holding the Gaels to a 24-for-57 day. Colorado also held a 35-25 edge on the boards and the Buffs converted 14 Iona turnovers into 25 points.
"I think our depth wore down a little bit and offensively, you shoot 61% from the field, you feel pretty good about things," Boyle said. "So it was a great night from that standpoint. Once we strung together stops in the second half, we blew the game open."
The road for the Buffs becomes much more difficult in the upcoming week.
CU travels to Fort Collins on Wednesday for a meeting with unbeaten Colorado State. The Rams will likely be ranked in the nation's top 25 when the new polls come out Monday after their 69-48 throttling of No. 8 Creighton last week.
CU then hosts Pepperdine on Sunday (3 p.m.) before traveling to Brooklyn for a matchup against No. 10 Miami on Sunday, Dec. 10 (12 p.m., ESPN2) in the NABC Brooklyn Showcase at the Barclays Center.
"Still a lot of room for improvement," Boyle said. "It's still November. And what I don't want to do is get complacent and get happy with where we're at or be satisfied. We have to stay hungry and humble."
HOW IT HAPPENED: After a first half that featured four lead changes and two ties, Colorado took control in the first four minutes of the second half. Williams had six points, including a monster dunk, to fuel a 14-9 surge and the Buffs turned a five-point halftime edge into a double-digit cushion, 56-46.
Colorado then steadily built on its lead for much of the rest of the half, using an 11-0 run midway through the half to put the game away. Lampkin started the burst with a basket inside and Hammond capped the run with a pair of 3-pointers to give Colorado a 70-51 lead with just under nine minutes to play.
The Buffs then stretched their cushion to 20 with four minutes left when a da Silva 3-pointer gave Colorado an 83-63 edge and the Buffs cruised down the stretch to the win.
"We know we have people who can score," Hammond said. "We just have to make sure our defense comes with us to Fort Collins on Wednesday."
Colorado looked ready to take control early after back-to-back baskets from Lampkin and J'Vonne Hadley gave CU an 11-4 lead less than four minutes in.
But the Gaels kept the game close and finally took their first lead of the game, 23-22, with 9:10 to play in the half after a 7-0 run.
The two teams then traded the lead over the next two minutes before the Buffs finally went ahead for good with a 6-0 run. Da Silva had two baskets and an assist in the surge as Colorado took a 34-28 lead and the Buffs kept the edge at five at the half, 42-37.
While da Silva finished as CU's leading scorer, he didn't register his first field goal until seven minutes remained in the first half.
"Tristan was really efficient tonight and we have to get him more involved in our offense early," Boyle said. "Not that he has to hunt shots but we have to try to get him the ball and get him shots."
Colorado shot 61 percent in the opening half (14-for-23) and held Iona to 12-for-30 shooting.
TURNING POINT: While Colorado held the lead for most of the game, it took a 14-9 run out of the gate in the second half to give the Buffs a double-digit lead. That was quickly followed by an 11-0 CU run and the Gaels never came close again.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs bounced back from last week's loss to Florida State in solid fashion and should have some offensive confidence in their pocket when they travel to Fort Collins on Wednesday.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs shot 61 percent from the floor (31-for-51) while holding the Gaels to 24-for-57. … Colorado held a 35-25 edge on the boards … The Buffs converted 14 Iona turnovers into 25 points.
NEXT UP: The Buffs head to Fort Collins on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. matchup with rival Colorado State (CBSSN).
