Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
10-2,1-0Pac-12
Washington
8-4,0-1Pac-12
Buffs Rally Down Stretch To Sink Huskies In Pac-12 Opener
December 29, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado's KJ Simpson and Eddie Lampkin Jr. stepped up with double-doubles Friday night to lead the shorthanded Buffaloes to a gutsy 73-69 win over Washington in their Pac-12 opener at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs, playing without injured stars Tristan da Silva and Cody Williams as well as RJ Smith and Bangot Dak, won their fifth in a row to improve to 10-2 overall and 1-0 in Pac-12 play. Washington fell to 8-4, 0-1.
Simpson finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while Lampkin had his third straight double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Luke O'Brien just missed a double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds, and J'Vonne Hadley and Julian Hammond III each added 11 points.
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington with 20 points, but he needed 7-for-17 shooting to hit the mark.
The Buffs led by six at the half, 32-26, but the Huskies slowly chipped away at the lead, then used a 9-0 run to take a 63-56 edge with 5:50 to play.
Colorado, though, wouldn't quit as the Buffs answered with a 17-6 surge over the final 5:13 to take the win. Hadley had six points in the run and Simpson had five in the final 1:46.
Colorado shot just 44 percent from the floor (26-for-59) but the Buffs held UW to 38.5 percent shooting (25-for-65). CU also held a commanding 49-31 edge on the boards.
Colorado is now 88-6 under Boyle when the Buffs hit the "gold standard" of holding an opponent to 40 percent or less shooting and having at least a plus-8 margin on the boards.
Da Silva, CU' second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder, went down with an ankle injury in the final minutes of Thursday's practice. Williams has missed the last four games with a wrist injury. Boyle admitted, "I didn't sleep very well last night," but he told his team they still had the talent to win and his players proved him right.
The Buffs were by no means at their best. They committed 15 turnovers and Simpson and Lampkin — the only two Buffs to shoot free throws — combined to hit just 15 of their 24 attempts from the line.
Still, they made plays when most needed.
"Gritty win, obviously, with adjusting to being without one of your best players," Boyle said. "I knew we had enough talent in that locker room to win this game but I also knew that our margin for error went down significantly. The good news is we didn't play our best and we found a way to win this game. That's what good teams do. That's what high character teams do. That's what teams with toughness do and we beat a quality team, a talented team in Washington. I'm really proud of our guys and the way they handled the adversity."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado led by six at the half and the Buffs maintained that margin for the first 10 minutes of the second half.
But the Huskies finally caught fire and used a 15-2 surge to take a 63-56 lead with 5:50 to play. UW hit three 3-pointers in the run and with just more than five minutes to play, the Buffs were on the verge of letting the game get away.
But instead of folding the tent, Colorado fought back. Baskets from Hammond, Hadley and Lampkin pulled CU to within one, 63-62, and following a timeout, Lampkin hit a pair of free throws to stretch CU's run to 8-0 and give the Buffs a 64-63 lead with 2:50 to play.
"No disrespect to the guys we didn't have, but it's next man up," Simpson said. "Everyone on our team is capable of putting on a show."
Washington briefly regained the lead after Lampkin's free throws but Hadley scored again to give Colorado a 66-65 lead with 2:18 remaining and the Buffs never trailed again.
"I told our guys we didn't have to win every game without the guys we were missing," Boyle said. "We just had to win the next one."
Simpson gave CU a three-point lead with 1:46 to play when he forced a UW miss on the defensive end and then took the ball coast-to-coast for a layup and 68-65 edge.
Colorado then forced another UW miss on the defensive end but Simpson missed the front end of a one-and-one with a minute to play. But he then grabbed a rebound on the defensive end, was fouled and hit one of two free throws for a 69-65 CU lead with 46 ticks left on the clock.
Washington again cut the lead to two with two Sahvir Wheeler free throws but Simpson answered with a pair of free throws and the two teams traded buckets in the final seconds to complete the scoring.
"KJ spoils us," Boyle said of his star guard. "After the game I'm thinking he could play so much better — and then you see 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, just one turnover and three steals. He's just amazing."
Colorado trailed early in the game after the Huskies opened with a pair of quick 3-pointers. But Simpson sparked a quick 6-0 run to give Colorado an 18-12 lead at the 11:15 mark, with O'Brien and Harrison Carrington adding baskets in the surge.
Colorado then continued the run after a timeout, with a Simpson steal and layup part of a 13-2 surge that gave the Buffs a 25-17 cushion with 6:33 to play in the half. Hammond hit a 3-pointer in the run and Simpson added a pair of free throws.
Defensively, the Buffs forced a 1-for-12 Washington drought and Colorado seemed to be in control.
But the Buffs suddenly went cold and the Huskies ended their cold streak with a 7-0 surge to cut CU's lead to one, 25-24, with just more than 3 minutes to play in the half.
Simpson finally ended an 0-for-8 Colorado stretch with a 3-pointer from the top and Hadley nailed a corner 3-pointer to give CU a 31-26 lead. Lampkin then added a free throw at the 1:31 mark to send Colorado into the break with a 32-26 lead.
CU shot just 11-for-30 in the first half and had nine turnovers that led to seven UW points. But the Buffs also held the Huskies to 9-for-32 shooting, including an 0-for-6 stretch to end the half and CU also held a 28-16 edge on the boards.
WHAT IT MEANS: With two home games to open Pac-12 play, the Buffs definitely needed a win — something that was clearly in doubt with da Silva out. But CU showed its depth and toughness, something that will no doubt be of value as the conference schedule progresses.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado shot just 44 percent from the floor (26-for-59) but the Buffs held UW to 38.5 percent shooting (25-for-65) … CU also held a commanding 49-31 edge on the boards … The Buffs outscored Washington 40-28 in the paint.
NEXT UP: The Buffs return to the Events Center on Sunday for a noon home game against Washington State (Pac-12 Network). CU then hits the road for three straight games: next Thursday at Arizona (Jan. 4), Saturday at Arizona State (Jan. 6) and a Jan. 10 game at Cal.
