Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
15-6,6-4Pac-12
Washington State
15-6,6-4Pac-12
Buffs Come Up Short At Washington State
January 27, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
PULLMAN, Wash. — Colorado narrowed a 13-point deficit to three in the final minutes Saturday but the Buffaloes couldn't completely close the gap and CU dropped a 78-69 decision to Washington State at Beasley Coliseum.
Tad Boyle's Buffs saw their four-game win streak come to an end and fell to 15-6 overall, 6-4 in Pac-12 play. WSU improved to 15-6, 6-4.
KJ Simpson led Colorado with 25 points and eight rebounds, Tristan da Silva scored 16 and Eddie Lampkin Jr. chipped in 10. CU freshman Cody Williams had a rare off day, finishing with just six points, all from the free throw line.
Jaylen Wells and Myles Rice each scored 17 for the Cougars.
The Buffs trailed by eight less than eight minutes in. They briefly managed to tie the game at 22-22 with five minutes left in the first half but the Cougars pushed their lead back to six at intermission, 36-30.
Colorado then gave up an 11-2 run midway through the second half that allowed WSU to build its big lead of the game, 59-46. CU did slowly chip away at the lead, using a 7-0 run to close the gap to three several times in the final minutes, but that was as close as the Buffs could come.
Colorado shot just 22-for-57 (38.6 percent) while WSU was 28-for-62 (45 percent). The big difference came in turnovers and second-chance points. WSU outscored the Buffs 13-5 in points off miscues and the Cougars also had a commanding 16-4 edge in second-chance points.
"It was a physical game and we knew that coming in," Boyle said. "I love our fight. I love our competitiveness. This team's got a lot of grit to it but (WSU's) physicality bothered some of our guys and we weren't good enough to overcome it tonight."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado trailed by six at the break, 36-30, and the Cougars extended their lead to 13 midway through the second half. The Buffs committed three turnovers in a two-minute span that fueled an 11-2 run and the Buffs trailed 59-46 with just under nine minutes to play.
"We lost this game in two areas," Boyle said. "If you take the points off turnovers and the second-chance points and you cut them in half, it's a ballgame."
But the Buffaloes did battle back to close the gap to three down the stretch, using a 14-4 run. A Simpson 3-pointer pulled CU to within 63-60 with 3:28 to play and the Buffs twice cut the deficit to three with less than two minutes to go on two Simpson free throws and a Lampkin basket inside.
That, though, was as close as the Buffs could come. Colorado couldn't come up with a critical defensive stop in the final minutes and the Buffs returned to Boulder in the midst of a logjam in the Pac-12 standings.
"Going on the road in this league — in any league — is not easy," Boyle said. "I told our team that good teams come back. Great teams come back and win on the road. We were a good team, we want to be a great team."
The Buffs have one more road game — next Saturday at Utah, their only game next week — before returning home for a pair the following week.
"There's a lot of basketball to be played," Boyle said. "We're halfway through (the Pac-12 season) and we're not satisfied with where we are. We'd love to have this one back but it doesn't work like that."
The Buffs struggled to find any offensive rhythm the entire game. The Cougars used a 9-0 run early — all from 3-pointers — to take a 10-4 lead four minutes in and the Buffs never led again.
WSU then pushed its cushion to eight, 18-10, before the Buffs battled back to tie the game. CU used a 6-1 surge to knot the score at 22-22, getting a Simpson drive and two free throws each from da Silva and Williams.
But the Cougars answered again, pushing their lead back to six at the half, 36-30.
Colorado shot just 10-for-30 in the opening 20 minutes while the Cougars were 12-for-27, including 5-for-11 from 3-point range.
DECISIVE MOMENT: The Buffs closed the deficit to three, 67-64, with 1:33 still on the clock. But the Cougars produced buckets on their next two trips down the floor to push their lead back to seven and the Buffs couldn't close the gap in the final seconds.
WHAT IT MEANS: CU had a chance to pick up a road win and a road sweep and also stay within a game of the league lead. But instead of separating themselves from the pack, they moved back into a logjam with a half-dozen teams all within a game of each other.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado shot just 22-for-57 (38.6 percent) … The Cougars were 28-for-62 from the floor (45 percent) … WSU outscored the Buffs 13-5 in points off miscues and the Cougars also had a commanding 16-4 edge in second-chance points.
NEXT UP: The Buffs have just one game next week, a 3 p.m. contest Saturday at Utah (Pac-12 Network). They then return home for a pair at the CU Events Center, beginning with a Feb. 8 tilt against Arizona State (6 p.m., FS1), followed by a Feb. 10 game against Arizona (tipoff time either 6 p.m. or 8 p.m.).
