Snapshot: No. 8 Arizona 78, CU Buffs MBB 68
Turning level: After CU jumped to an 18-6 lead, Arizona answered with a 12-0 run and by no means relinquished the momentum.
Buff of the sport: Tristan da Silva. Regardless of sitting the ultimate 11:33 of the primary half after selecting up his second foul, the junior ahead nonetheless completed 7-for-13 with 18 factors and 5 rebounds.
What’s subsequent?: CU performs its remaining three common season video games at house, starting Thursday towards USC (7 p.m., ESPN2).
TUCSON, Ariz. — It was a enjoyable begin. Sadly for Colorado, the enjoyable didn’t final lengthy.
The CU males’s basketball crew couldn’t have scripted a greater begin because it tried to conjure an upset bid at No. 8 Arizona. The Wildcats shortly flipped that script, nevertheless, steadily pulling away at hand the Buffs a 78-68 defeat on Saturday night time on the McKale Heart.
CU stays winless at McKale (0-11) since becoming a member of the Pac-12 Convention, and the Buffs have misplaced 13 consecutive highway video games total at Arizona.
“We bought pondering that scoring was going to be straightforward, as a result of we performed so properly offensively out of the chute,” CU head coach Tad Boyle mentioned. “After which we got here down and we took 4 or 5 fast bounce pictures. These bounce pictures changed into transition factors for them as a result of they didn’t go in. The one factor you must watch out of on this constructing if you’re enjoying Arizona is should you shoot the ball in 5 seconds, and also you don’t make it, it’s the primary cross of their quick break. Their offense bought going off of our unhealthy offense.”
It was a sloppy begin for the Wildcats, who dedicated 4 turnovers within the recreation’s first 1 minute, 46 seconds. The Buffaloes took benefit, hitting six of their first 9 pictures whereas leaping to a fast 18-6 lead.
But that opening burst mainly summed up the highlights for CU.
The Wildcats abruptly got here alive and buried the Buffs in a rush, outscoring CU 40-16 over the rest of the primary half to take a 46-34 lead at halftime. After the opening flurry of miscues, Arizona dedicated only one extra turnover throughout the remainder of the primary half.
One of many early sparks for CU was supplied by junior ahead Tristan da Silva, who made three of his first 4 pictures to submit 9 early factors. However he picked up his second foul with 11:33 nonetheless to play within the first half, and Boyle opted to maintain da Silva on the bench till the second half. Whereas da Silva sat, Arizona outscored the Buffs 28-14.
“Once we went to our bench, it was a feeding frenzy offensively for them,” Boyle mentioned. “Which was disappointing, as a result of I assumed they performed so properly for us on Thursday (at Arizona State). Our starters bought us off to an excellent begin. They made their run after we subbed. I assumed our impatience actually, actually harm us within the first half.”
CU scored the primary 5 factors of the second half to drag inside 46-39, however the Wildcats scored the following 5 and maintained a double-digit lead the remainder of the best way.
Da Silva completed with 18 factors and 5 rebounds, and Luke O’Brien was a vivid spot in his second consecutive begin, recording one other near-double-double with 9 factors and 9 rebounds. Javon Ruffin added 13 factors, which accounted for all of CU’s bench factors.
General, although, the Buffs struggled offensively, recording a .387 discipline aim proportion whereas going 7-for-24 on 3-pointers.
Arizona ahead Oumar Ballo recorded his tenth double-double of the season, posting 18 factors with a career-high 16 rebounds.
“We bought off to an excellent begin and have been transferring the ball rather well, enjoying inside-out and getting the pictures that we wished,” O’Brien mentioned. “After which we sort of bought a little bit egocentric, I felt like, in direction of the center a part of the primary half and we have been jacking up pictures that we shouldn’t have. After which the second half I assumed we bought again to what we have been doing, inside-out and beauty. They simply weren’t falling tonight.”
No. 8 Arizona 78, Colorado 68
Colorado (15-13, 7-10 Pac-12)
da Silva 7-13 3-3 18, Lovering 4-7 0-2 8, O’Brien 3-8 2-2 9, Simpson 3-13 5-7 12, Clifford 2-5 3-4 8, Hammond III 0-6 0-0 0, Gabbidon 0-0 0-0 0, Wright 0-0 0-0 0, Ruffin 5-10 0-0 13. Totals 24-62 13-18 68.
Arizona (24-4, 13-4 Pac-12)
Tubelis 5-10 3-4 13, Henderson Jr. 6-8 2-3 15, Ballo 8-13 2-4 18, Ramey 2-10 3-4 9, Kriisa 2-7 0-0 6, Larsson 1-2 Sep 11 11, Boswell 3-5 0-0 6. Totals 27-5519-26 78.
Halftime — Arizona 46-34. 3-point discipline objectives — Colorado 7-24 (da Silva 1-4, O’Brien 1-4, Simpson 1-6, Clifford 1-2, Hammond III 0-1, Ruffin 3-7); Arizona 5-13 (Henderson Jr. 1-1, Ramey 2-7, Kriisa 2-4, Boswell 0-1). Rebounds — Colorado 36 (O’Brien 9); Arizona 37 (Ballo 16). Assists — Colorado 14 (Simpson 7); Arizona 16 (Ramey 5). Complete fouls — Colorado 18, Arizona 16. Fouled out — O’Brien. A — 14,688.