BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes moved within a half-game of first place in the Pac-12 Conference with a 70-62 victory over the Golden Bears of California on Sunday afternoon at the Coors Events Center.
Colorado started an astonishing 1-for-19 from the floor, opening the door up for Cal to run away with things early, but the Buffs locked in on defense, only allowing the bears to get out to a 12-3 lead.
“We needed to get stops,” senior forward Josh Scott said after the game. “We all knew, besides me, everybody else knew they were going to make some shots. We knew we weren’t going to shot the ball that way for the whole game and we didn’t.”
They did not, indeed. After the shaky start, the Buffaloes went on a 23-4 run and eventually a 34-11 run to close out the half, taking a 37-23 lead.
“It’s a matter of time with this team before shots started to go in, but we wanted to put some pressure on their defense,” Tad Boyle explained. “We wanted our jump shots to come from driving that basket. We just weren’t doing that to start. The positive we can take out of this is that our defense held us in the game.”
The defense was spectacular for Colorado, holding the Golden Bears to 35-percent from the field and 62 points total after allowing 79 to the same team in Berkeley. A run from the Bears in the second half got the lead all the way dow to five after once being as high as 17, and Josh Scott joked that would be enough to leave the head coach unhappy after the game.
“Coach always wants something to be better; he wants perfection. I would say that he’s a little disappointed that we lost a 17-point lead, but that’s fair. We’re disappointed too. We could have spaced that out more. Coach Boyle wants perfection and I’m sure he’ll say something to that effect.”
“That’s two games in a row that we had a convincing lead, and we haven’t been finishing like we should,” Boyle said, proving Scott to be right.
But, in the end, it was a massive victory for Colorado and one that vaulted them to the top of the conference. Truly the first time all season when the Buffs capitalized on an opportunity like this one.
“We would love to have that Utah game back, but life doesn’t work like that,” Boyle said. “Nine games under the belt and we’re 6-3 so it’s a good time to reflect. But not for very long since we have nine more games left. And we have to consider the tall task at hand of going to Eugene and playing Oregon.”
That’s right, the Buffs take the show on the road now, with a chance to take control of first place in the conference against the Oregon schools this week.
HIGHLIGHTS
Don't bring the weak stuff at altitude! @CUBuffsMBB will send it back! https://t.co/uC9bxVJrCE
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) January 31, 2016
WATCH: Highlights of Colorado's 70-62 win over Cal https://t.co/peYgLW6YAr pic.twitter.com/U5wG5M3RoT
— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) February 1, 2016
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Xavier Talton
Talton’s name doesn’t exactly jump off the page at you when you look at the stats (four points, two steals, one rebound), but Talton made what Tad Boyle likes to call “winning plays.” Talton made a three early in the game to help the Buffs out of their rut, played terrific defense late in the game on Jordan Matthews and got a steal late in the game that effectively sealed things up for Colorado.
“Being ready when my time is called, coming in and making plays,” Talton said of what he takes pride in. “Whatever it is, and just finding a way to win without scoring the ball.”
“I thought Xavier’s defense down the stretch on Jordan Mathews was key, he did a great job of making him work to catch the ball and take tough shots,” Boyle said of his senior guard. ” The steal at the end of the game, was the play of the game. I thought XT’s defense was terrific. He got a couple of cheap fouls in the first half, but again that’s a senior staying with it and not letting it get under his skin. Josh Scott, senior, struggles offensively in the first half and isn’t getting the calls he’s used to. He decides that he’s going to put the ball in the basket whether they foul me or not and that’s what he did. He just didn’t let it get into his head. So I thought XT and Josh as seniors played well in the second half.”
QUOTE OF THE GAME
Tad: Were we 1-for-19?! Wow.
— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) February 1, 2016
BY THE NUMBERS
3 – Colorado has six wins through the first nine games of conference play for just the third time in 43 years.
16 – Colorado now has 16 wins to just one loss when scoring 70+.
19 – Colorado has out-rebounded their opponent in 19 of their 22 games.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Buffaloes head up to the Northwest to take on the conference-leading Oregon Ducks in Matt Knight Arena.
