Buffs move into first place in Pac-12 standings with 71-65 win over Cal
It wasn’t nearly as BOULD E R » pleasing to the eye as last week’s dismantling of USC on the road, but with the second half of the Pac-12 Conference schedule officially underway, style points are far less critical than results.
And the 24th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes got the result they needed Thursday night.
Surviving a hot shooting night by Cal, the Buffs pulled away late for a 71-65 win in a Pac-12 battle at the CU Events Center.
“Not the prettiest win,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “It reminded me of wins we had as a program this November and December, when we kind of just weren’t very good, but we found a way to win the game. We had a handful of those this year early in the year.
“One stat that we chart is kills, when you get three stops in a row. Our goal as a program is to have three of those in a half. In some of our games this year we’ve had in excess of that. But tonight we had one each half. When you look at that stat, you can’t separate yourself because you can’t get multiple stops in a row. That’s why we couldn’t pull away from Cal.”
A Buffs team whose offense has steadily improved over the past month and a half found points far more elusive against Cal, whose deliberate pace and hot-shooting night led to an upset bid.
CU entered the game shooting 36.9% from 3 but went 7-for-24 against the Golden Bears, with the Buffs’ 29.2% mark its lowest since going 5-for-20 (25%) against Prairie View on Dec. 19.
The Buffs also entered the game shooting 74.3% at the free throw line but went 16-for-24, with several late misses keeping the Bears in the fight.
Cal, meanwhile, shot 55.6%, its best shooting percentage of the Pac-12 schedule and the best mark by a CU opponent this season.
“Our first half defense was terrible. I think at halftime they were (63) percent,” CU point guard McKinley Wright said.
“I don’t think that’s happened to us all year. I don’t know when the last time that happened to us. That’s an area we have to be more locked in at, and locking in the personnel more so.”
Tyler Bey paced the Buffs with 21 points and 10 rebounds, posting his eighth double-double of the season and the 27th of his career. Wright finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while D’Shawn Schwartz added 14 points and four assists.