BUFFS RAMPAGE
CU routs Oregon State, 78-49
This time, there would be no gut-wrenching comeback for Oregon State.
In each of the past two years, second-half rallies by Oregon State have left the Colorado Buffaloes stunned on their home floor.
On Monday, the Buffs made certain there would be no threepeat performance. Playing their most complete game in several weeks, Colorado routed the Beavers for a 78-49 Pac-12 Conference victory at the CU Events Center.
The win keeps the Buffs in sole possession of third place in the league heading into a twogame swing through the Bay Area that begins Thursday at Stanford.
“We talked about it as a staff, and our older guys let them know,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “Tonight’s game had nothing to do with the last couple of years. But our guys were dialed-in. They were ready.
“They knew we needed to take care of this game, because this was a separation game. They had five losses in league play. We’ve got four. So if we don’t win tonight, we both have five and we’re falling back in the pack.
“But now they’ve got six and we’ve got four, and we’re going to be faced with the same thing on Thursday at Stanford.”
The Buffs enjoyed a balanced attack and got huge games off the bench from senior Jeriah Horne and freshman Tristan da Silva.
Horne went 6-for-8 and paced the Buffs with 16 points and seven rebounds while da Silva, who saw extended playing time in the first half after Evan Battey picked up two early fouls, went 6-for-6 with 15 points, four rebounds, and an assist in a season-high 20 minutes.
Dallas Walton went 5-for-6 with 12 points and seven rebounds for the Buffs.
The game was tied 14-14 with 12 minutes left in the first half when a three-point play from Horne gave CU the lead for good. The Buffs used separate runs of 9-2 and 12-2 late in the first half to build a 40-27 lead at the break.
The Buffs didn’t let up on the gas pedal after halftime, opening the second half with a 13-2 run while continuing to extend the lead into the final minute of the game.
Two days after shooting a season-high 55.8% in a win against Arizona, the Buffs matched that mark while holding the Beavers to a 32.7 shooting percentage.
That was the lowest total by a CU opponent in Pac-12 play and the third lowest this season overall.
“It was a quick turnaround. I felt like everyone was extremely focused, extremely locked in,” Horne said. “We wanted to make sure we came out with the victory tonight.”
Since defeating Stanford at home on Jan. 16, the Buffs have struggled to put together a full 40-minute game, squandering sizeable leads in a win against Washington State on Jan. 27 and doing the same on Jan. 30 in a numbing late loss against Utah.
Monday’s effort showcased the Buffs in peak form from start to finish, which undoubtedly is a welcome sign as CU gets set to play its next four games on the road.
“We’re going to need our bench as this season unfolds,” Boyle said. “It was a good team victory. You wish they could all be like that, but that’s not the case. It sure won’t be that way on Thursday night in Palo Alto.”