Buffs get back on track with win over Cougars
Playing without their most explosive player who doubles as the top rebounder in the Pac-12 Conference, the 23rd-ranked Buffs weathered a hot shooting start by visiting Washington State before pulling away in the second half for a 78-56 victory at the CU Events Center.
Washington State fell to 0-9 all-time at CU. CU (15-4, 4-2) shook off a poor effort defensively and on the glass in a loss in their last outing at Arizona, holding the Cougars to a .373 mark overall and a .286 shooting percentage after halftime. CU also out rebounded WSU 45-28 after getting out rebounded in both games of last week’s trip through Arizona.
Though he was in uniform, Bey remained on the bench with the middle fingers right hand bandaged. His status remains uncertain for Saturday’s battle against Washington, which blew a 12-point second-half lead Thursday night in a loss at Utah.
Senior forward Lucas Siewert received his first start of the season and responded with his first double-double of the season and his first in a Pac-12 game, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds. It was Siewert’s third doubledouble overall in his career, as he posted two in consecutive games early last season against Portland and Colorado State.
It was a balanced effort for CU, which also received double-doubles from point guard McKinley Wright IV and Evan Battey. Wright finished with 10 points and 10 assists. He finished the night with 442 career assists and moved past Jose Winston for third-place on CU’s career list. Evan Battey posted his fourth career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
CU committed 10 turnovers in the first half but finished with just 14. The Buffs shot .456 overall and went 9-for-22 (.409) on 3-pointers.