Buffs no match for hot-shooting USC
Trojans secure first season sweep of CU since 2017-18
So much for coming up with a little late season magic.
After the dramatic ups and downs of a wildly inconsistent season, the Colorado men’s basketball team hoped a run of three consecutive home games to close the regular season might give the Buffaloes a chance to light a spark going into the Pac-12 Conference tournament.
USC thought otherwise. Unable to slow a hotshooting USC team the entire night, CU dropped an 84-65 decision on Thursday night at the CU Events Center.
It was the Buffs’ third loss in the past four games, while the Trojans secured a twogame regular-season sweep of CU for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
The Trojans took control with a 13-2 run in the first half, eventually building a 43-30 halftime lead. USC pushed its advantage to 17 points with 14 minutes, 59 seconds remaining when the Buffs attempted to make a run, scoring eight consecutive points in an 11-2 run.
CU got within nine points on several occasions in the middle of the second half, but USC put the game away with a 12-1 run that gave the Trojans a 73-53 lead.
While USC was hot from the opening tip, shooting .630 in the first half before finishing with a .569 mark, the Buffs once again struggled to find a rhythm offensively.
Point guard KJ Simpson finished with 18 points, but leading scorer Tristan da Silva was held to six points on a 2-for-9 night from the field.
With Jalen Gabbidon (concussion) and Javon Ruffin ( knee) sidelined, CU coach Tad Boyle gave redshirt freshman Quincy Allen his first meaningful playing time of the season. Allen went 2-for-8 with seven points and four blocked shots. CU (15-14, 7-11 Pac-12) finished 6-for-28 on 3-pointers while the Trojans went 8-for-19.