Men’s basketball records third straight loss
With just over two minutes left on the clock, Missouri’s Matt Lawrence hit a three-point shot to give his team their first lead of the game.
The Tigers (12-8, 2-3) were able to hold off the Buffs (9-10, 1-4) for a 66-62 victory Saturday in Boulder.
With their win over CU, Missouri snapped a three-game losing streak.
However, the four-point Tiger victory and their 8-2 run in the last two minutes was not telling of the rest of the matchup.
Colorado began the game with an 11-0 run and led Missouri by 10 at halftime, but the Tigers outscored the Buffs 29-12 in the last 10 minutes of the second half.
First-year head coach Jeff Bzdelik said the loss was particularly hard for the Buffs.
“This is a difficult loss to swallow,” Bzdelik said. “Am I upset? Yes, I am upset.”
Bzdelik said his team lacked discipline in the second half. The main problems, he added, were that they turned the ball over and gave up offensive rebounds.
Bzdelik also said his team did not react well to Missouri’s pressure in the second half.
“(Missouri) turned it up a little bit,” Bzdelik said. “For whatever reason, when teams turn it up, we melt. You can’t be casual when the other team is desperate, and that’s what happened.”
Senior guard Marcus Hall said the Buffs seemed to lose focus in the second half.
“We did a good job taking care of the ball in the first half,” Hall said. “I guess we just got lazy with it in the second half.”
Hall scored a season-high 28 points in Saturday’s loss, beating his previous score by seven points. It was the first time in Hall’s career that he scored at least 20 points in a conference home game.
However, the senior guard said he was not satisfied with his 28 points because the Buffs ultimately lost the game.
“We go into the game looking for a win,” Hall said. “We’re over the moral victories.”
Standout senior forward Richard Roby recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
The Buffs will travel to Ames, Iowa Tuesday to take on the Iowa State Cyclones (12-7, 2-2).
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Brad Cochi at bradley.cochi@thecampuspress.com.
