At no point during CU’s loss in Missouri did the Buffs look comfortable.
Whether attributed to constantly fumbling away turnovers (CU committed 23) or a poor selection of shots, the day never belonged to Tad Boyle and his boys, who lost at Missouri (18-5, 4-4) 89-73.
The Buffs’ (15-9, 4-5) disappointing trip to Mizzou Arena isn’t a shocker, as they have only won once away from home this season.
A late first half run, which boosted Missouri to a 47-31 halftime advantage, catalyzed the Tigers fast pace rhythm. Fifteen turnovers by CU in the messy first half put the game effectively out of reach.
As veteran point guard Nate Tomlinson remained idle on the sidelines with an ankle injury, ball-handling duties were delegated to freshman Shannon Sharpe. Sharpe’s inexperience showed as he struggled with Missouri’s defense.
Coming out in the second half, Missouri continued their hot shooting and coupled it well with a full-court press. Dressed in black, CU played cold. Not once did the Buffs close within the double-digit gap during the second half.
The performance of CU’s superstar sophomore Alec Burks, who finished with 21 points at a rate of 5 for 15 from the field, made his team’s previous performance against Missouri in Boulder a part of the past.
Senior forward Marcus Relphorde racked up a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds, though he also missed ten shots.
One consistency of the Buffs is how inconsistently they have fared away from home, where they are 12-1. CU has only left victoriously in one of five conference games away from Boulder.
Senior guard Cory Higgins set the school record with his 117th career start. Higgins finished with 14 points and no rebounds nor assists.
On the other end of the court, the Tigers’ bench combined for 36 total points; CU only scored 15.
Missouri’s Kim English matched Burks’ point total of 21 coming off the bench for the Tigers.
Colorado will be back in the friendly confines of the Coors Events Center as they take on No. 16 Texas A&M. The Big 12 game is scheduled on Wed, Feb. 9 for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Michael Krumholtz at Michael.krumholtz@colorado.edu.