The Buffs men’s basketball team opened the Puerto Rico Shootout with a 67-58 loss to Wichita State.
As a former assistant for Wichita State, coach Tad Boyle helped the Shockers advance to the Sweet 16 in 2006. Tonight, he had trouble replicating success on the other side of the court.
The Shockers are a perpetual tournament buster in March and showed why with their experienced lineup. They had four seniors score in double figures against the younger group of Buffs.
Seven-foot center Garrett Stutz recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. His size created trouble inside for forward Andre Roberson, who finished with four points on 2-of-7 shooting.
Senior Carlon Brown, a first-year transfer from Utah, nabbed a team-high 15 points for the Buffs. The freshmen duo from California, Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker, combined for only 12 points.
A three-pointer by senior Austin Dufault cut the Shocker lead to a 50-47 advantage midway through the second half. But that is as close as the Buffs would get, as Wichita State went on a run to end the game.
CU moves on to play Maryland on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Michael Krumholtz at Michael.krumholtz@colorado.edu.