Those dam Beavers

The Colorado Buffaloes finished their season with a disappointing 83-69 loss against the Oregon State University Beavers on Saturday afternoon in Corvallis, Ore.

CU ended the season going 19-11 overall and 11-7 in the Pac-12. At this point, it is doubtful that they will be able to contend in the 2012 NCAA Tournament after finishing fifth in the Pac-12, but the NCAA Selection Committee may have other ideas. This loss certainly did not help their chances.

Colorado guard Askia Booker looks to drive into the lane against Arizona defender Kyryl Natyazhko in the Jan. 21 victory. On Saturday the Buffs fell to the Beavers 83-69 in Oregon. (CU Independent File/Kai Casey)

The Buffs kept the game close in the first half, trailing Oregon State 30-27 at the break. Once the Beavers began to pull away in the second half, however, CU was unable to narrow the gap.

The Beavers shot 53.7 percent from the field and went 43.8 percent from the three-point line.

Oregon State’s Ahmad Starks was the leading scorer with 18 points. OSU’s Jared Cunningham and Devon Collier also added 15 and 11 points respectively, to give Oregon the edge.

Colorado shot well too, shooting 48.2 percent. The key to this loss, however, was a lack of production from both deep and at the charity line. CU only made two of their eight three-point attempts for the night, while making less than half of their free throws.

Freshman guard Askia Booker led the Buffs in scoring off the bench. He shot 6-11 from the floor, finishing with 15 points.

Sophomore forward Andre Roberson also added 14 while leading all players in rebounds, grabbing 14 boards in the game. Senior guard Carlon Brown contributed 14 points as well.

As of now, the fate of the Buffs lies in the hands of the NCAA Selection Committee, which will reveal its decisions next Sunday, March 11 on CBS. If the Buffs are unable to make it to the dance this year, more likely than not, they will get an invitation to the NIT Tournament.

Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Shay Knolle at [email protected].