A steady defensive performance kept Colorado alive in their Pac-12 opener against Oregon State Thursday night in Boulder. The Buffs held the Beavers to a 37.5 field goal percentage to manage a 64-58 victory.
�We rebounded and we got stops when we needed to,� sophomore forward Josh Scott said. “Offensively, there [were] some adjustments, especially when they�re playing 1-3-1.�
The Buffs do find zone defenses tough to handle. �It�s like playing against Syracuse�s zone�they�re so long and athletic that they cover the ground quickly,� head coach Tad Boyle said. �We just didn�t make a lot of shots.�
The top scorers for Colorado were Scott, junior guard Askia Booker and freshman Jaron Hopkins off the bench. Each recorded 13 points. As a team, the Buffs shot 63 percent from the stripe and 38 percent from the field. Only five of 20 three-point shots found the net.
�We saw the opposite of Georgia, where we shot the ball real well,� Scott said. �Tonight I think we played defense real well, so we just need to bring those two things together and we would be pretty special.�
Colorado led Oregon State 28-23 at halftime, but required a major momentum change in order to close out the win in the second half.
�We just knew that the score was a little too close,� said sophomore forward Xavier Johnson. �We needed to come out with a little fire and energy.�
That newfound energy finally began to manifest itself offensively. The Buffs were able to convert OSU�s 17 turnovers into 25 points. Nine of those turnovers resulted from steals by juniors Askia Booker and Spencer Dinwiddie.
�I think we�re all pretty proud,� Scott said. �We battled, and really, it�s all we can ask for.�
�We beat a good team tonight. They�re much better than their record,� Boyle said. �The best thing is, we won when we didn�t shoot the ball well.�
Now at 12-2 for the season and 1-0 in conference play, Colorado is heading into Sunday�s home matchup against the Oregon Ducks with confidence.
�Oregon [will] come in leading the country in scoring, so our defense will be tested,� Boyle said. �We�ll do what we have to do to win� [and] we need our fans. We need a Kansas-type crowd effort on Sunday.�
Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m. MST at the Coors Events Center.
�Contact CU Independent Assistant Sports Editor Jordyn Siemens at [email protected].
