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By Stuart
[h=2]Buff Basketball[/h] —
March 10th
… CU in the Arena …
Buffs ready for one last run
From cubuffs.com … This time around, March Madness is merely an extension of the last four months for the Colorado Buffaloes. Madness, craziness, angst and who knows what else began infiltrating the Buffs’ 2014-15 season in November, and while they’ve shown occasional signs of escaping they’ve never quite pulled both feet out of the quicksand.
Now’s their chance. It’s slight, but it’s there. Or here – in the Pac-12 Tournament, which begins Wednesday in the MGM Grand Garden Arena. CU, the No. 10 seed, plays Oregon State, the No. 7 seed, at 7:10 p.m. MDT (Pac-12 Networks).
The Buffs have advanced past the first-round in every Pac-12 Tournament since becoming league members four years ago. But this season’s tournament scenario bears no resemblance to the others.
Hauling a losing record (14-16 overall, 7-11 Pac-12) and other assorted baggage to Glitter Gulch for the first time, they need to advance to the title game to get to .500 – then win it to have a guaranteed postseason (NCAA, automatic bid) berth. Losing in the championship game would drop them to .500 again (17-17), which could send them to the NIT based on their meager late-season success – winning two of three final regular-season games and the possible Pac-12 tourney run.
The NIT revamped its selection process in 2006 and no longer requires teams to be above .500 to make the 32-team field. Still, all entries since then have been above .500 – which could make last weekend’s 96-91 perplexing overtime loss at Washington State even costlier.
But the Buffs and coach Tad Boyle aren’t crunching those numbers just yet, mainly because a loss on Wednesday night to the Beavers (17-13, 8-10) pushes the moot button on all postseason scenarios.
“It’s one game, you win or you lose,” said CU post Josh Scott. “Win or go home. That’s how it is for us now.”
Coaches are like this, but there’s hope – Boyle believes real hope – for a first-round win. Asked on Monday about formulas for conference tournament success, Boyle pinpointed players’ physical status at the end of the regular-season grind and, but of equal importance, their mental status.
“Guys in locker room who want the season to continue,” he said. “Believe it or not, with 12 teams in the league I’m not sure there are 12 locker rooms that feel like that. We’ve got to be darn sure that Colorado’s is one of them. I think it is; I got a sense after the Washington State game that it’s almost like a rebirth. But we’ll find out . . . if your players want to live to see another day, you’ve got a chance.”
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March 9th
… CU in the Arena …
Askia Booker named Second-Team All-Pac-12
Press release from cubuffs.com … In a vote of the 12 Pac-12 Conference coaches, University of Colorado senior guard Askia Booker was named one of five players to the conference second team, Commissioner Larry Scott announced Monday.
Booker leads the Buffaloes in scoring (17.2 ppg), assists (91) and steals (43) and is looking to become the first CU player since Chauncey Billups to lead the team in all three categories. This season, Booker became just the third player in school history to play 132 career games and the seventh player to reach the 1,700-point plateau (1,708 career points).
Last season, Booker was an honorable mention selection.
CU finished the Pac-12 standings tied for eighth overall with a 7-11 record. Due to tie-breakers, the Buffs are the No. 10 seed at this week’s conference tournament in Las Vegas where they will take on No. 7 Oregon State this Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. (MDT) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
Also announced Monday by the conference office was Oregon senior guard Joseph Young being named the 2014-15 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year; Arizona forward Stanley Johnson was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year; Oregon State junior guard Gary Payton II has been named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year; Washington State sophomore forward Josh Hawkinson has been named Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year; and Dana Altman of Oregon is the John R. Wooden Coach of the Year.
ALL-PAC-12 FIRST TEAM
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona
Stanley Johnson, Arizona
DaVonté Lacy, Washington State
T.J. McConnell, Arizona
Gary Payton II, Oregon State
Norman Powell, UCLA
Chasson Randle, Stanford
Tyrone Wallace, California
Delon Wright, Utah
Joseph Young, Oregon
ALL-PAC-12 SECOND TEAM
Askia Booker, Colorado
Elgin Cook, Oregon
Kevon Looney, UCLA
Brandon Taylor, Utah
Nigel Williams-Goss, Washington
Honorable Mention (receiving at least three votes): Bryce Alford (UCLA), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), Anthony Brown (Stanford), Josh Hawkinson (Washington State), Shaquielle McKissic (Arizona State), Stefan Nastic (Stanford).
PAC-12 ALL-FRESHMEN TEAM
Jordan Bell, Oregon
Dillon Brooks, Oregon
Tra Holder, Arizona State
Stanley Johnson, Arizona
Kevon Looney, UCLA
Jordan McLaughlin, USC
Jakob Poeltl, Utah
PAC-12 ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Jordan Bell, Oregon
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona
T.J. McConnell, Arizona
Gary Payton II, Oregon State
Delon Wright, Utah
Honorable Mention (receiving at least three votes): Shaquielle McKissic (Arizona State), Norman Powell (UCLA), Brandon Taylor (Utah).
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Joseph Young, Oregon
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Stanley Johnson, Arizona
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gary Payton II, Oregon State
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Josh Hawkinson, Washington State
JOHN R. WOODEN COACH OF THE YEAR: Dana Altman, Oregon
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Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament schedule
From cubuffs.com …*The University of Colorado men’s basketball team will be the No. 10 seed and play No. 7 seed Oregon State this Wednesday, March 11 at 7:10 p.m. (MDT) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Buffaloes closed the regular season portion of the schedule with a 14-16 record and a 7-11 mark in the Pac-12 standings.
In their lone meeting of the season against the Beavers, occurred in Corvallis back on Feb. 21 with Oregon State taking a 72-58 victory.
The winner of CU/OSU will play No. 2 seed Oregon on Thursday, 7:10 p.m. (MDT). Both games will be televised by the Pac-12 Network and can be heard on 850-KOA with Voice of The Buffs, Mark Johnson with analyst Scott Wilke.
Under the tutelage of CU head coach Tad Boyle, the Buffaloes are 5-3 over the five years against Oregon State, and in the overall all-time series, CU leads 10-5.* In the lone neutral court meeting coming two years ago at the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas, CU, seeded No. 5 took a 74-68 win on March 13, 2013 over the No. 12 seeded Beavers.
In the previous three years of the Pac-12 Tournament, Boyle ranks at the top in overall record (7-2) and winning percentage (.778) in the Pac-10/12 Tournament history.* Boyle’s overall 65.0 winning percentage also ranks number one in school history, in addition to his post-season wins (13).* His 9-3 conference tournament record spanning the previous four seasons (three in Pac-12, one in the Big 12), is number one in school history.
In this year’s Pac-12 Tournament, eight of the 12 seeds for the 2015 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament were determined on the final day of the Pac-12 regular season. The Pac-12 regular season champion, Arizona enters the event as the No. 1 seed for the second straight year.
2015 PAC-12 MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday-Saturday, March 11-14, 2015
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.
Wed., Mar. 11
Game 1 – No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Washington State, 1:10 p.m., P12N
Game 2 – No. 5 Arizona State vs. No. 12 USC, approx. 3:40 p.m., P12N
Game 3 – No. 7 Oregon State vs. No. 10 Colorado, 7:10 p.m. P12N
Game 4 – No. 6 Stanford vs. No. 11 Washington, approx. 9:40 p.m., P12N
Thurs., Mar. 12
Game 5 – No. 8/9 vs. No. 1 Arizona, 1:10 p.m., P12N
Game 6 – No. 5/12 vs. No. 4 UCLA, approx. 3:40 p.m., P12N
Game 7 – No. 7/10 vs. No. 2 Oregon, 7:10 p.m., P12N
Game 8 – No. 6/11 vs. No. 3 Utah, approx. 9:40 p.m., ESPN
Fri., Mar. 13
Semifinal 1, 7:10 p.m., P12N
Semifinal 2, approx. 9:45 p.m., ESPN
Sat., Mar. 14
Championship Game, 9:05 p.m., ESPN
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March 7th – at Washington State********* Washington State 96, Colorado 91 OT
… Buffs seeded 10th in Pac-12 tournament … Will play 7th-seeded Oregon State Wednesday (7:10 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) …
Josh Scott went for 32 points and 11 rebounds, and Askia Booker posted 26 points, but it was not enough, as Colorado fell in overtime to Washington State, 96-91.
The Buffs, down for much of the game, rallied to take a 73-72 lead on an Askia Booker layup with four-and-a-half minutes remaining, 73-72, but then went scoreless until Booker tied the game with a basket with just over a minute to play. A Josh Scott jumper with thirty seconds to play gave CU a 77-75 lead, and the game looked to be well in hand after the Cougars missed a shot with 11 seconds remaining. A turnover by Booker, however, gave the Cougars another chance, with DaVonte Lacy hitting a jumper with one second remaining to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, the Cougars hit two three-pointers in the first 45 seconds, never looking back in posting their first win over Colorado in Pac-12 play.
“We wanted to get the ball in ‘Ski’s’ hands, obviously he’s our best free throw shooter and they made the play there and we didn’t,” CU coach Tad Boyle said of the costly tie-up when Booker was double-teamed near the corner in front of the WSU bench. “The possession arrow went against us. I’ve never liked the possession arrow; I sure as hell don’t like it today. I just think it lets the referees off the hook, let’s toss it up like they used to and see who gets the ball like the NBA does.
“That’s not the way the game is and you just have to take it and move on. Really disappointed, though, I told our team, their passion their fight, their desire. The last three games we’ve stepped on the court and we’ve been ready to play. But we just weren’t good enough tonight, defensively. You score 91 points and you’re supposed to win those games. We gave this one away.”
As a team, Colorado made only two-of-13 three-pointers for the game. Ironically, both came in the first 90 seconds of the game, and both were by Tre’Shaun Fletcher … who didn’t take another shot the rest of the game. Askia Booker (Booker giveth; Booker taketh away) went 0-for-7 from behind the arc.
Game Notes -
–**Colorado finishes the regular season with a 14-16 record, the most losses since 2009-10 (15-16)
– The Buffs finished 7-11 in conference play, the most conference losses since CU finished 1-15 in Big 12 play in 2008-09
– The loss was the first to Washington State in Pac-12 play (5-1), and only the second*all-time (6-2)
– Askia Booker played in his 130th career game, tying Cory Higgins for No. 2 on the all-time list
– With 1,708 points, Booker is seventh in career scoring
– Josh Scott had a career-high 32 points, including a career-best 13 field goals
– Scott also had 12 rebounds, giving him his 20th career double-double
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CU women’s season comes to an end with a semi-final loss to Cal
From cubuffs.com … A night after disrupting the Pac-12 Conference Women’s Tournament, the Colorado Buffaloes needed a monstrous encore to advance to the conference championship game. The Buffs never stopped battling to achieve it, but California’s Brittany Boyd and Reshanda Gray and an attacking defense stopped CU short.
Cal’s pair of stars and its demonic ‘D’ carried the No. 4 seed Bears past the Buffs 68-55 in Saturday’s second semifinal and into Sunday’s Pac-12 title game (7:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN). Cal (23-8) faces No. 3 seed Stanford, which advanced with a 59-56 win over No. 2 seed Arizona State in Friday’s first semifinal game, and once again finds itself playing for an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m really, really proud of our effort,” CU coach Linda Lappe said. “We talked about leaving everything on the court, coming out and playing hard. I really feel like we were able to do that and when that happens you’re not disappointed with the outcome.”
But the No. 9 seed Buffs were disappointed in their season ending and their record (15-17) not qualifying them to at least be considered by the WNIT. CU, which ousted No. 1 seed Oregon State 68-65 in Thursday night’s quarterfinals in the biggest win of Lappe’s career, led early but fell behind Cal 29-23 at halftime and never got closer than five points in the second half. The Bears’ pressure defense forced most of CU’s 16 turnovers, costing the Buffs 20 points.
—
… CU in the Arena …
Colorado*at Washington State*… Saturday, 4:30 p.m., MT (Pac-12 Networks) … 850 KOA radio … Sirius Radio 108; XM 197
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Cougars’ 2014-15*Record:* 12-17,*6-11 in Pac-12 play (10th)
Coach: Ernie Kent,*12-17 in his first year in Pullman; Kent previously*had a 325-253 record in 19 seasons with Oregon
Series: Colorado leads the all-time series 6-1, including all five games between the two teams as members of the Pac-12. On January 24th, the Buffs snapped a four game losing streak with a 90-58 rout of the Cougars in Boulder.
Last season, the Buffs won a pair of close games, winning in a game played in Spokane, 71-70, in overtime (Spencer Dinwiddie’s last full game as a Buff), with a 68-63 win in Boulder.
Washington State’s record*last season:*10-21 overall; 3-15 in Pac-12 (11th); Cougars haven’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2008
Players to watch … DaVonte Lacy is the known star on the team. Lacy, a 6’4? guard, is averaging 17.2 ppg. this season, coming off of a 2013-14 campaign in which he averaged 19.4 ppg. On the inside, 6’10” sophomore Josh Hawkinson has been a dominant force, averaging a double-double each night, with 14.5 ppg. and 10.9 rebounds per game. Washington State looks to run at every opportunity early in the season (witness the 90 points CU scored against the Cougars in January), but things have slowed down since (witness the 23-23 halftime score against Utah Thursday night).
Washington*State so far in 2014-15 … The Cougars have a 12-17 overall record, and 6-11 record in Pac-12 play. That being said, Washington State has already doubled its Pac-12 win total from a year ago. After working through the non-conference schedule with an indifferent 6-6 record, Washington State opened conference play with a surprising 3-1 run, including road wins against Cal and Washington and an overtime win over Oregon. After that, though, the Cougars went on a four game losing streak, including the rout by the Buffs in Boulder. Since breaking the losing streak with a home win over Stanford, and have developed a pattern of one win/two losses; one win/two losses; one win/two losses. The wins have been over Stanford, Arizona State, and at USC. The Cougars come into the regular season finale off of two losses, including a tough 67-59 loss to Utah on Thursday night. In that game, Washington State was tied with the Utes, 23-23, at halftime, and had leads late in the second half.
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March 6th
… CU in the Arena …
CU women take out the No. 8 team in the nation in Pac-12 Quarterfinals
With a 14-16 record, the CU women’s basketball team knew that there next loss would be their last game of the season. After taking out the No. 8 seed, USC, by the score of 75-63, the Buffs, the No. 9 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, seemed to have gotten some small measure of revenge, as the Trojans had dispatched the Buffs by 15 and 20 points in the two regular season games.
Up next, though, was the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and the No. 8 team in the nation, Oregon State.
So much for extending the season.
Except for the fact that the Buffs were not to be denied. Behind their three seniors – Lexy Kresl, Jen Reese, and Jasmine Sborov – the Colorado women’s team knocked off Oregon State, 68-65, to advance to the Pac-12 semi-finals and keep their season alive.
After a Jamee Swan three point play gave CU a 3-2 lead early, it became the Lexy Kresl show at the Pac-12 tournament in Seattle. Kresl scored four straight baskets, including three three-pointers, as the Buffs built a 14-7 lead. The Beavers clawed their way back to make it an 18-14 game at the 11 minute mark of the first half, but then a Jamee Swan jumper and Kresl’s fourth three-pointer pushed the lead back out to nine, at 23-14.
So, if you are scoring at home, at the midway point of the first half, it was Oregon State 14, Lexy Kresl 14.
Another Oregon State push made it a 23-19 game, but the Buffs then went on a 7-1 run, taking a 30-20 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half.
… And then the Buffs went scoreless for the next six minutes.
Oregon State showed why it came into the game as the nation’s No. 8 team, finishing the first half on a 13-0 run. The Beavers took their largest lead of the half into the break, at 33-30.
It certainly appeared that Colorado, which fell to Oregon State at home, 66-44, just two weeks ago, had given the Beavers their best shot. The second half was to be a reality check … and a second round exit for the Buffs.
Instead, the Buffs kept coming.
With Kresl quieted, fellow senior Jen Reese added all 13 of her points in the second half as the Buffaloes beat a ranked team for the first time this season.
After trailing by five early in the second half, Reese and Swan led the Buffaloes back. Colorado took a 56-49 lead with 8:32 when Reese converted a three-point play hitting a fadeaway jumper while being fouled. Oregon State pulled within 59-57 after Deven Hunter’s three-point play with 5:29 left, and Hamblin’s three-point play with 4:21 left put Oregon State back ahead 60-59.
The Beavers missed two chances to extend their lead and Swan’s jumper in the lane with 2:38 left were Colorado’s first points in more than*four minutes and put the Buffaloes up 61-60. Hanson missed a wide open shot underneath and Jasmine Sborov’s layup in transition — her first points of the game — pushed Colorado’s lead to 63-60 with 1:35 left.
Wiese missed a 3-pointer with 1:25 left and Kresl scored on a backdoor cut to push the lead to five with 65 seconds left. Hunter missed another 3-point attempt and the Buffaloes hit three of four free throws in the final 40 seconds. Lauren Huggins hit one of two free throws with two seconds left to give CU a three-point advantage, with the Beavers unable to launch a game-tying trey at the buzzer.
Final Score: Colorado 68, No. 8 Oregon State 65
Colorado advances to the semi-finals, where the Buffs will face No. 4 seed Cal. The game will be played at 9:30 p.m., MT, and televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
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March 5th – at Washington********** Colorado 64,*Washington 47
(March 5th – at Pac-12 tournament********** Colorado women*75, USC 63*********** Game recap can be found here)
Josh Scott went for 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, leading the Buffs to a 64-47 road win over Washington. Scott almost matched the Huskies by himself in the first half, scoring 14 points as Colorado built a 30-17 halftime lead. In the second half, Washington made a pair of runs, but never got closer than five points as the Buffs won for just the second time on the road all season.
Xavier Johnson went for 11 points and Xavier Talton ten on a night when CU’s leading scorer, Askia Booker, was held to five points on two-for-ten shooting. Andrew Andrews, who beat the Buffs with a last second shot in Boulder, went for 20 points – including five second half three-pointers – but it was not enough as the Buffs held the Huskies to 30.5% shooting (18-for-59).
The Buffs won back-to-back games for the first time since late January (wins over Washington State and USC), raising CU’s record to 14-15, 7-10. Colorado faces Washington State on Saturday (4:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks), with a chance to even its season record heading into the Pac-12 tournament next weekend.
“They scored 17 points in the first half on us, and then they scored 15 points in the first four minutes of the second half”, said Tad Boyle. “It’s just like, ‘Holy cow guys.’ We have to do a better job and be a little bit more alert, because we know that they are capable shooters. I just think sometimes, our team has a tendency to relax a little bit when we have a lead. Fortunately we were scoring on our end, so we were trading baskets with them and the lead didn’t shrink too much. The only way to continue to extend the lead is to get stops, and after the first four minutes of the second half I thought we did a better job of that.
“To have your guards not shooting well against a zone, and still score like we scored means we were doing some good things inside. If we can score inside, and get a couple of guys hitting some threes then holy cow, look out, we’re pretty good”.
Game Notes …
– The*win was*the first for Colorado*against Washington in Seattle since 1956;
– The teams are now 3-3 against one another in Pac-12 play, with Washington holding a 10-9*lead overall;
– It’s been three years since CU posted a double-digit road win in Pac-12 play (a 63-49 win over Arizona State in 2012);
– Askia Booker tied a season-low in points (5), but a season-high in rebounds (7).
– Against Washington State Saturday (4:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks), Buffs will be looking*for their first*Pac-12 road sweep in two years (Oregon and Oregon State).
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Game recap …
Colorado entered the game at Washington with*a history of poor shooting on the road.
Fortunately for the Buffs, the Huskies spent much of the first half shooting poorly as well, with the teams opening the game a combined 5-for-30 from the field.
After Washington took a 2-0 lead, the Buffs finally got on the board … over three minutes in … on a pair of free throws by Tre’Shaun Fletcher. A three-pointer by Dominique Collier on the Buffs’ next possession gave CU a 5-2 lead, a lead which would never be relinquished.
Over the next four minutes of game clock, the teams traded bricks, with each team posting only one basket before*a Josh Scott three-point play and layup gave the Buffs a 12-4 advantage midway through the first half.
A Husky jumper cut the lead to 12-6 before the Buffs went on an 8-0 run. Josh Scott posted his second three-point play of the half, followed by a layup to give him ten straight points for the Buffs, giving CU a 17-6 advantage. A Xavier Talton three-pointer pushed the lead out to 20-6 at the under eight minute media timeout.
The teams then traded baskets as the shooting percentage for each team edged up. Washington went on a 9-4 run to pull within nine points, at 24-15, before layups by Scott and Xavier Talton pushed the lead back out to 13 points. Josh Scott then finished off a 14-point first half (on 6-for-9 shooting) to keep it a 13-point edge at the break.
Halftime score: Colorado 30, Washington 17
Josh Scott finished the first half 6-of-9, but the rest of the*team went 6-for-22, keeping the Buffs from turning the game into a rout.
The Buffs opened the second half with a pair of dunks, one by Scott and the other by Tre’Shaun Fletcher.
A rout?*Not so fast.
Washington, which couldn’t make any shots in the first half, couldn’t miss to start the second half. The Huskies made their first five shots of the second half, including their first two three-pointers in*nine attempts, making it a 36-29 game three minutes into the second half.
Josh Scott made his second basket of the second half, giving him 18 points, but Washington continued to be perfect from the field, with Andrew Andrews making a pair of three-pointers. With the Buffs’ lead down to six, at 38-32, Xavier Johnson answered with a three-pointer for the Buffs, making it 41-32 at the first media timeout of the half.
Washington then made it seven-for-seven from the field in the second half – including four three-pointers – with the Buffs holding the Huskies at bay with a three-pointer of their own, this one from Xavier Talton. A Xavier Johnson dunk after a Washington turnover made it a ten-point game again, at 46-36, with 14 minutes to play.
The teams finally went cold again, with neither team scoring over the next three minutes. A Xavier Johnson layup with 11 minutes to play made it a 48-36 game, with a Johnson dunk giving him 11 points, and the Buffs a 14-point lead, at 50-36, midway through the second half.
All done? Nope.
Two more three-pointers by the Huskies, making them 6-for-9 from behind the arc, cut the lead to eight, at 50-42, forcing a CU timeout with nine minutes to play. Jaron Hopkins posted a dunk to stop the bleeding, giving CU a double-digit lead, at 52-42, at the under eight timeout.
As Washington started to miss its three-pointers, Colorado extended the lead. A second Jaron Hopkins dunk pushed the lead to 54-42 as the Huskies went*six minutes without scoring. A pair of free throws – one by Josh Scott, the other by Xavier Talton – allowed the Buffs to edge the lead up to 56-42 at the final television timeout.
The Huskies finally got their first point in six minutes, on a free throw,*after the media break, offset by Askia Booker’s second basket of the game, with Booker pushing the*Buff*advantage to 59-43*after he*converted the three point play with a free throw.
A streak of six straight missed three-pointers by the Huskies over seven minutes of play finally was broken with Andrew Andrews’ fifth trey of the second half, but it was too little, too late, as there was not enough time left for Washington to make a final rally. The icing on the cake for the Buffs was a layup by Josh Scott with just under a minute to play, giving him 21 points for the game.
Final Score: Colorado 64, Washington 47
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March 4th
… CU in the Arena …
Colorado*at*Washington*… Thursday, 7:00 p.m., MT (Fox Sports 1) … 850 KOA radio … Sirius Radio 108; XM 197
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Huskies’ 2014-15*Record:* 15-13,*4-12 in Pac-12 play (11th)
Coach: Lorenzo Romar, 266-156; 13th year at Washington
Series: Washington leads the all-time series, 10-8. Washington also*leads, 3-2, in games played since*Colorado joined the Pac-12.*The first team to win a road game in Pac-12 play came back on January 22nd, when the Huskies escaped Boulder with a 52-50 victory. Andrew Andrews hit a shot with one second remaining in*a game in which the Buffs played without Josh Scott (back) and Xavier Johnson (suspension).
Washington’s record*last season:*17-15 overall; 9-9 in Pac-12 play (tied/8th) …*The Huskies lost in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament to Utah, ending their season.
Players to watch … Lorenzo Romar is the dean of Pac-12 coaches, leading the Huskies since 2002. Washington, though, hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2011, which is making the natives a little restless. Romar’s chances of returning for a 14th season received a boost when sophomore guard Nigel Williams-Goss opted to return instead of taking his chances on the NBA draft. Goss leads the team in both scoring (15.4 ppg.) and assists (6.1 apg), and is a force to be reckoned with by the Buffs’ backcourt. Against Colorado, Williams-Goss played all 40 minutes, and led the Huskies with 16 points. Williams-Goos, however, has been hampered by a leg injury, and may not be at 100% for the CU game (though he is expected to play).
The Huskies are down to eight healthy scholarship players, as Shawn Kemp, Jr., is out, and shot-blocking expert Robert Upshaw*has been dismissed from the team (the dismissal coming shortly after the CU game in January).
Jernard Jarreau is their only formidable post presence, and the 6-10, 240-pound junior is more comfortable on the perimeter. Meanwhile, junior Gilles Dierick is their tallest player, but the 7-foot reserve hasn’t been reliable.
The Huskies could start 6-7 freshman forward Donaven Dorsey, who replaced Kemp during last week’s 88-66 loss at UCLA. They could also roll out a four-guard lineup that includes 6-6 reserve Quevyn Winters, who had a breakout performance in the last outing and tallied a career-high 16 points.
“Because of a lack of depth, there’s not a whole lot of things we can do,” Romar said. “At some point, there will be five guards in there on the floor because we have two guys right now that are available that are over (6-7).”
That being said, the Huskies did defeat the Buffs in Boulder playing only six players the entire game.
Washington so far in 2014-15 … Washington sprint out to an 11-0 record and a No. 13 national ranking … and then the wheels completely fell off. An upset loss to Stony Brook in the final non-conference game set the stage for Washington to fall into a tailspin. After losing their first three Pac-12 games (to the Bay area schools and rival Washington State), the Huskies seemingly righted the ship, winning their next three games, defeating the Oregon schools at home and Colorado on the road.
After that … pffffft.
Washington has lost nine of its last ten games, and, despite a winning record at 15-13, the Huskies are looking at another empty post-season if they cannot beat the Buffs. A loss to Colorado would give Washington a 15-14 record, with a final home game – against No. 13 Utah – still to be played. That likely loss, coupled with a one-and-done in the Pac-12 tournament, would leave Washington with a 15-16 record. A defeat of Colorado would ensure finishing the regular season with a winning record (even with losses to Utah and in the Pac-12 tournament).
Assuming Washington coaches and players can do the math … the Huskies are going to really want a win against the Buffs Thursday night.
… More Notes …
SINGLE-SEASON STATS: CU’s .352 3-pt. FG% is ninth all-time in school history • .707 FT% is just outside the Top 10 • Wesley Gordon’s 41 blocks are tied for No. 12 in single-season blocks • Askia Booker has scored 469 season points, 45 points for 10th place among all-time CU seniors in scoring (Ken Charlton, 514, 1962-63) • Gordon has 203 rebounds, 11 boards from No. 44 place in single-season rebounds.
PLAYER BITS: Askia Booker has finally reached the all-time free throw percentage list, 10th with a 78.8 percentage • Wesley Gordon is first in conference-only rebounding (2.9) • Booker is one of eight players in school history with over 1,600 career points (1,677); and one of three players in school history over 3,600 minutes, and with at least 1600 points, 400 rebounds, 300 assists, 140 steals • Josh Scott is the fifth player in CU history with 1,000 points (1,061), 600 rebounds (624), 100 blocks (104).
BLOCK PARTY: Wesley Gordon (41) and Josh Scott (40) are the first CU teammates to have 40+ blocks in back-to-back seasons since blocked shots were a kept as a statistic in a season (1977-78; 38 years). Last year: Gordon: 41, Scott: 40.
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March 1st – Boulder******** Colorado 87, Arizona State 81
“I told our players in the locker room, as a coaching staff we can help them lose games, but they got to go win them” said Tad Boyle after CU’s 87-81 win over Arizona State. “Our guys went out and won this one tonight; they did what they had to do. It wasn’t easy, but it’s officially March and in college basketball nothing comes easy in March. Hopefully this can give us a little mojo as we move on to our last two road games and into the conference tournament.
“I’m really proud of our guys for stepping up,” Boyle continued. “I don’t think any group of players I’ve been around for a while deserved this win more than I feel these guys did, because they’ve been through a lot mentally and emotionally. They had to deal with a coach that hadn’t been very happy the past few days. It’s nice to see them respond. They played with great passion, great effort, and great energy tonight.”
Game recap from cubuffs.com … Askia Booker made Senior Night a special one, hitting a career-high 29 points in the Coors Events Center and leading the Colorado Buffaloes to an 87-81 win over Arizona State.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for CU (13-15, 6-10 Pac-12) and ended the Buffs’ regular season at home with an 11-5 record.
Booker got scoring help from Josh Scott (14) and Dustin Thomas (12). The Wildcats (15-14, 7-9) had four players in double figures, topped by Shaquielle McKissic’s 18.
Also appearing at the CEC for the final time were CU seniors Geoff Bates and Kevin Nelson, who replaced Booker in the final seconds.
The Buffs led 40-38 at halftime, but only a couple of minutes before they owned their largest advantage of the half – 36-27. But the Sun Devils quickly cut into that nine-point deficit, going on an 11-0 run that featured three consecutive treys – one by McKissic and a pair by Jonathan Gilling that were drilled from the right corner a step or two in front of the CU bench.
The Sun Devils finished with eight treys, marking the 11th time this season the Buffs have allowed that many or more.
After that 3-point barrage, Tra Holder hit a pair of free throws and the Buffs’ nine-point margin had evaporated. They trailed 38-36 until Booker ended the half with two foul shots and a layup with 2.4 seconds before the buzzer.
Booker topped CU’s first-half scorers with 11 points, going three-of-seven from the field and four-of-five from the free throw line. His 3-pointer at the 15:15 mark was one of three for the Buffs in the first half and gave them their first lead, 8-6, after the Sun Devils had scored the game’s first six points.
As they did in the first half, the Buffs slowed down the Sun Devils’ offense with full-court pressure after made baskets and free throws. It was enough of a disruption early in the second half to keep ASU off balance and help CU rebuild its nine-point (50-41) advantage five minutes in. In that 10-3 start, Booker had a layup and two free throws and assisted on a Scott stuff with a nice bounce pass from the top of the key.
After ASU trimmed its deficit to 53-49, Thomas accounted for six consecutive points on two baskets inside and a pair of free throws to push CU ahead 59-50 with 11:51 to play. But once again, the Sun Devils closed to within four points before Booker began getting to the rim and finishing with layups.
Three straight Booker trips inside pushed CU up 65-58, but ASU countered with treys from the left corner by Bo Barnes and McKissic, and a put-back by Savon Goodman brought the Sun Devils to within 68-66 with 6:58 remaining.
After making one of two free throws, McKissic was fouled two possessions later on a 3-point attempt. He made two of three to cut CU’s advantage to 70-69, then Barnes drilled another trey to give ASU its first lead of the second half, 72-70.
With 4:42 to play, the Buffs were on familiar ground – needing stops and efficient possessions down the stretch to take back the night. CU lost rebounder Wesley Gordon to five fouls with 3:20 left, and his fifth foul came on an Eric Jacobsen put-back that gave ASU a 74-73 lead. But Jacobsen – six-of-10 from the line at that point – missed the “and-one” chance and the Buffs remained down by one.
Another Booker trip the rim and a finger-roll layup, followed by lay-in by Thomas, gave CU a 77-74 lead with 2:06 remaining. The Sun Devils closed to 77-76 on a high (and prayerful) banked-in Jacobsen follow, but were denied the lead after Scott blocked Goodman and Tre’Shaun Fletcher was fouled.
With 47.2 seconds to play, he hit both free throws for a three-point Buffs lead (79-76), and when a long rebound after a missed Barnes 3-pointer went out of bounds, CU appeared in control.
Not so fast.
Fouled with 36.3 seconds left, Booker hit a pair of foul shots, but ASU got one free throw from Holder and another two from Goodman to make it a two-point game (81-79) with 24.9 seconds left. Fletcher was fouled at midcourt and made one of two, but Scott tipped in the miss and CU led 84-79.
The Sun Devils weren’t done. Two Holder free throws made it a one-possession game (84-81) until Xavier Talton hit one of two foul shots (85-81) with nine seconds showing. After an officials review, the Buffs retained possession on an out-of-bounds call, and Booker sealed his Senior Night win with two free throws with 6.4 seconds left.
The Buffs close out the regular season with games at Washington (Thursday, 7 p.m. MST, FS1) and Washington State (4:30 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Networks). The Pac-12 Tournament is March 11-March 14 in Las Vegas.
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Originally posted by CU At the Game
Click here to vie
[h=2]Buff Basketball[/h] —
March 10th
… CU in the Arena …
Buffs ready for one last run
From cubuffs.com … This time around, March Madness is merely an extension of the last four months for the Colorado Buffaloes. Madness, craziness, angst and who knows what else began infiltrating the Buffs’ 2014-15 season in November, and while they’ve shown occasional signs of escaping they’ve never quite pulled both feet out of the quicksand.
Now’s their chance. It’s slight, but it’s there. Or here – in the Pac-12 Tournament, which begins Wednesday in the MGM Grand Garden Arena. CU, the No. 10 seed, plays Oregon State, the No. 7 seed, at 7:10 p.m. MDT (Pac-12 Networks).
The Buffs have advanced past the first-round in every Pac-12 Tournament since becoming league members four years ago. But this season’s tournament scenario bears no resemblance to the others.
Hauling a losing record (14-16 overall, 7-11 Pac-12) and other assorted baggage to Glitter Gulch for the first time, they need to advance to the title game to get to .500 – then win it to have a guaranteed postseason (NCAA, automatic bid) berth. Losing in the championship game would drop them to .500 again (17-17), which could send them to the NIT based on their meager late-season success – winning two of three final regular-season games and the possible Pac-12 tourney run.
The NIT revamped its selection process in 2006 and no longer requires teams to be above .500 to make the 32-team field. Still, all entries since then have been above .500 – which could make last weekend’s 96-91 perplexing overtime loss at Washington State even costlier.
But the Buffs and coach Tad Boyle aren’t crunching those numbers just yet, mainly because a loss on Wednesday night to the Beavers (17-13, 8-10) pushes the moot button on all postseason scenarios.
“It’s one game, you win or you lose,” said CU post Josh Scott. “Win or go home. That’s how it is for us now.”
Coaches are like this, but there’s hope – Boyle believes real hope – for a first-round win. Asked on Monday about formulas for conference tournament success, Boyle pinpointed players’ physical status at the end of the regular-season grind and, but of equal importance, their mental status.
“Guys in locker room who want the season to continue,” he said. “Believe it or not, with 12 teams in the league I’m not sure there are 12 locker rooms that feel like that. We’ve got to be darn sure that Colorado’s is one of them. I think it is; I got a sense after the Washington State game that it’s almost like a rebirth. But we’ll find out . . . if your players want to live to see another day, you’ve got a chance.”
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March 9th
… CU in the Arena …
Askia Booker named Second-Team All-Pac-12
Press release from cubuffs.com … In a vote of the 12 Pac-12 Conference coaches, University of Colorado senior guard Askia Booker was named one of five players to the conference second team, Commissioner Larry Scott announced Monday.
Booker leads the Buffaloes in scoring (17.2 ppg), assists (91) and steals (43) and is looking to become the first CU player since Chauncey Billups to lead the team in all three categories. This season, Booker became just the third player in school history to play 132 career games and the seventh player to reach the 1,700-point plateau (1,708 career points).
Last season, Booker was an honorable mention selection.
CU finished the Pac-12 standings tied for eighth overall with a 7-11 record. Due to tie-breakers, the Buffs are the No. 10 seed at this week’s conference tournament in Las Vegas where they will take on No. 7 Oregon State this Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. (MDT) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
Also announced Monday by the conference office was Oregon senior guard Joseph Young being named the 2014-15 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year; Arizona forward Stanley Johnson was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year; Oregon State junior guard Gary Payton II has been named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year; Washington State sophomore forward Josh Hawkinson has been named Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year; and Dana Altman of Oregon is the John R. Wooden Coach of the Year.
ALL-PAC-12 FIRST TEAM
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona
Stanley Johnson, Arizona
DaVonté Lacy, Washington State
T.J. McConnell, Arizona
Gary Payton II, Oregon State
Norman Powell, UCLA
Chasson Randle, Stanford
Tyrone Wallace, California
Delon Wright, Utah
Joseph Young, Oregon
ALL-PAC-12 SECOND TEAM
Askia Booker, Colorado
Elgin Cook, Oregon
Kevon Looney, UCLA
Brandon Taylor, Utah
Nigel Williams-Goss, Washington
Honorable Mention (receiving at least three votes): Bryce Alford (UCLA), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), Anthony Brown (Stanford), Josh Hawkinson (Washington State), Shaquielle McKissic (Arizona State), Stefan Nastic (Stanford).
PAC-12 ALL-FRESHMEN TEAM
Jordan Bell, Oregon
Dillon Brooks, Oregon
Tra Holder, Arizona State
Stanley Johnson, Arizona
Kevon Looney, UCLA
Jordan McLaughlin, USC
Jakob Poeltl, Utah
PAC-12 ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Jordan Bell, Oregon
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona
T.J. McConnell, Arizona
Gary Payton II, Oregon State
Delon Wright, Utah
Honorable Mention (receiving at least three votes): Shaquielle McKissic (Arizona State), Norman Powell (UCLA), Brandon Taylor (Utah).
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Joseph Young, Oregon
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Stanley Johnson, Arizona
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gary Payton II, Oregon State
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Josh Hawkinson, Washington State
JOHN R. WOODEN COACH OF THE YEAR: Dana Altman, Oregon
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Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament schedule
From cubuffs.com …*The University of Colorado men’s basketball team will be the No. 10 seed and play No. 7 seed Oregon State this Wednesday, March 11 at 7:10 p.m. (MDT) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Buffaloes closed the regular season portion of the schedule with a 14-16 record and a 7-11 mark in the Pac-12 standings.
In their lone meeting of the season against the Beavers, occurred in Corvallis back on Feb. 21 with Oregon State taking a 72-58 victory.
The winner of CU/OSU will play No. 2 seed Oregon on Thursday, 7:10 p.m. (MDT). Both games will be televised by the Pac-12 Network and can be heard on 850-KOA with Voice of The Buffs, Mark Johnson with analyst Scott Wilke.
Under the tutelage of CU head coach Tad Boyle, the Buffaloes are 5-3 over the five years against Oregon State, and in the overall all-time series, CU leads 10-5.* In the lone neutral court meeting coming two years ago at the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas, CU, seeded No. 5 took a 74-68 win on March 13, 2013 over the No. 12 seeded Beavers.
In the previous three years of the Pac-12 Tournament, Boyle ranks at the top in overall record (7-2) and winning percentage (.778) in the Pac-10/12 Tournament history.* Boyle’s overall 65.0 winning percentage also ranks number one in school history, in addition to his post-season wins (13).* His 9-3 conference tournament record spanning the previous four seasons (three in Pac-12, one in the Big 12), is number one in school history.
In this year’s Pac-12 Tournament, eight of the 12 seeds for the 2015 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament were determined on the final day of the Pac-12 regular season. The Pac-12 regular season champion, Arizona enters the event as the No. 1 seed for the second straight year.
2015 PAC-12 MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday-Saturday, March 11-14, 2015
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.
Wed., Mar. 11
Game 1 – No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Washington State, 1:10 p.m., P12N
Game 2 – No. 5 Arizona State vs. No. 12 USC, approx. 3:40 p.m., P12N
Game 3 – No. 7 Oregon State vs. No. 10 Colorado, 7:10 p.m. P12N
Game 4 – No. 6 Stanford vs. No. 11 Washington, approx. 9:40 p.m., P12N
Thurs., Mar. 12
Game 5 – No. 8/9 vs. No. 1 Arizona, 1:10 p.m., P12N
Game 6 – No. 5/12 vs. No. 4 UCLA, approx. 3:40 p.m., P12N
Game 7 – No. 7/10 vs. No. 2 Oregon, 7:10 p.m., P12N
Game 8 – No. 6/11 vs. No. 3 Utah, approx. 9:40 p.m., ESPN
Fri., Mar. 13
Semifinal 1, 7:10 p.m., P12N
Semifinal 2, approx. 9:45 p.m., ESPN
Sat., Mar. 14
Championship Game, 9:05 p.m., ESPN
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March 7th – at Washington State********* Washington State 96, Colorado 91 OT
… Buffs seeded 10th in Pac-12 tournament … Will play 7th-seeded Oregon State Wednesday (7:10 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) …
Josh Scott went for 32 points and 11 rebounds, and Askia Booker posted 26 points, but it was not enough, as Colorado fell in overtime to Washington State, 96-91.
The Buffs, down for much of the game, rallied to take a 73-72 lead on an Askia Booker layup with four-and-a-half minutes remaining, 73-72, but then went scoreless until Booker tied the game with a basket with just over a minute to play. A Josh Scott jumper with thirty seconds to play gave CU a 77-75 lead, and the game looked to be well in hand after the Cougars missed a shot with 11 seconds remaining. A turnover by Booker, however, gave the Cougars another chance, with DaVonte Lacy hitting a jumper with one second remaining to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, the Cougars hit two three-pointers in the first 45 seconds, never looking back in posting their first win over Colorado in Pac-12 play.
“We wanted to get the ball in ‘Ski’s’ hands, obviously he’s our best free throw shooter and they made the play there and we didn’t,” CU coach Tad Boyle said of the costly tie-up when Booker was double-teamed near the corner in front of the WSU bench. “The possession arrow went against us. I’ve never liked the possession arrow; I sure as hell don’t like it today. I just think it lets the referees off the hook, let’s toss it up like they used to and see who gets the ball like the NBA does.
“That’s not the way the game is and you just have to take it and move on. Really disappointed, though, I told our team, their passion their fight, their desire. The last three games we’ve stepped on the court and we’ve been ready to play. But we just weren’t good enough tonight, defensively. You score 91 points and you’re supposed to win those games. We gave this one away.”
As a team, Colorado made only two-of-13 three-pointers for the game. Ironically, both came in the first 90 seconds of the game, and both were by Tre’Shaun Fletcher … who didn’t take another shot the rest of the game. Askia Booker (Booker giveth; Booker taketh away) went 0-for-7 from behind the arc.
Game Notes -
–**Colorado finishes the regular season with a 14-16 record, the most losses since 2009-10 (15-16)
– The Buffs finished 7-11 in conference play, the most conference losses since CU finished 1-15 in Big 12 play in 2008-09
– The loss was the first to Washington State in Pac-12 play (5-1), and only the second*all-time (6-2)
– Askia Booker played in his 130th career game, tying Cory Higgins for No. 2 on the all-time list
– With 1,708 points, Booker is seventh in career scoring
– Josh Scott had a career-high 32 points, including a career-best 13 field goals
– Scott also had 12 rebounds, giving him his 20th career double-double
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CU women’s season comes to an end with a semi-final loss to Cal
From cubuffs.com … A night after disrupting the Pac-12 Conference Women’s Tournament, the Colorado Buffaloes needed a monstrous encore to advance to the conference championship game. The Buffs never stopped battling to achieve it, but California’s Brittany Boyd and Reshanda Gray and an attacking defense stopped CU short.
Cal’s pair of stars and its demonic ‘D’ carried the No. 4 seed Bears past the Buffs 68-55 in Saturday’s second semifinal and into Sunday’s Pac-12 title game (7:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN). Cal (23-8) faces No. 3 seed Stanford, which advanced with a 59-56 win over No. 2 seed Arizona State in Friday’s first semifinal game, and once again finds itself playing for an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m really, really proud of our effort,” CU coach Linda Lappe said. “We talked about leaving everything on the court, coming out and playing hard. I really feel like we were able to do that and when that happens you’re not disappointed with the outcome.”
But the No. 9 seed Buffs were disappointed in their season ending and their record (15-17) not qualifying them to at least be considered by the WNIT. CU, which ousted No. 1 seed Oregon State 68-65 in Thursday night’s quarterfinals in the biggest win of Lappe’s career, led early but fell behind Cal 29-23 at halftime and never got closer than five points in the second half. The Bears’ pressure defense forced most of CU’s 16 turnovers, costing the Buffs 20 points.
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… CU in the Arena …
Colorado*at Washington State*… Saturday, 4:30 p.m., MT (Pac-12 Networks) … 850 KOA radio … Sirius Radio 108; XM 197
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Cougars’ 2014-15*Record:* 12-17,*6-11 in Pac-12 play (10th)
Coach: Ernie Kent,*12-17 in his first year in Pullman; Kent previously*had a 325-253 record in 19 seasons with Oregon
Series: Colorado leads the all-time series 6-1, including all five games between the two teams as members of the Pac-12. On January 24th, the Buffs snapped a four game losing streak with a 90-58 rout of the Cougars in Boulder.
Last season, the Buffs won a pair of close games, winning in a game played in Spokane, 71-70, in overtime (Spencer Dinwiddie’s last full game as a Buff), with a 68-63 win in Boulder.
Washington State’s record*last season:*10-21 overall; 3-15 in Pac-12 (11th); Cougars haven’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2008
Players to watch … DaVonte Lacy is the known star on the team. Lacy, a 6’4? guard, is averaging 17.2 ppg. this season, coming off of a 2013-14 campaign in which he averaged 19.4 ppg. On the inside, 6’10” sophomore Josh Hawkinson has been a dominant force, averaging a double-double each night, with 14.5 ppg. and 10.9 rebounds per game. Washington State looks to run at every opportunity early in the season (witness the 90 points CU scored against the Cougars in January), but things have slowed down since (witness the 23-23 halftime score against Utah Thursday night).
Washington*State so far in 2014-15 … The Cougars have a 12-17 overall record, and 6-11 record in Pac-12 play. That being said, Washington State has already doubled its Pac-12 win total from a year ago. After working through the non-conference schedule with an indifferent 6-6 record, Washington State opened conference play with a surprising 3-1 run, including road wins against Cal and Washington and an overtime win over Oregon. After that, though, the Cougars went on a four game losing streak, including the rout by the Buffs in Boulder. Since breaking the losing streak with a home win over Stanford, and have developed a pattern of one win/two losses; one win/two losses; one win/two losses. The wins have been over Stanford, Arizona State, and at USC. The Cougars come into the regular season finale off of two losses, including a tough 67-59 loss to Utah on Thursday night. In that game, Washington State was tied with the Utes, 23-23, at halftime, and had leads late in the second half.
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March 6th
… CU in the Arena …
CU women take out the No. 8 team in the nation in Pac-12 Quarterfinals
With a 14-16 record, the CU women’s basketball team knew that there next loss would be their last game of the season. After taking out the No. 8 seed, USC, by the score of 75-63, the Buffs, the No. 9 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, seemed to have gotten some small measure of revenge, as the Trojans had dispatched the Buffs by 15 and 20 points in the two regular season games.
Up next, though, was the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and the No. 8 team in the nation, Oregon State.
So much for extending the season.
Except for the fact that the Buffs were not to be denied. Behind their three seniors – Lexy Kresl, Jen Reese, and Jasmine Sborov – the Colorado women’s team knocked off Oregon State, 68-65, to advance to the Pac-12 semi-finals and keep their season alive.
After a Jamee Swan three point play gave CU a 3-2 lead early, it became the Lexy Kresl show at the Pac-12 tournament in Seattle. Kresl scored four straight baskets, including three three-pointers, as the Buffs built a 14-7 lead. The Beavers clawed their way back to make it an 18-14 game at the 11 minute mark of the first half, but then a Jamee Swan jumper and Kresl’s fourth three-pointer pushed the lead back out to nine, at 23-14.
So, if you are scoring at home, at the midway point of the first half, it was Oregon State 14, Lexy Kresl 14.
Another Oregon State push made it a 23-19 game, but the Buffs then went on a 7-1 run, taking a 30-20 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half.
… And then the Buffs went scoreless for the next six minutes.
Oregon State showed why it came into the game as the nation’s No. 8 team, finishing the first half on a 13-0 run. The Beavers took their largest lead of the half into the break, at 33-30.
It certainly appeared that Colorado, which fell to Oregon State at home, 66-44, just two weeks ago, had given the Beavers their best shot. The second half was to be a reality check … and a second round exit for the Buffs.
Instead, the Buffs kept coming.
With Kresl quieted, fellow senior Jen Reese added all 13 of her points in the second half as the Buffaloes beat a ranked team for the first time this season.
After trailing by five early in the second half, Reese and Swan led the Buffaloes back. Colorado took a 56-49 lead with 8:32 when Reese converted a three-point play hitting a fadeaway jumper while being fouled. Oregon State pulled within 59-57 after Deven Hunter’s three-point play with 5:29 left, and Hamblin’s three-point play with 4:21 left put Oregon State back ahead 60-59.
The Beavers missed two chances to extend their lead and Swan’s jumper in the lane with 2:38 left were Colorado’s first points in more than*four minutes and put the Buffaloes up 61-60. Hanson missed a wide open shot underneath and Jasmine Sborov’s layup in transition — her first points of the game — pushed Colorado’s lead to 63-60 with 1:35 left.
Wiese missed a 3-pointer with 1:25 left and Kresl scored on a backdoor cut to push the lead to five with 65 seconds left. Hunter missed another 3-point attempt and the Buffaloes hit three of four free throws in the final 40 seconds. Lauren Huggins hit one of two free throws with two seconds left to give CU a three-point advantage, with the Beavers unable to launch a game-tying trey at the buzzer.
Final Score: Colorado 68, No. 8 Oregon State 65
Colorado advances to the semi-finals, where the Buffs will face No. 4 seed Cal. The game will be played at 9:30 p.m., MT, and televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
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March 5th – at Washington********** Colorado 64,*Washington 47
(March 5th – at Pac-12 tournament********** Colorado women*75, USC 63*********** Game recap can be found here)
Josh Scott went for 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, leading the Buffs to a 64-47 road win over Washington. Scott almost matched the Huskies by himself in the first half, scoring 14 points as Colorado built a 30-17 halftime lead. In the second half, Washington made a pair of runs, but never got closer than five points as the Buffs won for just the second time on the road all season.
Xavier Johnson went for 11 points and Xavier Talton ten on a night when CU’s leading scorer, Askia Booker, was held to five points on two-for-ten shooting. Andrew Andrews, who beat the Buffs with a last second shot in Boulder, went for 20 points – including five second half three-pointers – but it was not enough as the Buffs held the Huskies to 30.5% shooting (18-for-59).
The Buffs won back-to-back games for the first time since late January (wins over Washington State and USC), raising CU’s record to 14-15, 7-10. Colorado faces Washington State on Saturday (4:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks), with a chance to even its season record heading into the Pac-12 tournament next weekend.
“They scored 17 points in the first half on us, and then they scored 15 points in the first four minutes of the second half”, said Tad Boyle. “It’s just like, ‘Holy cow guys.’ We have to do a better job and be a little bit more alert, because we know that they are capable shooters. I just think sometimes, our team has a tendency to relax a little bit when we have a lead. Fortunately we were scoring on our end, so we were trading baskets with them and the lead didn’t shrink too much. The only way to continue to extend the lead is to get stops, and after the first four minutes of the second half I thought we did a better job of that.
“To have your guards not shooting well against a zone, and still score like we scored means we were doing some good things inside. If we can score inside, and get a couple of guys hitting some threes then holy cow, look out, we’re pretty good”.
Game Notes …
– The*win was*the first for Colorado*against Washington in Seattle since 1956;
– The teams are now 3-3 against one another in Pac-12 play, with Washington holding a 10-9*lead overall;
– It’s been three years since CU posted a double-digit road win in Pac-12 play (a 63-49 win over Arizona State in 2012);
– Askia Booker tied a season-low in points (5), but a season-high in rebounds (7).
– Against Washington State Saturday (4:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks), Buffs will be looking*for their first*Pac-12 road sweep in two years (Oregon and Oregon State).
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Game recap …
Colorado entered the game at Washington with*a history of poor shooting on the road.
Fortunately for the Buffs, the Huskies spent much of the first half shooting poorly as well, with the teams opening the game a combined 5-for-30 from the field.
After Washington took a 2-0 lead, the Buffs finally got on the board … over three minutes in … on a pair of free throws by Tre’Shaun Fletcher. A three-pointer by Dominique Collier on the Buffs’ next possession gave CU a 5-2 lead, a lead which would never be relinquished.
Over the next four minutes of game clock, the teams traded bricks, with each team posting only one basket before*a Josh Scott three-point play and layup gave the Buffs a 12-4 advantage midway through the first half.
A Husky jumper cut the lead to 12-6 before the Buffs went on an 8-0 run. Josh Scott posted his second three-point play of the half, followed by a layup to give him ten straight points for the Buffs, giving CU a 17-6 advantage. A Xavier Talton three-pointer pushed the lead out to 20-6 at the under eight minute media timeout.
The teams then traded baskets as the shooting percentage for each team edged up. Washington went on a 9-4 run to pull within nine points, at 24-15, before layups by Scott and Xavier Talton pushed the lead back out to 13 points. Josh Scott then finished off a 14-point first half (on 6-for-9 shooting) to keep it a 13-point edge at the break.
Halftime score: Colorado 30, Washington 17
Josh Scott finished the first half 6-of-9, but the rest of the*team went 6-for-22, keeping the Buffs from turning the game into a rout.
The Buffs opened the second half with a pair of dunks, one by Scott and the other by Tre’Shaun Fletcher.
A rout?*Not so fast.
Washington, which couldn’t make any shots in the first half, couldn’t miss to start the second half. The Huskies made their first five shots of the second half, including their first two three-pointers in*nine attempts, making it a 36-29 game three minutes into the second half.
Josh Scott made his second basket of the second half, giving him 18 points, but Washington continued to be perfect from the field, with Andrew Andrews making a pair of three-pointers. With the Buffs’ lead down to six, at 38-32, Xavier Johnson answered with a three-pointer for the Buffs, making it 41-32 at the first media timeout of the half.
Washington then made it seven-for-seven from the field in the second half – including four three-pointers – with the Buffs holding the Huskies at bay with a three-pointer of their own, this one from Xavier Talton. A Xavier Johnson dunk after a Washington turnover made it a ten-point game again, at 46-36, with 14 minutes to play.
The teams finally went cold again, with neither team scoring over the next three minutes. A Xavier Johnson layup with 11 minutes to play made it a 48-36 game, with a Johnson dunk giving him 11 points, and the Buffs a 14-point lead, at 50-36, midway through the second half.
All done? Nope.
Two more three-pointers by the Huskies, making them 6-for-9 from behind the arc, cut the lead to eight, at 50-42, forcing a CU timeout with nine minutes to play. Jaron Hopkins posted a dunk to stop the bleeding, giving CU a double-digit lead, at 52-42, at the under eight timeout.
As Washington started to miss its three-pointers, Colorado extended the lead. A second Jaron Hopkins dunk pushed the lead to 54-42 as the Huskies went*six minutes without scoring. A pair of free throws – one by Josh Scott, the other by Xavier Talton – allowed the Buffs to edge the lead up to 56-42 at the final television timeout.
The Huskies finally got their first point in six minutes, on a free throw,*after the media break, offset by Askia Booker’s second basket of the game, with Booker pushing the*Buff*advantage to 59-43*after he*converted the three point play with a free throw.
A streak of six straight missed three-pointers by the Huskies over seven minutes of play finally was broken with Andrew Andrews’ fifth trey of the second half, but it was too little, too late, as there was not enough time left for Washington to make a final rally. The icing on the cake for the Buffs was a layup by Josh Scott with just under a minute to play, giving him 21 points for the game.
Final Score: Colorado 64, Washington 47
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March 4th
… CU in the Arena …
Colorado*at*Washington*… Thursday, 7:00 p.m., MT (Fox Sports 1) … 850 KOA radio … Sirius Radio 108; XM 197
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Huskies’ 2014-15*Record:* 15-13,*4-12 in Pac-12 play (11th)
Coach: Lorenzo Romar, 266-156; 13th year at Washington
Series: Washington leads the all-time series, 10-8. Washington also*leads, 3-2, in games played since*Colorado joined the Pac-12.*The first team to win a road game in Pac-12 play came back on January 22nd, when the Huskies escaped Boulder with a 52-50 victory. Andrew Andrews hit a shot with one second remaining in*a game in which the Buffs played without Josh Scott (back) and Xavier Johnson (suspension).
Washington’s record*last season:*17-15 overall; 9-9 in Pac-12 play (tied/8th) …*The Huskies lost in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament to Utah, ending their season.
Players to watch … Lorenzo Romar is the dean of Pac-12 coaches, leading the Huskies since 2002. Washington, though, hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2011, which is making the natives a little restless. Romar’s chances of returning for a 14th season received a boost when sophomore guard Nigel Williams-Goss opted to return instead of taking his chances on the NBA draft. Goss leads the team in both scoring (15.4 ppg.) and assists (6.1 apg), and is a force to be reckoned with by the Buffs’ backcourt. Against Colorado, Williams-Goss played all 40 minutes, and led the Huskies with 16 points. Williams-Goos, however, has been hampered by a leg injury, and may not be at 100% for the CU game (though he is expected to play).
The Huskies are down to eight healthy scholarship players, as Shawn Kemp, Jr., is out, and shot-blocking expert Robert Upshaw*has been dismissed from the team (the dismissal coming shortly after the CU game in January).
Jernard Jarreau is their only formidable post presence, and the 6-10, 240-pound junior is more comfortable on the perimeter. Meanwhile, junior Gilles Dierick is their tallest player, but the 7-foot reserve hasn’t been reliable.
The Huskies could start 6-7 freshman forward Donaven Dorsey, who replaced Kemp during last week’s 88-66 loss at UCLA. They could also roll out a four-guard lineup that includes 6-6 reserve Quevyn Winters, who had a breakout performance in the last outing and tallied a career-high 16 points.
“Because of a lack of depth, there’s not a whole lot of things we can do,” Romar said. “At some point, there will be five guards in there on the floor because we have two guys right now that are available that are over (6-7).”
That being said, the Huskies did defeat the Buffs in Boulder playing only six players the entire game.
Washington so far in 2014-15 … Washington sprint out to an 11-0 record and a No. 13 national ranking … and then the wheels completely fell off. An upset loss to Stony Brook in the final non-conference game set the stage for Washington to fall into a tailspin. After losing their first three Pac-12 games (to the Bay area schools and rival Washington State), the Huskies seemingly righted the ship, winning their next three games, defeating the Oregon schools at home and Colorado on the road.
After that … pffffft.
Washington has lost nine of its last ten games, and, despite a winning record at 15-13, the Huskies are looking at another empty post-season if they cannot beat the Buffs. A loss to Colorado would give Washington a 15-14 record, with a final home game – against No. 13 Utah – still to be played. That likely loss, coupled with a one-and-done in the Pac-12 tournament, would leave Washington with a 15-16 record. A defeat of Colorado would ensure finishing the regular season with a winning record (even with losses to Utah and in the Pac-12 tournament).
Assuming Washington coaches and players can do the math … the Huskies are going to really want a win against the Buffs Thursday night.
… More Notes …
SINGLE-SEASON STATS: CU’s .352 3-pt. FG% is ninth all-time in school history • .707 FT% is just outside the Top 10 • Wesley Gordon’s 41 blocks are tied for No. 12 in single-season blocks • Askia Booker has scored 469 season points, 45 points for 10th place among all-time CU seniors in scoring (Ken Charlton, 514, 1962-63) • Gordon has 203 rebounds, 11 boards from No. 44 place in single-season rebounds.
PLAYER BITS: Askia Booker has finally reached the all-time free throw percentage list, 10th with a 78.8 percentage • Wesley Gordon is first in conference-only rebounding (2.9) • Booker is one of eight players in school history with over 1,600 career points (1,677); and one of three players in school history over 3,600 minutes, and with at least 1600 points, 400 rebounds, 300 assists, 140 steals • Josh Scott is the fifth player in CU history with 1,000 points (1,061), 600 rebounds (624), 100 blocks (104).
BLOCK PARTY: Wesley Gordon (41) and Josh Scott (40) are the first CU teammates to have 40+ blocks in back-to-back seasons since blocked shots were a kept as a statistic in a season (1977-78; 38 years). Last year: Gordon: 41, Scott: 40.
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March 1st – Boulder******** Colorado 87, Arizona State 81
“I told our players in the locker room, as a coaching staff we can help them lose games, but they got to go win them” said Tad Boyle after CU’s 87-81 win over Arizona State. “Our guys went out and won this one tonight; they did what they had to do. It wasn’t easy, but it’s officially March and in college basketball nothing comes easy in March. Hopefully this can give us a little mojo as we move on to our last two road games and into the conference tournament.
“I’m really proud of our guys for stepping up,” Boyle continued. “I don’t think any group of players I’ve been around for a while deserved this win more than I feel these guys did, because they’ve been through a lot mentally and emotionally. They had to deal with a coach that hadn’t been very happy the past few days. It’s nice to see them respond. They played with great passion, great effort, and great energy tonight.”
Game recap from cubuffs.com … Askia Booker made Senior Night a special one, hitting a career-high 29 points in the Coors Events Center and leading the Colorado Buffaloes to an 87-81 win over Arizona State.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for CU (13-15, 6-10 Pac-12) and ended the Buffs’ regular season at home with an 11-5 record.
Booker got scoring help from Josh Scott (14) and Dustin Thomas (12). The Wildcats (15-14, 7-9) had four players in double figures, topped by Shaquielle McKissic’s 18.
Also appearing at the CEC for the final time were CU seniors Geoff Bates and Kevin Nelson, who replaced Booker in the final seconds.
The Buffs led 40-38 at halftime, but only a couple of minutes before they owned their largest advantage of the half – 36-27. But the Sun Devils quickly cut into that nine-point deficit, going on an 11-0 run that featured three consecutive treys – one by McKissic and a pair by Jonathan Gilling that were drilled from the right corner a step or two in front of the CU bench.
The Sun Devils finished with eight treys, marking the 11th time this season the Buffs have allowed that many or more.
After that 3-point barrage, Tra Holder hit a pair of free throws and the Buffs’ nine-point margin had evaporated. They trailed 38-36 until Booker ended the half with two foul shots and a layup with 2.4 seconds before the buzzer.
Booker topped CU’s first-half scorers with 11 points, going three-of-seven from the field and four-of-five from the free throw line. His 3-pointer at the 15:15 mark was one of three for the Buffs in the first half and gave them their first lead, 8-6, after the Sun Devils had scored the game’s first six points.
As they did in the first half, the Buffs slowed down the Sun Devils’ offense with full-court pressure after made baskets and free throws. It was enough of a disruption early in the second half to keep ASU off balance and help CU rebuild its nine-point (50-41) advantage five minutes in. In that 10-3 start, Booker had a layup and two free throws and assisted on a Scott stuff with a nice bounce pass from the top of the key.
After ASU trimmed its deficit to 53-49, Thomas accounted for six consecutive points on two baskets inside and a pair of free throws to push CU ahead 59-50 with 11:51 to play. But once again, the Sun Devils closed to within four points before Booker began getting to the rim and finishing with layups.
Three straight Booker trips inside pushed CU up 65-58, but ASU countered with treys from the left corner by Bo Barnes and McKissic, and a put-back by Savon Goodman brought the Sun Devils to within 68-66 with 6:58 remaining.
After making one of two free throws, McKissic was fouled two possessions later on a 3-point attempt. He made two of three to cut CU’s advantage to 70-69, then Barnes drilled another trey to give ASU its first lead of the second half, 72-70.
With 4:42 to play, the Buffs were on familiar ground – needing stops and efficient possessions down the stretch to take back the night. CU lost rebounder Wesley Gordon to five fouls with 3:20 left, and his fifth foul came on an Eric Jacobsen put-back that gave ASU a 74-73 lead. But Jacobsen – six-of-10 from the line at that point – missed the “and-one” chance and the Buffs remained down by one.
Another Booker trip the rim and a finger-roll layup, followed by lay-in by Thomas, gave CU a 77-74 lead with 2:06 remaining. The Sun Devils closed to 77-76 on a high (and prayerful) banked-in Jacobsen follow, but were denied the lead after Scott blocked Goodman and Tre’Shaun Fletcher was fouled.
With 47.2 seconds to play, he hit both free throws for a three-point Buffs lead (79-76), and when a long rebound after a missed Barnes 3-pointer went out of bounds, CU appeared in control.
Not so fast.
Fouled with 36.3 seconds left, Booker hit a pair of foul shots, but ASU got one free throw from Holder and another two from Goodman to make it a two-point game (81-79) with 24.9 seconds left. Fletcher was fouled at midcourt and made one of two, but Scott tipped in the miss and CU led 84-79.
The Sun Devils weren’t done. Two Holder free throws made it a one-possession game (84-81) until Xavier Talton hit one of two foul shots (85-81) with nine seconds showing. After an officials review, the Buffs retained possession on an out-of-bounds call, and Booker sealed his Senior Night win with two free throws with 6.4 seconds left.
The Buffs close out the regular season with games at Washington (Thursday, 7 p.m. MST, FS1) and Washington State (4:30 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Networks). The Pac-12 Tournament is March 11-March 14 in Las Vegas.
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Originally posted by CU At the Game
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