Media after tonight's win:
Article -
https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/12/29/mens-basketball-buffs-vs-washington
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Buffs Rally Down Stretch To Sink Huskies In Pac-12 Opener
By: Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor
BOULDER — Colorado's
KJ Simpson and
Eddie Lampkin Jr. stepped up with double-doubles Friday night to lead the shorthanded Buffaloes to a gutsy 73-69 win over Washington in their Pac-12 opener at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs, playing without injured stars
Tristan da Silva and
Cody Williams as well as
RJ Smith and
Bangot Dak, won their fifth in a row to improve to 10-2 overall and 1-0 in Pac-12 play. Washington fell to 8-4, 0-1.
Simpson finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while Lampkin had his third straight double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Luke O'Brien just missed a double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds, and
J'Vonne Hadley and
Julian Hammond III each added 11 points.
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington with 20 points, but he needed 7-for-17 shooting to hit the mark.
The Buffs led by six at the half, 32-26, but the Huskies slowly chipped away at the lead, then used a 9-0 run to take a 63-56 edge with 5:50 to play.
Colorado, though, wouldn't quit as the Buffs answered with a 17-6 surge over the final 5:13 to take the win. Hadley had six points in the run and Simpson had five in the final 1:46.
Colorado shot just 44 percent from the floor (26-for-59) but the Buffs held UW to 38.5 percent shooting (25-for-65). CU also held a commanding 49-31 edge on the boards.
Colorado is now 88-6 under Boyle when the Buffs hit the "gold standard" of holding an opponent to 40 percent or less shooting and having at least a plus-8 margin on the boards.
Da Silva, CU' second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder, went down with an ankle injury in the final minutes of Thursday's practice. Williams has missed the last four games with a wrist injury. Boyle admitted, "I didn't sleep very well last night," but he told his team they still had the talent to win and his players proved him right.
The Buffs were by no means at their best. They committed 15 turnovers and Simpson and Lampkin — the only two Buffs to shoot free throws — combined to hit just 15 of their 24 attempts from the line.
Still, they made plays when most needed.
"Gritty win, obviously, with adjusting to being without one of your best players," Boyle said. "I knew we had enough talent in that locker room to win this game but I also knew that our margin for error went down significantly. The good news is we didn't play our best and we found a way to win this game. That's what good teams do. That's what high character teams do. That's what teams with toughness do and we beat a quality team, a talented team in Washington. I'm really proud of our guys and the way they handled the adversity."
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WHAT IT MEANS: With two home games to open Pac-12 play, the Buffs definitely needed a win — something that was clearly in doubt with da Silva out. But CU showed its depth and toughness, something that will no doubt be of value as the conference schedule progresses.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado shot just 44 percent from the floor (26-for-59) but the Buffs held UW to 38.5 percent shooting (25-for-65) … CU also held a commanding 49-31 edge on the boards … The Buffs outscored Washington 40-28 in the paint.
NEXT UP: The Buffs return to the Events Center on Sunday for a noon home game against Washington State (Pac-12 Network). CU then hits the road for three straight games: next Thursday at Arizona (Jan. 4), Saturday at Arizona State (Jan. 6) and a Jan. 10 game at Cal.
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Box score - https://cubuffs.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2023-24/washington/boxscore/16626