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Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Colorado needed all of KJ Simpson’s 30 points
The Colorado Buffaloes entered USC’s Galen Center desperately needing a win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Thankfully, that’s exactly what happened. The Buffs bested the Trojans by a score of 92-89 in a 2OT thriller, overcoming a 16 point second half deficit in the process.
To start the contest, both teams got hot and traded buckets for a big chunk of the half. There were 10 lead changes in the first 7 minutes of the first half alone, thanks to a combination of good shooting and bad defense from both the Buffs and Trojans.
While the Buffs’ heater ended around midway through the half, the Trojans stayed hot, especially from beyond the arc. USC kept throwing up shots from three point range, attacking Colorado’s lax defense around the perimeter, most of which found the net. The Trojans shot 7 of 10 from deep in the first 13 minutes of play and began to build a sizable lead.
Despite shooting the ball relatively well (12-26 FG and 2-6 3P), the Buffs didn’t do themselves many favors in the first. Colorado’s turned the ball over 9 times, most of which were ugly, live-ball giveaways that resulted in 8 USC points. The Buffs were also dominated at the rim, getting blocked 5 times in the first half alone. After a sloppy and frustrating first period of play, Colorado headed to halftime down 39-33.
The beginning of the second half proved to be more of the same for the Buffs, as they turned the ball over 4 times in the first 4 minutes of the half and had absolutely no answer for USC’s backcourt. Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis continued to kill Colorado, causing USC’s lead to balloon to 16 points.
About midway through the second, Tad decided it was time to mix it up and get small. Center Eddie Lampkin left the game in favor of guard Luke O’Brien. The decision proved to be a good one, as Colorado began hitting their shots and nearly completely stopped turning the ball over.
After a solid stretch of play, CU cut USC’s lead to only 68-59 with 5:48 to play. A subsequent 12-2 Buffs run, fueled by two KJ Simpson three-pointers, brought Colorado within one point of the Trojans in a 70-69 game with 1:59 to play.
After a costly shooting foul by Cody Williams on DJ Rodman from three-point land, Rodman hit two of his freebies to extend the Trojans’ lead to three. Tristan da Silva followed that up by making a layup to once again bring the Buffs within one point. The Trojans, trying to put the nail in Colorado’s coffin, put the ball in the hands of Isaiah Collier from deep. Collier missed, giving the Buffs a chance to win the game with 33 seconds of game clock remaining.
Colorado bungled that opportunity when Tristan Da Silva got smothered in the paint and threw up a lifeline pass to Cody Williams, which was picked off by Collier. Williams intentionally fouled Collier, who bricked one of his free throws, giving the Buffs a chance to send the game to overtime with :11 to play.
The Buffs inbounded the ball and passed it around a couple times, where it ultimately found the hands of KJ Simpson. With only a few seconds left, KJ drove inside and opted to dish the ball to Luke O’Brien, who absolutely yammed on three Trojans with a beautiful two-handed dunk. O’Brien’s late-game heroics sent the game to overtime, tied at 73.
In OT, both teams traded buckets until the Buffs found themselves trailing 76-77. Colorado then took the lead after two made layups from Simpson and O’Brien, up 80-77. Tristan da Silva seemingly put the Trojans to bed, hitting a clutch three from the corner to give Colorado a 83-77 lead with only a minute to play. However, the Trojans refused to die. After an ugly KJ Simpson foul while the Trojans were inbounding the ball, the Trojans ripped off four quick points to send the game to 2OT with a score of 83-83.
2OT couldn’t have started better for Colorado. Simpson, who was approaching the 30 point mark, declared the bank was in-fact open. The Buffs’ starting point guard heaved up a three, which hit the backboard and settled in the basket. That pretty much sealed the deal for Colorado. Despite the Trojans fighting back within one point with a minute to play, another 2 Simpson free-throws put the nail in USC’s coffin. Colorado managed to overcome their 21 turnovers, miraculously escaping LA with a 92-89 win over the Trojans.
KJ Simpson really stole the show on Saturday night, finishing the game with a team-high 30 points. Colorado ultimately needed all of Simpson 30 points, along with his 9 boards and 5 assists. Simpson paved the way for the Buffs’ win with his 6 makes from deep, all of which came in clutch moments.
The Buffs record now sits at 17-9 and 8-7 in conference play. Colorado’s tournament hopes are still alive, but are hanging by a thread. CU’s next game will be next Saturday when the Utah Utes come to Boulder. Fans can watch on the Pac-12 Network at 7:00 pm local.
by RylandScholes
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