The University of Colorado Buffaloes basketball team were dealt another blow to their season Sunday night as they fell 71-68 in the last minute to the No. 25 Trojans of USC. With five straight losses to start conference play, Colorado drops to 10-8 on the season.
In untypical fashion, the Buffs actually started the game well, making use of open three pointers and USC turnovers to lead by as much as 11 in the first ten minutes. Junior guards George King and Dominique Collier played a big part, both going 2-of-3 from behind the arc in the first half. King finished with the most points for the Buffs at 16.
The Trojans relied on 6-foot-11 forward Chimezie Metu for points, as he bullied the Colorado defense in the post and racked up 20 points in the first half alone. Metu’s size and physicality were too much for CU to handle, as he slammed home dunks and made crucial layups. He finished the game with 24 points. He was a major factor in USC's 36 points in the paint. Colorado scored 22 in that regard by comparison.
Aside from Metu, USC struggled to put points on the board after untimely turnovers and making just about 16 percent of its shots from beyond the arch. Things started clicking better for the Trojans as the end of the first half neared.
The Buffs led 35-34 at the half after stalling out on offense and allowing the Trojans to claw their way back into the game. USC came back out strong, not allowing Colorado to gain momentum or take advantage of any open shots.
Things remained tight in the second half but bad fouls and continued turnover trouble kept the Buffaloes behind. Missed layups in the paint didn’t help as the Trojans took a 64-58 lead with four minutes remaining.
The Buffs found a way to contain Metu in the second half, namely with Wesley Gordon's strong inside presence. The Trojans found other ways to get to the hoop though, slashing inside and finding shots in the field.
Offensive droughts ultimately doomed the Buffs, with the team at one point going nearly 12 minutes without making a shot. The USC defense did firm up, but much of the troubles could be blamed on poor shooting from the Buffs. Noticeably cold from the floor was senior guard Derrick White, who went 4-of-13 during the game. He finished the game with 10 points.
A wide open three from the Trojans’ Jonah Mathews gave USC some space, making the score 67-60 with 2:44 remaining. Senior guard/forward Xavier Johnson then showed up big in the final two minutes, nailing a three with 1:39 left to make it 65-67 and then coming up with a clutch rebound on USC’s ensuing possession. Johnson followed it up with yet another three with 43 seconds remaining, putting the Buffs up 68-67.
However, thanks to another bucket from Metu, The Trojans reclaimed the lead and held up defense to deny the Buffaloes a win.
“Tonight to me was turnovers and second shots by them that cost us this basketball game” said head coach Tad Boyle after the game. “We have to get it done, right now we’re not getting it done.”
It was another tough loss to swallow for CU, but the coaches and players were still optimistic looking forward.
“We have confident players, we’re still confident as a team [and] that’s not going to be an issue” noted George King in the postgame press conference.
“There’s not a team on the rest of the schedule that we can’t beat,” Boyle added.
Next up, the Buffaloes will hit the road for a Wednesday night matchup with the Washington Huskies. Tipoff is at 9 p.m. MST.
In untypical fashion, the Buffs actually started the game well, making use of open three pointers and USC turnovers to lead by as much as 11 in the first ten minutes. Junior guards George King and Dominique Collier played a big part, both going 2-of-3 from behind the arc in the first half. King finished with the most points for the Buffs at 16.
The Trojans relied on 6-foot-11 forward Chimezie Metu for points, as he bullied the Colorado defense in the post and racked up 20 points in the first half alone. Metu’s size and physicality were too much for CU to handle, as he slammed home dunks and made crucial layups. He finished the game with 24 points. He was a major factor in USC's 36 points in the paint. Colorado scored 22 in that regard by comparison.
Aside from Metu, USC struggled to put points on the board after untimely turnovers and making just about 16 percent of its shots from beyond the arch. Things started clicking better for the Trojans as the end of the first half neared.
The Buffs led 35-34 at the half after stalling out on offense and allowing the Trojans to claw their way back into the game. USC came back out strong, not allowing Colorado to gain momentum or take advantage of any open shots.
Things remained tight in the second half but bad fouls and continued turnover trouble kept the Buffaloes behind. Missed layups in the paint didn’t help as the Trojans took a 64-58 lead with four minutes remaining.
The Buffs found a way to contain Metu in the second half, namely with Wesley Gordon's strong inside presence. The Trojans found other ways to get to the hoop though, slashing inside and finding shots in the field.
Offensive droughts ultimately doomed the Buffs, with the team at one point going nearly 12 minutes without making a shot. The USC defense did firm up, but much of the troubles could be blamed on poor shooting from the Buffs. Noticeably cold from the floor was senior guard Derrick White, who went 4-of-13 during the game. He finished the game with 10 points.
A wide open three from the Trojans’ Jonah Mathews gave USC some space, making the score 67-60 with 2:44 remaining. Senior guard/forward Xavier Johnson then showed up big in the final two minutes, nailing a three with 1:39 left to make it 65-67 and then coming up with a clutch rebound on USC’s ensuing possession. Johnson followed it up with yet another three with 43 seconds remaining, putting the Buffs up 68-67.
However, thanks to another bucket from Metu, The Trojans reclaimed the lead and held up defense to deny the Buffaloes a win.
“Tonight to me was turnovers and second shots by them that cost us this basketball game” said head coach Tad Boyle after the game. “We have to get it done, right now we’re not getting it done.”
It was another tough loss to swallow for CU, but the coaches and players were still optimistic looking forward.
“We have confident players, we’re still confident as a team [and] that’s not going to be an issue” noted George King in the postgame press conference.
“There’s not a team on the rest of the schedule that we can’t beat,” Boyle added.
Next up, the Buffaloes will hit the road for a Wednesday night matchup with the Washington Huskies. Tipoff is at 9 p.m. MST.