Media after last night's victory:
Article -
Direct link -
https://cubuffs.com/news/2024/12/2/mens-basketball-buffaloes-rally-to-top-pacific
"
BOULDER — Colorado overcame a 10-point second half deficit and took control with a 29-8 surge Monday as the Buffaloes collected a 75-66 win over Pacific at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs improved to 6-2 while Pacific dropped to 5-5.
CU's
Trevor Baskin flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Andrej Jakimovski led CU with 17 points,
RJ Smith had eight points and seven boards and
Bangot Dak had seven points, six assists and four blocks.
Elias Ralph led Pacific with 24 points.
The Buffs fell behind by 11 in the first half, thanks to a 15-0 Pacific run that saw the Tigers hit six straight shots while the Buffaloes missed 10 in a row. CU managed to briefly cut the deficit to four but trailed by nine at the break, 38-29, after the Tigers finished the half with a 5-0 run.
Colorado shot just 10-for-31 in the first half while the Tigers were 14-for-29. Pacific also held a 24-8 edge in the paint in the opening 20 minutes.
But the Buffs finally found their defense while also revving up their offense following the break. After Pacific took a 48-38 lead, the Buffs put together a 15-2 run to take their first lead since early in the game, 53-50, with 11 minutes to play.
Pacific managed to keep it close over the next four minutes before CU finally took firm control, using a 10-0 run to take a 67-56 lead, part of the decisive 29-8 run.
Colorado then held the Tigers at bay over the final minutes for the win.
CU finished shooting just 42 percent (25-for-59) from the floor but the Buffs did hit nine of their 21 3-point tries. After their hot first half, the Tigers finished just 23-for-63 from the floor, including a 9-for-34 effort in the second half.
Pacific did have a 41-40 edge on the board, including 14 offensive rebounds, and also had a 38-30 edge in the paint.
The Buffs returned home from the Maui Invitational, where they played three games in three days, on Thanksgiving. The hangover of the trip was evident in the first half.
"That's not an excuse, but it's a fact, and we've got to be mentally tougher," Boyle said. "It's the mental toughness that we lack right now on the defensive end of the floor. It just is. They (the Tigers) were shooting 80% at the first media timeout. We just had no resistance, there was no pressure … But we did a better job in the second half. We had 20 assists and 10 turnovers, two to one, which is fantastic."
...
DECISIVE MOMENT: After falling behind by 10 in the second half, the Buffs used a 15-2 run to take the lead and never trailed again.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado is now 132-41 in non-conference regular season games under Boyle, including a 100-8 record in non-conference home games.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs held Pacific to 9-for-34 shooting in the second half while CU shot 15-for-28 from the floor.
NEXT UP: The Buffs play host to in-state rival Colorado State on Saturday in a 6 p.m. game at the CU Events Center (ESPN+).
"
_________________________________________________________________________________
Box score -
The official box score of Men's Basketball vs Pacific on 12/02/24
cubuffs.com