Media after today's win:
Article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/12/31/mens-basketball-buffs-vs-wsu
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BOULDER — Colorado's KJ Simpson scored a career-high 34 points Sunday and the Buffaloes fought off a second-half Washington State rally to collect a 74-67 win over the Cougars at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs, once again without Tristan da Silva and Cody Williams (injuries), improved to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in Pac-12 play with their sixth straight win. WSU dropped to 9-4, 0-2.
The win gave CU its first 2-0 start in conference play since the 2014-15 season.
Simpson shot 10-for-18 from the floor and 13-for-14 from the free throw line for his 34 points. J'Vonne Hadley added 12 points, four rebounds and three assists and Eddie Lampkin Jr. chipped in 10 points.
Andrej Jakimovski led WSU with 19 points.
Colorado led by 10 at the half and pushed its lead to 12 early in the second period. But the Cougars slowly chipped away at CU's lead and with 3:24 to play, Colorado's cushion had been shaved to just one, 65-64.
But the Buffs responded with big plays in the final two minutes. Simpson had six points in a 9-0 Colorado run while Hadley had a big block on the defensive end and a huge 3-pointer with just under a minute to play to put the game away.
Colorado shot 50 percent from the floor (24-for-48) while the Cougars were right behind at 28-for-58. But the Buffs hit 22 of 26 free throws while the Cougars hit six of their eight charity tries. CU also had a 22-15 edge in points off turnovers and the Buffs won the rebound battle, 30-28.
"Another hard-fought league win," Boyle said after the game. "It was not easy for us. Washington State, I like their team a lot. They have good personnel. A quality win against a quality team."
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TURNING POINT: After WSU closed Colorado's lead to one with just more than 3 minutes to play, the Buffs responded with a 9-0 run to put the game away.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs once again responded without the services of two of their best players. CU received some key contributions from a number of players — a development that will bode well as the conference season hits full swing.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado shot 50 percent from the floor (24-for-48) … The Buffs hit 22 of 26 free throws while the Cougars hit six of their eight charity tries … CU had a 22-15 edge in points off turnovers and the Buffs won the rebound battle, 30-28.
NEXT UP: The Buffs head to the desert next week for a pair of Pac-12 contests. CU plays at No. 4 Arizona in a 7:30 p.m. game Thursday (ESPN) before heading to Arizona State for a 6 p.m. game Saturday (ESPNU).
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Box score - https://cubuffs.com/documents/2023/12/31/Colorado_74__Washington_State_67.pdf
Article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/12/31/mens-basketball-buffs-vs-wsu
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Buffs Hold Off WSU For Sixth Straight Win
By: Neill Woelk, Contributing EditorBOULDER — Colorado's KJ Simpson scored a career-high 34 points Sunday and the Buffaloes fought off a second-half Washington State rally to collect a 74-67 win over the Cougars at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs, once again without Tristan da Silva and Cody Williams (injuries), improved to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in Pac-12 play with their sixth straight win. WSU dropped to 9-4, 0-2.
The win gave CU its first 2-0 start in conference play since the 2014-15 season.
Simpson shot 10-for-18 from the floor and 13-for-14 from the free throw line for his 34 points. J'Vonne Hadley added 12 points, four rebounds and three assists and Eddie Lampkin Jr. chipped in 10 points.
Andrej Jakimovski led WSU with 19 points.
Colorado led by 10 at the half and pushed its lead to 12 early in the second period. But the Cougars slowly chipped away at CU's lead and with 3:24 to play, Colorado's cushion had been shaved to just one, 65-64.
But the Buffs responded with big plays in the final two minutes. Simpson had six points in a 9-0 Colorado run while Hadley had a big block on the defensive end and a huge 3-pointer with just under a minute to play to put the game away.
Colorado shot 50 percent from the floor (24-for-48) while the Cougars were right behind at 28-for-58. But the Buffs hit 22 of 26 free throws while the Cougars hit six of their eight charity tries. CU also had a 22-15 edge in points off turnovers and the Buffs won the rebound battle, 30-28.
"Another hard-fought league win," Boyle said after the game. "It was not easy for us. Washington State, I like their team a lot. They have good personnel. A quality win against a quality team."
...
TURNING POINT: After WSU closed Colorado's lead to one with just more than 3 minutes to play, the Buffs responded with a 9-0 run to put the game away.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs once again responded without the services of two of their best players. CU received some key contributions from a number of players — a development that will bode well as the conference season hits full swing.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado shot 50 percent from the floor (24-for-48) … The Buffs hit 22 of 26 free throws while the Cougars hit six of their eight charity tries … CU had a 22-15 edge in points off turnovers and the Buffs won the rebound battle, 30-28.
NEXT UP: The Buffs head to the desert next week for a pair of Pac-12 contests. CU plays at No. 4 Arizona in a 7:30 p.m. game Thursday (ESPN) before heading to Arizona State for a 6 p.m. game Saturday (ESPNU).
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Box score - https://cubuffs.com/documents/2023/12/31/Colorado_74__Washington_State_67.pdf
