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It wasn’t pretty, but the Buffs got the job done.
The Colorado Buffaloes opened up their 2024-25 campaign on Monday evening on a high note, beating the Eastern Washington Eagles by a final score of 76-56.
Despite what the final score may suggest, this game was concerningly ugly, especially to start things off. Colorado came out of the gate sluggish and was seemingly allergic to playing offense, making only two of their first eight shot attempts and turning the ball over seven times in the first 7:30 minutes of play.
While the Buffs were floundering, the Eagles got hot. Specifically, EWU forward Vice Zanki was scorching CU, making four of five three-point attempts through the first ten minutes of play. Due to a combination of Zanki’s three-point onslaught, CU shooting only 4-19 from the field to start the game, and the Buffs’ instance of giving EWU free points off a whopping 13 turnovers, the Eagles ran out to a 24-10 lead over the Buffaloes.
Sensing that their backs were against the wall, the Buffs started to get to work, chipping away at EWU's lead in the run-up to halftime. Junior guard and team leader Javon Ruffin took command of the offense, slowing the game down and allowing the Buffs to start to find their footing. Ruffin and true freshman Sebastian Rancik, who was playing in his first-ever college game, combined for seven points in the last four minutes before halftime, starting to shift the momentum into CU’s favor. A last-second Julian Hammond layup would cap off a 6-0 CU run, allowing the Buffs to head to the locker room and regroup, down 25-31.
After the break, Colorado looked like a completely different team. Boulder’s high elevation started to hit EWU hard, and the Buffs used their depth to take full advantage of that. Utilizing a combo of his fastest and most chaotic players, Colorado coach Tad Boyle used his bench’s fresh legs to run the Eagles out of the gym, not allowing them to get a chance to catch their breath.
Colorado Mesa transfer and local prospect Trevor Baskin proved to be the difference-maker against EWU, coming off the bench and taking full advantage of his high-energy style of play to put the Eagles away. Baskin was everywhere on Monday evening, grabbing boards, playing lock-down defense, forcing turnovers, making tough layups, and hitting his shots when called upon. Baskin finished the game with 12 points, six rebounds (3 OR, 3 DR), two blocks and two steals.
Another high point for the Buffaloes against EWU was the emergence of Rancik, who shined in his first game as a Buffalo. The true freshman forward from Slovakia came off the bench and played 17 minutes for the Buffaloes, making four three-pointers on five attempts and grabbing three boards. Rancik led Colorado in scoring against the Eagles with 13 points, while Baskin and Ruffin followed suit with 12 each.
Baskin’s seemingly unlimited energy and Rancik’s three-point barrage proved to be far too much for the Eagles to handle, as the Buffs completely erased EWU’s lead and pulled away to end the game. Despite being down by 14 points halfway through the first half and 18 total turnovers, Colorado pulled away to win by 20 points, covering the 17.5-point spread in the process.
Although it wasn’t pretty, the Buffs got the job done against EWU, and that’s all that matters. CU’s next game will be against another opponent in the Big Sky Conference in North Colorado on Friday night, which will be broadcast on ESPN+.
by RylandScholes
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