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The Buffs are getting better.
It may not count for anything in the win column, but the Buffaloes gave the third-ranked Iowa Cyclones a scare in Boulder on Monday night to open Big 12 play.
The Buffs and ‘Clones faced off one month ago in Maui, which didn’t end well for Colorado, when ISU handed Colorado their second loss of the season via a decisive 99-71 thumping. This time, in the Buffaloes’ house, Colorado wasn’t going to let that happen again.
Tad Boyle had the Buffs ready to go, as they played stereotypical Colorado basketball, forcing turnovers and working the defensive boards. Those turnovers allowed the Buffs to keep Iowa State in check early, but they still needed to score against the Cyclones’ suffocating defense.
That’s where Julian Hammond and RJ Smith come in. Just when Iowa State seemed to snag a bit of momentum. Colorado’s new-found spectacular scoring tandem almost singlehandedly kept the Buffs on pace with ISU, combining for 20 points and shooting 61% (8-13) from the field in the first half.
Both teams went shot for shot throughout the first, as no team built up a lead larger than six points throughout the first 20 minutes of play with a whopping eight lead changes. Colorado went into halftime down 37-31, only six points and 20 minutes short of dethroning the Big 12 favorites at home.
The second half got off to a rocky start for the Buffs allowing ISU to build their lead to 12 points via four quick Dishon Jackson points. With their backs against the wall, the Buffs turned to RJ Smith, who drilled back-to-back three-point jumpers to get his squad back into their groove.
Two more Colorado threes by Hammond and Sebastian Rancik, along with a nice slam by Elijah Malone, cut Iowa State’s lead to only one point with 14:37 to play. After a Josuah Jefferson layup to extend ISU’s lead to three, Colorado ripped off an 8-0 run, with four points by Trevor Baskin, to take a 53-48 lead.
CU and the ‘Clones continued to go shot-for-shot for the next five minutes of the clock, with an Assane Diop layup giving Colorado a 57-56 lead with 9:17 left to play. Unfortunately, that would be the Buffaloes’ final lead of the night.
Colorado never left the game out of their grasp, pulling within one point with 4:49 to play, but clutch buckets from ISU’s Tamin Lipsey and free throws by Curtis Jones would ice the game for the Cyclones. The Buffaloes would fall by a final score of 79-69.
Iowa State won because they are the better, deeper team, but that doesn’t mean what Colorado did on Monday night was any less impressive. The Buffs went toe-to-toe with the third-best squad and the nation and gave them a legitimate scare, showing just how much they’ve improved since their loss to the ‘Clones in Maui.
Julian Hammond finished the contest with a game-high 21 points, while RJ Smith lagged slightly behind him with 14. Both Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak showed up defensively, finishing with two blocks and a steal each. Elijah Malone would clock out with three steals of his own.
This Iowa State game doesn’t count as a win, but it certainly counts as progress. CU will look to build off that progress and momentum when they travel to Tempe to take on the Bobby Hurley-led Sun Devils this Saturday, January 4th, at 4:00 pm MT.
by RylandScholes
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