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James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Colorado’s four-game win streak ended on Friday night, as a rough shooting night doomed the Buffs in a 78-69 loss at Washington State.
As a team, the Buffs shot under 40% from the field – things were especially rough in the first half, when they went 10-30 from the field, including only 2-7 from three. Washington State, who rank 2nd in the Pac-12 in shooting percentage allowed (by .01%), disrupted the Buffs’ offense all night, and as guard KJ Simpson said after the game, the Cougars brought a defensive energy that Colorado struggled to match.
And while most everyone outside of Simpson (25 points, eight rebounds, two assists) struggled on the offensive end, it was an especially tough night for Cody Williams. For the only the third time al year, and the first time in 10 games, Williams (six points, six rebounds, one turnover) failed to get into double-digit scoring. After getting in some early foul trouble, Williams only played 11 minutes in the first half – the lowest of any Buffs starter. He ended up going 0-6 from the field, the first time he’s ever gone without a field goal in a college game.
Even with the rough shooting, the Buffs managed to counter most of Washington State’s runs and make a game of it at the end; it was a one possession game with a little over 90 seconds left. An Eddie Lampkin and-1 would have cut the lead to two, but he missed the free throw and WSU came down with the rebound. That’s the closest the Buffs would get, as Washington State’s Jaylen Wells and Isaac Jones – who scored 11 of his 13 points in the 2nd half, and seven in the final three minutes – iced the game with free throws to extend WSU’s lead to 9 in the final seconds.
With the loss, the Buffs are now 3rd in the Pac-12 with a 15-6 record, 6-4 in conference. After playing three games in eight days, the Buffs will get a chance to rest some this week: their next game isn’t until Saturday, when they head to Utah (14-7, 5-5) for the last game of their three-game road trip. Tipoff for that is scheduled for 3:00 PM local.
by camellis
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