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Buffs rarely trailed against Aggies on the way to a third victory of the season
KJ Simpson scored a career-high 30 points and Ethan Wright chipped in 15 points off the bench as Colorado stunned No. 24 Texas A&M 103-75 in the second round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Friday.
The Buffs (3-2) took a 15-14 lead off Wright’s 3-pointer at the 12:11 mark of the first half and didn’t look back, taking a 21-point advantage over the Aggies going into halftime. They picked up where they left off in the second half and led by as many as 33 points with nine minutes left.
Texas A&M (2-2) came into the contest suffering a nine-point loss to Murray State and was physically outmatched by Colorado. The Buffaloes were 34-of-59 (57.6%) from the floor with sixteen made 3-pointers. Nine of those from Wright and Simpson who were a combined 16-of-23 (69.5%) from the field.
Simpson wrapped up a great performance after earning Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. He finished with seven rebounds and six steals to go along with a game-high in points. The fifth-straight game in double-figures for the Buffs guard and 13th of his career.
Solomon Washington finished with 12 points in 14 minutes in a losing effort. He was the only Aggies’ starter in double-figures, along with 13 points from Hayden Hefner and 12 points for Julius Marble off the bench. Texas A&M’s starting five went 8-of-28 (28.5%) from the field, and as a whole shot 40 percent with 7-of-20 (35%) from beyond the arc.
The Buffs’ second win over a ranked opponent in the early portion of the 2022-23 season after taking care of 11th-ranked Tennessee in Nashville last week. Texas A&M came into the game ranked for the first time in nearly seven years.
The 28-point blowout is the largest margin of victory for CU over a ranked opponent in the Tad Boyle era. The longtime Buffs coach has a 8-9 record against Top 25 teams over the past four seasons.
It was also the first time in four years CU has cracked the century mark in points. The previous time was a 100-71 win over Drake in Boulder to open the 2018-19 season. A feat that has occured only four times in the past ten years for the Buffaloes.
UP NEXT:
Colorado and Texas A&M wait for their respective opponents in the third round of the Myrtle Beach invitational. The Buffs will face the winner of Friday’s Boise State-Loyola Chicago matchup.
by Jeff Hauser
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