Buffs record falls to 3-5
Prior to this season, the Buffs Head Coach Ricardo Patton said his young team would have to grow up fast. Throughout CU’s first eight games it is apparent that the kids haven’t grown up fast enough.
The Pepperdine Waves (2-6), who came into the Coors Events Center on Monday night looking for just their second win of the season, were able to shoot their way to a 78-72 victory over the Buffs. The loss dropped Colorado’s record to 3-5 for the season.
Pepperdine used 13 three-pointers, seven of which came in the second half, to outpace the Buffs to victory. The Buffs were led by junior guard Richard Roby who had his best game of the season with 32 points on 10-24 shooting. Helping Roby with the scoring was freshman Xavier Silas, who chipped in 19 points.
“I just don’t think we have come together the way we have to come together as a team,” Patton said. “Tough lessons, that’s what we’re going through right now. Until we learn from some of our mistakes, we’re going to have long nights.”
The Waves and Buffs played at a hectic pace all night in a game that saw limited stoppages of play. During the first half, the two teams combined for just six free throw attempts. While Roby shot just 3-11 in the first half, Silas picked up the Buffs’ offense by scoring 14 points prior to intermission. The Buffs entered halftime with a four-point edge.
Pepperdine came out in the second half firing on all cylinders. Continuing at the break-neck pace of the first half, the Waves quickly jumped out to a 47-41 lead five minutes into the half. The Waves held that lead throughout the second half as CU was never able to regain control of the game due to numerous defensive lapses and missed opportunities on the offensive end.
While the Buffs seemed to enjoy the hectic style of play that the Waves used, the team looked tired in the second half. Patton said two of his players, junior Marcus King-Stockton and sophomore Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, had to receive IVs during the game. Patton said he was not surprised by the game’s pace.
“We knew going into the game that’s how they played. I didn’t think we did a good enough job pounding the ball inside,” Patton said.
In fact, Pepperdine Head Coach Vance Walberg said the teams have garnered national attention for their fast-paced style of play which is defined by driving to the rim for lay-ins or kicking the ball out for three-pointers.
Patton said that while the pace was fast, that wasn’t why his team lost the game.
“I thought our problem was transition defense. I thought that was what allowed them to get back in the game and make shots,” Patton said. “We’re not getting the leadership we have to get on the floor. When you need defensive stops, someone on the floor has to say ‘we need to get a stop’ and we’re not getting that right now.”
Roby agreed with his coach’s assessment.
“I think it starts on the defensive end. I think we all have to pick it up defensively. That’s something you can bring every night,” Roby said.
Roby noted the team did improve on its free-throw shooting and rebounding in particular. Unfortunately for the Buffs however, those improvements didn’t make enough of a difference to affect the final outcome.
Patton assessed that his team, especially the young players, need a change of mindset.
“Defensively I think (the team) put their value solely on their offense and defense is really suffering. We’re not a very good defensive team right now,” Patton said.
Silas echoed his coach’s sentiments.
“We need to pick it up defensively. It seems like every time our offense is clicking, our defense is having a hard time. And when our defense is playing well we can’t seem to make a shot,” Silas said. “We need to put everything together. It’s hard to go through it but we’ll start to get better.”
The Buffs have four more games at home before their conference-opener in January against Big 12-power Texas. If the Buffs don’t start improving at a faster rate, it could be a long, sad season in Boulder.
