Perhaps the best way to break a three-game slump is to win your next game with a close call. In Colorado’s 64-58 win against Stanford on Sunday, that’s exactly what they did.
“(This win) feels great,” junior forward Xavier Johnson said. “We’ve been down pretty much the entire season. We’ve had a lot of close games where we should have won, and we’ve had some games where we just embarrassed this program.”
Head coach Tad Boyle agreed with the sentiment, adding that the victory was a breath of fresh air in light of recent performances.
“That was a relief, we needed that win bad,” Boyle said. “So we just got to take a deep breath. What I liked about it was that I thought it was a terrific team victory. Our bench played well, we had a lot of guys contribute. It’s nice when your team’s been struggling to find them rewarded for their hard work.”
Starting out the second half, the Buffs gained as much as a ten-point lead on several separate occasions, but it wasn’t enough to ward off the Cardinal, who clearly came to battle. After going up 36-26, Colorado allowed Stanford to go on a 8-0 scoring tangent to close the gap and eventually tie the game for the first time.
For the game, the Buffs shot an embarrassing 32.8 percent from the field while only making 27.8 percent of their threes. Despite the outcome of the game, the Cardinal actually shot better, going 33.3 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from downtown.
As usual, senior guard Askia Booker led the way with 17 points for Colorado, along with four assists and three steals. Junior forward Xavier Johnson followed closely behind with his first double-double of the year at 10 points and 13 rebounds.
On the other side of the ball, seniors center Stefan Nastic and guard Chasson Randle almost did the Buffs in by themselves as they combined for 38 points, led by Nastic’s 24.
Collectively, the Buffs hit their defensive numbers even when their offense wasn’t there to help them out. All season, Boyle has been preaching that he wants his team to hold their opponents to under 40 percent shooting, and they did just that. On top of that, the Buffs outrebounded the Cardinal 48-39.
“It just feels good to come out here and put together two halves defensively,” Johnson said. “Offensively, we still shot terribly, but defensive rebounding is what we preach. So I’m glad we were able to come out here and do that and execute.”
Junior guard Xavier Talton contributed the defensive success to the drills the team runs in practice.
“This is actually one of the most principled games that I think we could have played, and they didn’t do anything too special that we don’t guard every day in practice—ball screens, back screens, whatever it is,” Talton said. “It feels good for us to put 40 minutes together.”
As NCAA basketball nears the end of the season, one thing seems to remain consistent within this Buffalo basketball team. Offense has become a sticking point this season as shooting percentages continue to decline from game to game.
Going into the game, the Buffs appeared to burn from the frustration of losing three straight games with two of those losses coming at home. Holding their defense tight, they gained a 12-4 lead over the Cardinal in the opening minutes of the matchup.
That didn’t last too long. Although CU would never lose the lead during the half, the Cardinal got close to tying up the game with two minutes remaining when they trailed by three, 22-19.
The Buffs, despite themselves, kicked their offense into gear to close out the half on a 7-4 scoring streak. The halftime score read Colorado 29, Stanford 23.
The first half can only be described as CU vs. Nastic and Randle, who collected a combined 19 of Stanford’s 23 points. And although the Buffaloes spread out the scoring among seven players, Booker led the team with nearly half of its first-half points with 14.
Believe it or not, the Buffs actually shot better during their first half in this game than they did in the half against California on Thursday night. While they could only manage 34.4 percent from the field, they still fared better than Stanford’s 32.1 percent.
Heading into the second half, the Buffs extended their lead to 10 in the opening minutes, but as before, that glory in Colorado didn’t last long. After going up 36-26 less than two minutes in, the Cardinal threatened to take the lead after responding with an 8-0 run to bring them within two points.
Several minutes later, the Cardinal eradicated the deficit altogether when they tied the game at 40 with 13 minutes remaining. Soon after, Colorado lost the lead for the first time throughout the matchup as a three-point play by Nastic gave the Cardinal the edge midway through the second.
For a good portion of the remaining time, it was a game of back and forth as CU regained and maintained the lead with tied scores left and right. But, in the end, Colorado’s will to win prevailed as the Buffs broke a three-game skid with the 64-58 win.
With this win, the Buffs are back on a winning track with a 12-12 record.
“We’ve let down the entire Colorado organization this year, and we are sorry for that,” Johnson said. “We need to be even better next game and just keep going forward from here, not back. Just keep going forward and keep getting better every day.”
The Buffs return to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 18 as the home boys travel to Oregon to take on the Ducks at 9:00 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
“This win was huge for the psyche in our locker room,” Boyle said. “Again, hopefully this gives us confidence and sends the message that, ‘Hey, if we do what we’re supposed to do defensively and rebounding-wise, we can be in games and win games.’ That message needs to not only heard and understood, but it’s got to become a part of who we are.”
Contact CU Independent sports staff writer Alissa Noe at Alissa.Noe@colorado.edu
