Following a disappointing loss to the CSU Rams on Wednesday, the University of Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team got back on track Saturday night, defeating the Pilots of Portland 76-63.
It was another night of poor shooting for Colorado, with the team going a combined 25-58 on field goals and 5-19 from behind the arc. Equally abysmal shooting from the Pilots (21-52 fg, 5-19 3 pt) kept the Buffs in it, and allowed them to survive another lackluster performance.
The game remained close for much of the night, with the Pilots managing a 30-28 lead at the half. With neither team able to score consistently, the match remained tight until late in the second half.
Senior Guard Xavier Johnson led the Buffs with 19 points, five rebounds and a single assist. The stats may not be too impressive, but he showed up big when the Buffs finally got hot enough to break away with eight minutes left in the game. His solid free-throw shooting down the stretch helped the Buffs put it to bed. Senior guard Josh Fortune also contributed, scoring 14 points and five rebounds.
For the Pilots, guard Jazz Johnson manged similar numbers, going 5-11 from the field for 18 points. Guard D’Marques Tyson made things interesting by nailing a three-pointer with nine minutes left, bringing the Pilots within three points.
The Buffs now advance to 6-2 on the season with five games left before conference play. Next up, the Buffs will return to Boulder for a Wednesday night matchup with the No. 7 Xavier Musketeers.
Please contact CU Independent Sports Writer Kyle Rini at Kyle.Rini@colorado.edu.
