The University of Colorado Buffaloes are halfway through their Sunday night matchup with the Southern California Trojans at Coors Events Center. The Buffs got hot early, but the Trojans have clawed back, pulling within one for a score of 35-34 at the half.
Colorado has been known for its slow starts this season, but somehow they’ve come out of the gate strong tonight. A barrage of big threes from multiple players, as well as some USC turnovers, helped the Buffs build an early lead. In particular, junior guards George King and Dominique Collier have come up big, both shooting 2-for-3 from behind the arc. Collier leads the team at the half with 11 points.
The Trojans have yet to find an effective strategy on offense, running into a Buffaloes defense that refuses to allow open shots. Poor shooting has also hurt USC with the team shooting only 41.9 percent from the field and a miserable 10 percent from three.
The Buffs biggest problem so far on defense has been Trojan forward Chimezie Metu having his way in the paint. The 6-foot-11-inch sophomore has used his size to find room in the post, racking up an impressive 20 points and slamming home a couple of emphatic dunks.
Ten minutes in Colorado, held its largest lead as the Trojans trailed 22-11. With the double-digit lead, the CU offense seemed to stall a little bit, allowing the Trojans to fight back with free throws and inside shots. A string of needless turnovers also prevented Colorado from maintaining the deficit.
The CU Independent will have a full game report after the game ends.
Contact CU Independent Sports Staff Writer Kyle Rini at kyle.rini@colorado.edu.
