Askia Booker (0) splits defenders and goes up for a lay up during the first half against Arkansas State. (Gray Bender/CU Independent)
The men’s basketball team rolled over the Arkansas State University Red Wolves 93-70 on Monday night at the Coors Events Center.
The Buffs’ freshman class played a big role in the victory. Collectively, the five freshmen that played accounted for 41 of CU’s points and were led by a breakout performance from guard George King, who had 11 points and four rebounds.
“I wanted to get our freshmen some time and minutes on the court tonight,” head coach Tad Boyle said. “And I think they’ve grown up quick.”
Overall the Buffs were led by sophomore forward Josh Scott, who put in 20 points and grabbed five rebounds. All night, the Red Wolves were no match to slow down Scott in the paint.
“They were just putting single coverage on me, and I was able to take advantage,” Scott said.
The Red Wolves came firing in the second half and went on a 19-9 run to cut CU’s lead down to as low as eight with 16:08 left in the game. But the Buffs regrouped and responded with a 17-6 run of their own to help establish a 20-point lead they would never surrender.
“We’re happy with a 23-point win, but I think there’s a lot of things we can take from this and learn from and get better from,” Boyle said. “Biggest thing tonight was keeping up 40 minutes of defensive intensity.”
Arkansas State was largely a two-player team as Kirk Van Slyke and Melvin Johnson III scored 40 of the team’s 70 points, including all 28 of the Red Wolves’ first half points.
With the win, the Buffs improve to 4-1 overall and are preparing to take on the University of California Santa Barbara at 6 p.m. this Thursday.
Contact CUIndependent Staff Writer Grayson O’Roark at Grayson.Oroark@colorado.edu.
