CU Buffs
Colorado narrowly sneaks past Oregon in Eugene 79-74
The Colorado Buffaloes took down the Oregon Ducks by a score of 79-74 at Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday night.
Tristan da Silva finished with 22 points to go along with a double-double from J’Vonne Hadley who had 20 points and 12 rebounds. KJ Simpson was huge down the stretch for the Buffs and added 17 points in 40 minutes.
The Buffaloes (21-9, 12-7 Pac-12) were without guard Cody Williams for the 12th game this season. The former McDonald’s All-American has reportedly been out with an ankle injury.
It was a slow start for Colorado in the opening minutes of the game after being down by nine points, 11-2, following a layup from N’Flay Dante with 16 minutes to go in the first half. The Buffs spent much of the first period trailing until a late 11-0 run.
With just under two minutes to go, Simpson found the hot shooting hand in da Silva as he nailed a jump shot to give the Buffaloes their second lead of the half at 33-32 with 1:53 remaining. In the closing minutes, Simpson knocked down a jumper with 45 seconds to go to make it knotted up at 37. As the half came to a close, Simpson was fouled on what appeared to be a three-point shot, but officials said otherwise.
Despite a tie game at the half, both teams found the bottom of the net with Colorado shooting 17-of-28 from the field (60.7%) and Oregon shot 16-for-30 (53.3%)
The Ducks (19-11, 11-8 Pac-12) came out swinging in the second half with four quick points. However, the Buffs never let the lead grow as both teams battled back and forth. The intensity continued to pick up with a bye in next week’s PAC-12 men’s basketball on the line.
"We were aware (of what was at stake)," da Silva said. "But once you step on that floor, if you worry about anything else other than that possession then you're probably not locked in enough. Our focus has to be on every single possession in the game and it was tonight."
Oregon controlled much of the game but CU finally had a strong run of their own that started with Da Silva making a three-pointer for a 64-61 lead with under five minutes left. A strong defensive effort eventually led the Buffaloes to take extended the lead to seven points after a strong drive from Simpson with just under three minutes to go 68-61.
Even with the Ducks fighting back in the closing minutes, Hadley’s efforts on the offensive glass led to a layup that put Colorado up 78-75 with 12 seconds left.
Oregon had one final look in the closing seconds of the game but Jermaine Cousinard missed a three-pointer from the top of the key. The late defensive effort was enough to seal the deal for the Buffaloes 12th win in conference play this season. It also matched the most wins in a regular season in team history.
Jackson Shelstad had a game-high 23 points in a losing effort. Dante added 17 and Cousinard chipped in 15 as the only Ducks in double-figures.
Da Silva, Hadley and Simpson combined for 59 points in a crucial road win for Colorado. They collected what may have been a decisive win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. If the Buffs go dancing, it would be the sixth bid in Tad Boyle's 14-year tenure.
The Buffaloes close out the regular season against the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday afternoon 5 p.m. ET/ P12N). They then open play in the Pac-12 tournament next Thursday with a 11:30 p.m. ET game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against the winner of the No. 6 and No. 11 seeds.
