BOULDER, Colo.- Tad Boyle's first game as the head coach of a ranked program went according to plan…eventually. His Buffs needed more than 35 minutes to put away a pesky and on fire Air Force squad 89-74. Josh Scott led CU with 20 points and seven rebounds, out dueling Michael Lyons and his own 20 points effort for the Falcons.

"People understand now when I talked about Air Force before," Boyle said. "I felt pretty nervous as a coach. They're a good team, well coached, well disciplined. We did a great job in the first half taking away their lay ups…what we didn't do as good was get to their three point shooters."

Things started off at a blistering pace with both teams shooting 57.1% from beyond the arc in the first half. Todd Fletcher was two-for-three and got 12 of his (pts) in during the opening act. Andre Roberson led the way with eight first half points, finishing with 18 and 13 rebounds. He along with Scott provided the inside punch that the Buffs have been waiting for.

"We wanted to go inside," said Boyle. "Josh is a great low post player. He showed tonight of why he was so highly regarded out of high school. It doesn't always look prettiest, but he puts it in the basket. He's going to have to learn how to deal with double teams…that's the next step in his development as a post player."

Air Force would cool down in the second half, just four-of-sixteen, and finish the game at a 40% clip. It was perfect timing as Colorado would shoot 60.9% from the field in the second half, scoring 48 points.

The Buffs got their first double-digit lead with 7:47 remaining, a ten point lead, but it was a Scott lay up on a full court pass from Spencer Dinwiddie that sealed the deal and gave Colorado their first 5-0 start since the 1989-1990 season. Despite the fast start, CU finished 12-18 on the year.

On a night where an upset minded opponent came to Boulder, Boyle's squad needed a balanced attack. Four Buffs scored in double-figures.

"This team when we are balanced," said Boyle. "We have a lot of different weapons. When we make plays for each other we're pretty good."

That they were. They were also composed, mature and ready to capitalize in key situations.

"Don't play the scoreboard play the possession," Boyle said on what he told his team. "In college basketball, the three point shot is a great equalizer, tonight you saw that."


Notes

• It took Scott just five games into his college career to hit the 20 points milestone.

"It really felt like any other night," he said. "I was just playing."

• After averaging just nine points per game through four games, Roberson finally broke through and set a season high for him with 18 points.

"I feel like I stopped pressing," Roberson said after scoring his season high. "I let game come to me. I wasn't playing to my potential (earlier)."

• There was some concern about the long lay off for the Buffs since last Sunday's win over Murray State. Coach Boyle mentioned his thoughts on scheduling Air Force a year ago, just three days after the team's tournament in Puerto Rico.

"That was the biggest mistake I've made scheduling," he said. "You're mentally, physically and emotionally tired. We moved it off of Wednesday to Sunday (this year). When you're playing good you want to keep playing…(but) we needed that time."

• Boyle on his team's top 25 ranking: "I'm not going to ignore it. I'm happy for the program and fans. We have to understand how we got there, and what we have to do to stay there."

• During his time as CU coach, Boyle had befriended now fired football coach Jon Embree. He had just been informed of Embree's firing before talking with the media.

"I'm sad for everybody involved," he said. "This year has been hard on everyone involved. The last seven years have been hard on Buff Nation."

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