Bey and Wright IV power No. 23 Colorado past UC Irvine
The No. 23-ranked Colorado Buffaloes hosted UC Irvine at the CU Events Center Monday night for a quick turnaround after Colorado's 71-53 win over San Diego 48 hours ago on Saturday.
The Buffs (3-0) took a double digit into halftime and kept the pressure on the Anteaters in the final half, staying perfect on the year after a 69-53 victory.
Tyler Bey and McKinley Wright IV were tied for the team lead with 16 points scored apiece.
"That was a good win against a quality basketball team and program," head coach Tad Boyle said. "We have a lot of respect for UC Irvine, their coaching staff and players...our guys answered the bell and answered the challenge that I laid at their feet starting on Saturday night against San Diego."
Bey drew first blood for Colorado in the game, opening up the scoring with a pair of made FTs, in the first of many trips to the charity stripe.
Early on, Colorado was struggling to convert short and mid-range shots, while second chance opportunities were slim. The Anteaters, who out-rebounded CU on the night, 41-32, dominated near the glass during that time and for the majority of the game.
The Anteaters were strong in the post — 26 of their 53 points were scored in the paint.
"You know they (would be) going in there," Boyle said. "I thought our post defense, for the most part, was pretty darn good. "...You have to take some things away and understand that Irvine is going to score some baskets in the paint. That is just the way they are wired...we knew their bigs were going to score some buckets."
Things were neck and neck for the majority of the first half, with neither team leading by more than four points, but with a bit over six minutes before halftime, Colorado went on an 8-0 run and held the Anteaters to a lone basket over a five-minute span.
A corner three-pointer by Lucas Siewert gave the Buffs a 36-25 advantage and their first double digit lead of the game with 2:58 left in the half.
Siewert made a lone basket in the game but was second on the team with six rebounds.
By the time UC Irvine managed another basket with 1:13 left before halftime, Colorado led , 37-28 and had outscored the Anteaters, 14-4.
As both teams headed to their locker rooms at the halfway point. the Buffs held a 40-30 advantage.
The Buffs managed just three points in the opening five minutes of the second half and the Anteaters came within six points at the 16:27 mark. However, just as UC Irvine started to gain some ground, a layup by Evan Battey followed by an offensive zone rebound and eventual three-pointer from D'Shawn Schwartz had CU back up 46-35 with a little under 15 minutes to play.
Schwartz scored eight and added five rebounds in the win.
UC Irvine once more lowered its deficit to under double digits, trailing by six once more with around nine minutes in the game, but a timely Maddox Daniels three-pointer created some more breathing room for CU, which from that point, led by at least nine for the remainder of the game.
On the night, Colorado was 9-of-19 (47%) from long range while posting a 39% make rate form the floor in general.
"Last year, we were at the bottom of the league in three-point percentage, so a lot of us got in the gym this offseason and we just grinded it out," Wright IV said. "Seeing the ball go through the hoop, it gives us confidence out there."
Wright himself was 6-of-11 from the floor and made 2-of-4 three-pointers.
Colorado will take the next two days off from practice. Up next for the Buffs is a Sunday, Nov. 24 meeting with the Wyoming Cowboys in Las Vegas, Nevada for the opening round of this year's MGM Resorts Main Event.
Tipoff is at 6 p.m. MST.
