PULLMAN, Wash. — Colorado had its chances Wednesday night, but unlike the last five games, the Buffs couldn't come up with the crucial plays in crunch time.
As a result, CU's five-game win streak came to an end with a 76-74 loss at Washington State.
The loss dropped the Buffs to 16-10 overall and 7-7 in Pac-12 play while the Cougars improved to 11-15, 4-9.
Tyler Bey had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Colorado for his 12th career double-double and 10th of the season. McKinley Wright had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, Evan Battey added 13 points and 7 rebounds and Shane Gatling scored 12.
Robert Franks led WSU with 19 points.
Colorado shot just 37.9 percent from the field, including just 9-for-29 from beyond the arc while the Cougars shot 45.5 percent, including a 10-for-19 night from 3-point range.
Still, the Buffs had an opportunity to claim their fourth conference road win of the year, as they led by one, 74-73, with 1:51 to go.
But the Cougars regained the edge on a tip-in with 1:24 remaining — after three straight misses — and Colorado then missed five shots at the basket in the final 1:07.
"You have to step up and make plays when plays have to be made," head coach Tad Boyle said. "We didn't do it on offense tonight and we didn't do it on defense. It's a one-possession game that goes in the loss column and it's an opportunity we'll never get back."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado trailed by two at intermission, 38-36, then engaged in a see-saw second half battle that featured 14 lead changes and five ties.
The Buffs led by as much as six in the second half, 59-53, thanks to a 10-2 run that included six points from Daylen Kountz. But the Cougars answered with their own run, a 9-0 surge to regain the lead, 62-59. Wright re-injured his ailing shoulder during the run, leaving when Colorado still led by two with 10:10 to play and finally re-entering the game with 7:52 left and the Buffs trailing by three.
The Buffs did regain the edge with Wright back on the floor, pulling to within one on a Bey basket inside before taking the lead on two Bey free throws with 1:51 left in the game — his 11th points of the half.
But Colorado couldn't come up with a key rebound on WSU's next possession. Franks missed a jumper from the corner, but the Cougars kept the ball alive at the rim, finally getting a tip-in from Isaiah Wade with 1:24 remaining to take a 75-74 lead.
CU then had several more chances to regain the edge, but missed five shots in the final 1:07, including two in the final 10 seconds.
"I thought we had some good looks down the stretch," Boyle said. "We had a wide-open three in the corner, we had a shot in the lane, a good look, didn't make that. You have to make plays when plays need to be made."
Colorado ended up winning the rebound battle, 39-37, but it was WSU's key offensive boards at the end that made the difference. It was only the second time in 17 games this year that CU has lost when out-rebounding the opponent.
The Buffs struggled to find their offensive rhythm all night long. They were hampered by foul trouble in the first half — five players had two fouls before intermission, including four starters — and they missed more than their share of open looks, both inside and outside.
"I thought we were ball watching a lot, kind of expecting the first shot to go in," Boyle said. "We didn't have anybody hunting offensive rebounds. Offensively, our guys were not clicking tonight."
Defensively, the Buffs couldn't contain WSU's 3-point shooters. The Cougars shot just 41.6 percent from 2-point range (15-for-36), but hit 10 of their 19 long-range attempts.
"Really a disappointing loss because it was a winnable game," Boyle said. "You score 74 points on the road, it should be good enough to win. But it wasn't tonight because we didn't do what we had to do. We didn't guard the 3-point line well enough all night long. We knew that was going to be a key to the game. They're 10-for-19 from three and that's not good enough."
TURNING POINT: This game wasn't decided until the final minute. Colorado still had a chance to take the lead or tie the game with 10 seconds remaining, but missed two shots to leave Pullman empty handed for the third straight time.
WHAT IT MEANS: Now tied for sixth in the conference standings with four games remaining, including three at home, the Buffs are still within range of a top-four Pac-12 finish, but they know they let a potential big win slip through their hands Wednesday.
KEY STATISTICS: WSU hit 10 of its 19 3-point tries while the Buffs were 9-for-29. CU also shot just 37.9 percent from the field overall (25-for-66).
QUOTEWORTHY: "We had some opportunities to make plays on offense that we didn't make tonight, and that's the bottom line. With that being said, we got our stop that we needed. We got Franks to miss the 15-footer in the corner, we're up one, and we can't get the rebound. They get three offensive rebounds on one possession and that's the ballgame." — CU head coach Tad Boyle
NEXT UP: The Buffs wrap up their road trip Saturday with an 8:30 p.m. game at Washington.
Story by Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor, CUBuffs.com
