After a long and winless road trip, Colorado returned to the win column in Boulder, taking down USC, 68-58, in a back-and-forth matchup on Saturday.

There were subzero temperatures outside CU Events Center and it was a frigid first half for the Buffs. Through defensive adjustments at the half, Colorado (12-5, 3-3 Pac-12) was able to dominate a shorthanded USC squad over the final 20 minutes. CU climbed its way back into the game thanks to its backcourt by outscoring USC, 44-21, to help erase a 13-point deficit that followed it into the second.

“Credit to our guys they regrouped the second half,” head coach Tad Boyle said. “They strung some stops and kept believing in each other. The crowd was great. For these temperatures we're dealing with right now and come out at eight o'clock on a Saturday night, I mean, our students were great.

“But we didn't give them what they deserved in the first half. We did in the second half because we strung together stops, we got out in transition and then that got our ball movement better. They're playing that zone, going to man, we kind of figured that part of it out too.”

That man to zone shift was the prominent defensive change for Colorado from the first to the second half as Trojans hit 15 of 29 from the field then just 7 of 29 in the second.

Along with the defensive shift, CU's offense showed itself to be more productive in the second as well. Colorado went from shooting 31% from the field in the first to 43% in the second. Within the Buffs eight-man rotation, seven players recorded points in the second half.

Specifically, 10-point performances from J’Vonne Hadley and Eddie Lampkin Jr. during the second helped overwhelm the Trojans whose leading scorer in the second half was Kobe Johnson with 6 points.

Colorado’s defense was the ultimate dagger that left USC shooting 24.1% from the field (7 for 29), accumulating 10 turnovers and allowing just one 3-pointer made throughout CU’s fight in the second.

Players such as Boogie Ellis, Isaiah Collier and Pac-12 leading shot blocker Joshua Morgan were absent on the hardwood going into the game for the Trojans. USC’s first half, however, looked far from shorthanded as the Trojans limited the Buffs on both ends of the floor.

Low energy and careless defense allowed USC to take a 37-24 lead at the half aided by a 16-point first half performance from Oziyah Sellers in the first half.

"Switching the ball screens helped, but our energy level or not letting them pass it wherever the heck they wanted to pass it," Boyle said. "We kind of let them do whatever they wanted to do in the first half, and second half we dictated with our defense.

"...Credit goes to players, players win games. I like to sit here and say coaches win games, but coaches don't win games. I can help lose a game ... but I can't win a game. These guys, win games, they make plays."

For Colorado, the Buffs will need that energy and winning ability at home (10-0) to potentially take down league-leading Oregon (13-3 overall, 5-0 in the Pac-12) on Jan. 18 at 8:30 p.m. MT.