BOULDER— For the last time this season, Colorado’s four fifth-year seniors stepped onto the Coors Event Center floor for one last home game. The Buffs would have a poor offensive night but would beat Cal 54-46. The Coors Event Center was rocking during today's game.
“It’s a special day for our four seniors and two senior managers who have really helped this program each in their own individual way so you like to see them go out on a high note,” Coach Tad Boyle said of today’s game. “It leaves a good taste in their mouth.”
Derrick White was the hero of the day for Colorado, fitting on his senior day, he would hit a fadeaway three-pointer while trapped along the baseline to give the Buffs a six-point lead. White and Xavier Johnson would lead the team with 16 and 17 points respectively.
“Yeah it was cool, most important thing was to get that win, you never want to lose on senior night and have that bad taste in your mouth for the rest of your career,” White said on his shot. “These past two years being here at CU and being here in Boulder it’s been great. Getting to know these guys on the team and working with them every day it’s been great and I wouldn't change anything.”
Although the game would be low scoring, in the second half the Buffs gave the fans something to cheer about. After only hitting one three-pointer in the first half, Colorado would hit six in the second.
But the game changer this game was Colorado’s defense compared to how they played on Thursday against Stanford.
“Absolutely, offensively some of the guys struggled a little bit but we had to rely on our defense for sure, we played great D and that got us the win,” George King said.
“No doubt, this is kind of the old school grind of colorado basketball. You put the offensive performance of Thursday with the defensive performance today, you got the recipe for beating anybody,” Coach Boyle said. “We overcame some things tonight that didn't go well offensively because we guarded and we rebounded.”
Colorado only shot 34% (16-of-47) from the floor to end the game, at the end of the first half they were only shooting 25% but at the times that their offense struggled their defense came through and kept Cal to 27.3% (15-of-55) shooting from the floor on the day.
“Yeah it's good to win a game like this, we just know that if we put our defense from tonight and our offense from Stanford we will be a dangerous team,” said White.
“You got to win some close games, you got to win some grinded out games like today and the 0-7 start, we can look back, we’ve done it all year long, the close calls, this group is four possessions away defensively from being 12-6,” Coach Boyle said.
To end the first half Colorado was out-rebounded by Cal, 28-19 but finish the game only out-rebounded by three. King lead the team with nine rebounds after only have one in the whole first half. There were 81 total rebounds today betweent the two teams.
“Just more effort just not allowing Cal’s boxing me out effect me and just go in and do what I do, just be athletic and try to get rebounds,” King said when asked about what changed in the second half.
“George has the ability to make those kind of plays, game changing type plays, with those tips dunks and rebounding the ball, he was big,” Boyle said on King.
Dom Collier came off the bench today against Cal so senior Josh Fortune could start, Collier gave the Buffs 10 points off the bench, as a team Colorado only had 11 points off the bench.
“Just always being ready, getting my feet ready, when these guys penetrate, just being ready on the three-point line because the clock was running down so I just want to take and make a big shot,” Collier said.
Colorado is now on their way to Vegas for the Pac-12 tournament where they probably will be the seventh seed and if they lose their first game of the tournament their season could possibly be done. If Colorado can put together a complete game they could make a run in the tournament.
