The Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team dug themselves into another hole Thursday night, reverting back to the common theme of turnovers and sloppy play. The Washington Huskies, led by
Jr., stun the Buffs by the final score of 60-58.
Colorado turned the ball over four times in the first five minutes of the game, as well as giving up six offensive rebounds. The Buffs led by as many as seven in the first half, shooting just 30% from the field but went 9-of-10 from the free throw line to keep them afloat.
Brown Jr. was a problem for the Buffs.
Washington’s guard scored 17 of his 26 points in the first half on 6-of-10 shooting.
Colorado couldn’t figure out how to set up their offense against Washington’s 2-3 zone. They collapsed, trapped, and made life tough for Colorado. Thanks to that zone, Washington went on a 9-0 run in the second half, eventually leading to a 19-5 run. Not to mention, it took the Buffs 10 minutes to score those five points.
Colorado continued to try and force the ball in the post but would end up with the same result. Washington scored 21 points off turnovers because of the pressure from that zone.
Buffs freshman Julian Hammond III made things interesting late as he hit a three to bring the Buffs within eight. A few moments later, Eli Parquet hit a three of his own as Colorado found themselves down four.
Washington’s Brown Jr. would get fouled under the hoop with under 25 seconds to go with a chance to push Washington’s lead to four. The guard missed both free throws and Colorado had a chance to tie or take the lead.
The Buffs fed the ball into Jabari Walker in the post with the game clock waining down and the sophomore missed the shot, resulting in a two-point Washington win.
It’s a tough pill to swallow — knowing the Buffs just captured their first Quadrant 1 win of the season over Oregon, only to fall on the road to a pesky Huskies team. Colorado shot just 34% as a team while turning the ball over 16 times.
Next Up: Colorado (13-7, 5-5 in Pac-12) ends their three-game road trip as they take on the Washington St. Cougars Sunday night.