Buffs beat Cowboys for the first time since 2010
- Matt Spivack
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The Colorado Buffaloes (15-12, 5-9 Big 12) defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys (16-11, 4-10) 83-69 on Saturday afternoon.
The Buffs jumped out to an early 25-8 lead and looked like they were going to run the Cowboys out of the CU Events Center.
The Buffaloes' defensive pressure was a reason for Colorado’s fast start, forcing four early turnovers. Colorado’s hustle and urgency on defense plagued Oklahoma State and forced it to play from behind for the entirety of the first half.
However, after starting 5-for-7 from deep, the Colorado shooters fell back down to earth as Oklahoma State found a rhythm.
A 9-0 Cowboys run brought them back into the game, and guard Vyctorius Miller hit a buzzer-beating three to cut the deficit to eight points at the half.
Oklahoma State rode that momentum coming out of the locker room, outscoring Colorado 15-6 and taking the lead in the first five minutes of the second half.
Colorado quickly took the momentum back, largely on the shoulders of forward Bangot Dak.
The seven-foot junior had a tip-in layup, a three-point play and a steal in the span of a minute. He finished as the games’ leading scorer (17) and grabbed seven rebounds.
“I thought that put back in the second half was big time,” Tad Boyle said. “Big momentum mover for us… Bangot was big tonight for us.”
After Dak’s key stretch, Colorado took control of the game and never looked back. The Buffs overcame their early-second-half struggles, as the defense stepped up late, holding the Cowboys to 0-for-10 from the field in the last six minutes of play.
Part of Colorado’s defensive game plan was to force Cowboy star guard Anthony Roy off the three-point line.
The Buffs did just that, accomplishing a feat most teams cannot: holding the senior guard who averages over 17 points per game and shoots 41 percent from deep to six points on 3-for-10 from the field.
“To hold [Anthony] Roy, who’s a hell of a shooter, to 0-for-7 from three was key,” Boyle said.
Colorado’s defense was the main story of the game, but offensively, the Buffs had dominant stretches as well, shooting 47 percent from the field and just over 40 percent from deep.
Guard Barrington Hargress was in his bag against the Cowboys. The junior scored 16 points on 50 percent from the floor. But more importantly, he dished out eight assists that turned into 19 points.
The much-needed win helps Colorado build momentum heading into the home stretch of the season and the Big 12 championship tournament.
The Buffs will be back in action on Wednesday night at the CU Events Center against the Kansas State Wildcats (11-16, 1-12 Big 12) at 7 p.m. MT (FS1).