WATCH: Terris Harris breaks down the Buffs' big win over the UNC Bears.
BOULDER – After a ginormous 27-point win over the then-No. 15-ranked Miami (FL) Hurricanes on Dec. 10, the Colorado Buffaloes returned to the CU Events Center to protect their undefeated start at home. By the final buzzer, the Buffs defeated CU head coach Tad Boyle’s former university in the Northern Colorado Bears as they moved to 6-0 in Boulder on the season.
“It was a good win,” Boyle said to open his post-game press conference. “I think UNC is gonna have a good year in the Big Sky.”
In front of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams, Buffs’ forward Cody Williams’ older brother, and his teammates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Aaron Wiggins, and Tre Mann, six CU players scored in double digits with KJ Simpson’s 21 points (9-of-12 FG) leading the way. Holmgren also played AAU basketball with CU’s J’Vonne Hadley in Minnesota before college.
“It was real cool,” Simpson said about the courtside stars. “Obviously, you know, that’s where we all want to be. It’s our dream and, you know, we watch them play and admire their games.”
In front of the NBA talent, Eddie Lampkin notched his career-high in assists with six. The senior big man also racked up his fourth double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
“I’ve known him before he came here,” Simpson said. “...One thing he was stressing and talking to me about before we even started playing together was, you know, ‘One thing about me, it may seem weird, but I’m a big that loves to pass.’ And he’s going out there and he’s showing it and he’s very capable of doing it. He’s real unselfish.”
The contest started slow for the Buffs, as they missed their first two shots from the field while the Bears built their only lead of the game thanks to a bucket from Dejour Reaves. However, CU had other plans as they netted their next 11 shots from the field before a miss. Amidst the run, Hadley scored eight points, including six across three straight possessions to give Colorado a 10-7 lead that they would pile onto for the rest of the game.
The senior guard finished with 15 points (6-of-9 FG) and added five rebounds and six assists to his stat line. His performance also featured an emphatic, one-handed jam in transition early in the first half.
“J’Vonne Hadley is kind of our heart soul,” Boyle said, “our unsung hero, if you will.”
As Colorado turned their three-point lead into a 21-point lead before the break, it was their overwhelming paint presence that led the way. Of their 48 first half points, 28 were scored in the paint while passing lanes opened up as the Bears tried to stop CU from attacking the rim.
“Number one thing on our board was ‘attack the paint,’” Boyle said, “whether that’s through the post or whether that’s through driving and getting the ball to the rim. And then if the threes come as a result of posting it or driving and kicking, that’s fine. Our guys did a pretty good job of that I think. Look, our two post guys J’Vonne Hadley and Eddie Lampkin had 12 of our 23 assists.”
After the Buffs opened their scoring with 24 points inside the arc, Julian Hammond III nailed their first of five first half threes with just over 10 minutes left as CU enjoyed a 27-18 lead. The black and gold furthered their winning margin thanks to their unselfish offense (13 assists in the first half) and pestering defense (10 forced turnovers in the first half). With CU running the break often, they scored 11 points on the break as they went into halftime up 48-27.
“Our guys were frustrated,” Boyle said about his squad’s first half. “First and second media timeout, I just said, ‘We just got to switch with it and string some stops together.’ And then, offensively, we’re playing really well together – getting another 23 assists tonight, six guys in double figures.”
While UNC’s leading scorer on the season Saint Thomas (17.2 PPG) led the Bears with eight first half points, four Buffs matched or outscored the guard with Simpson leading the scoring charge with 15 points at the half.
Coming out of the intermission, the Buffs continued their stellar offensive play. On the defensive end, however, Colorado once again laid off the gas in a blowout win as CU only outscored the Bears 42-41 in the second half. Thomas went on to pour in 19 second half points for UNC as he finished with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting (2-of-8 3PT, 5-of-5 FT).
“Thomas had 27, but he had it on 22 shots,” Boyle said about UNC’s leading scorer’s performance. “I thought J’Vonne Hadley did a really good job defensively on him.”
Boyle mentioned that Hadley asked to guard Thomas before the game.
Despite the even back half of play, the Buffs went on to win by 22 points with numerous highlight plays headlining the night. The black and gold dished out 10 more assists as they brought their total three-point count to nine. In addition, Lampkin rocked the rim multiple times with Simpson adding his second dunk of the night early in the half.
Colorado’s Luke O’Brien started for the third time this season as he tied his career-high in points with 14 (5-of-14, 4-of-8 3PT) on the night, including 12 in the second half. The Buffs’ senior last scored 14 points against Oregon State as a sophomore.
“I think that last couple of years, my mental has progressed a lot,” the forward said. “So I just keep shooting and know my work is gonna pay off. I know Miami, before the game, Cody said, ‘In order to make shots, you got to take them,’ and I liked that a little bit.”
With another big win under their belt, the Buffs will face the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Thursday, Dec. 21, at the CU Events Center in their last non-conference game before Pac-12 play. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.
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