Five Buffs score double-digits as CU beats K-State

Isaiah Johnson's physicality was on full display against KSU as he recorded a career-high nine rebounds. (Photo by Tyler Phillips/Sko Buffs Sports).

The Colorado Buffaloes (16-12, 6-9 Big 12) picked up a meaningful 79-70 win over the Kansas State Wildcats (11-17, 2-13) in their second-to-last home game of the season Wednesday night.

From the opening tip-off, both teams got plenty of possessions but failed to capitalize.

Turnovers were abundant for both teams, but Kansas State was able to take an early lead due to inefficient Colorado shooting. The Buffaloes only made three of their first 11 shots and trailed after the first five minutes.

The Buffs tied the game several times, but didn’t take the lead until guards Isaiah Johnson and Barrington Hargress took over on offense. A Johnson and-one and a pair of buckets from Hargress gave the Buffaloes a two-score lead just before the 10-minute mark.

Colorado’s shooting improved drastically as a result, as the team went 4-for-5 from the field in that stretch.

The Buffaloes pulled away as forward Bangot Dak caught an alley-oop for an emphatic jam. CU pushed its lead to 40-23 with 2:49 to play before halftime.

However, the Wildcats ended the first half on a tear, as five-straight buckets in the remaining time cut the lead to 42-33 at halftime.

“I was upset with them (Buffs players) at halftime,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said postgame. “...It’s the way we finished at half. We were up 19, then we went up nine…We dodged a bullet tonight.”

While missed opportunities leaked into the second half for Colorado momentarily, the Buffaloes quickly recovered and expanded on their lead.

Colorado saw its largest lead of the night less than seven minutes into the second half, extending its advantage to 22 points.

This came amid an 18-5 run in that same span, fueled by Colorado’s prolific scorers. Five Buffs reached double-digit points against the Wildcats.

Johnson led the pack. He finished with the team high in points (18), rebounds (nine) and assists (eight). He also came up one rebound short of his first career double-double and two assists shy of his first career triple-double.

Alongside him, fellow guard Ian Inman recorded a career-high 17 points on a 5-for-7 shooting night. 

“Ultimately, it’s about me sticking to my grind,” Inman said following his performance. “...It’s always been about sticking to my grind, sticking to my mentality, and ultimately, when my time comes, it’s about producing.”

All of his shot attempts came from 3-point range.

Starting guard Barrington Hargress and forwards Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak also finished with double-digit points, recording 15, 13 and 10, respectively.

It seemed that Colorado was going to leave with a blowout, but in the final eight minutes of the game, Kansas State found another gear.

This came after the Wildcats continued to exude confidence in the huddle despite their deficit.

“C.J. Jones said to me, ‘Coach, we’re turning this thing around,’” Kansas State interim head coach Matthew Driscoll said during his press conference. “...I said…’This thing’s about to get ugly,’ and C.J. said, ‘No.’ He looked me right in the eye. 

Given the score, Driscoll was surprised by this response to say the least, but Jones’ confidence in his team didn’t stop there.

“I said, ‘So you think we’re going to get stops so we’re going to turn this thing around?’” Driscoll continued. “And he said, ‘Coach, I know we are.’ I got up, and I left the huddle.”

Led by star guard PJ Haggerty, who also led his team in points (25), rebounds (10) and assists (four), the Wildcats cut the lead to single-digits, and ultimately one score.

A combination of Colorado turnovers (CU finished the night with 17, its second-most this season), a failed challenge and a flagrant foul on Rancik allowed KSU to cut the lead to 73-70 with 2:21 remaining in the game.

While Johnson stepped up at the free-throw line, making three of his four attempts down the stretch, it was Colorado’s defense that iced the game in the face of pressure.

In the final two minutes, the Buffaloes recorded three blocks, two of which resulted in turnovers.

The Wildcats were unable to score for the remainder of the game as they suffered their 17th loss of the season.

“You can’t, in the last two minutes of the game, get three shots blocked,” Driscoll said. “...To their credit, they blocked them. To our discredit, we didn’t quite execute as we should have.”

Colorado now begins a tough road trip, starting against the No. 5 Houston Cougars (23-5, 11-4) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 10 a.m. MT from the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas (ESPN 2).