Freshmen fuel Colorado’s dominant win over Grace College
- Matt Spivack
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Colorado Buffaloes started their 2025-26 season similarly to last year, by beating up on an inferior team.
The Buffs rolled past the Grace College Lancers by a score of 92-66 on Sunday at the CU Events Center in their season-opener exhibition.
The only Buff sidelined was forward Sebastian Rancik, who is still working through an ankle injury.
Freshman Isaiah Johnson led all scorers with 21 points. The 6-foot-1 guard drilled four threes on 70 percent shooting from the field. Johnson started the game quietly, not appearing in the scoring column until three minutes left in the first half. Despite the slow start, he was a contributing factor to Colorado’s win, adding two rebounds and two assists to his stat sheet.
Colorado had 15 turnovers, a pattern stemming from last season, yet forced Grace College into 20, leading to 21 Buffs points. Head coach Tad Boyle emphasized ball security in the post-game press conference.
“Fifteen turnovers is too much against a team who does not really pressure,” Boyle said. “Taking care of the ball was an issue last year… Lots of stuff to learn from.”
Six Colorado hoopers scored in the double-digits, including four freshmen. Scoring from an array of players significantly boosts CU’s chances of making a run in the Big 12, especially seeing the younger players step up.
“We are deep, we’ve got quality depth,” Boyle said. “That freshman class is a talented group.”
Grace College played a great first half and led the game by three points at halftime. Neither team shot the ball efficiently in the first 20 minutes, both sides posting field goal percentages under 38%. Lancers forward Michael Wellman led all scorers with nine points.
“There were definitely some jitters,” Boyle said. “We showed some youth in that first half.”
The Buffaloes came out of the locker room on fire to start the second half, forcing seven Lancer turnovers through the first 10 minutes and cashing them in for 11 points. The Buffs began the period, making 12 of 18 shots (66.7%) and holding Grace College to 14 points on 33.3 percent from the field.
With just over six minutes remaining in the game, the Buffs took a 20-point lead and never looked back.
Center Elijah Malone dominated the glass against his former squad, leading the Buffs with nine rebounds. The graduate scored five points in 18 minutes played, with one block and one steal.
Freshman Alon Michaeli finished the game with 12 points on 50 percent from the field, with five rebounds and two steals on the defensive end. The physical forward brought his professional experience to the hardwood, picking off passes for easy buckets and using his size to score down low.
Forwards Ian Raasch and Michael Wellman led the Lancers in scoring with 13 points apiece.
Boyle sees this game as a test for his squad.
“These exhibitions are obviously an opportunity for us to learn and see where we are,” Boyle said. “Kind of a mid-term exam.”
The dominant win could seem deceiving for many Colorado fans, considering the 32-point win against Pomona-Pitzer to start last season led to the Buffs' worst record in over a decade. Nonetheless, talented freshmen blended with experienced leaders bode well for the future of the Buffaloes.
Colorado hosts Montana State in its regular-season opener on Nov. 3 at 7 pm MT.