Isaiah Johnson’s outstanding debut leads Buffs past Bobcats in nailbiter

Isaiah Johnson buries a three with his godfather, Dwayne Wade, cheering him on. (Photo by Kekoa Brown/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes defeated the Montana State Bobcats 84-78 on Monday in a game that featured the miraculous debut of freshman guard Isaiah Johnson.

The Buffaloes won the opening tip-off and showed they were just as eager to begin the season as the fans in attendance. 

They attacked with physicality, with star forward Bangot Dak leading the way. He forced a shot clock violation by smothering star guard Patrick McMahon on the perimeter. He followed that up by cashing in multiple alley-oop jams that the Bobcats had no answer for.

The Buffs were able to limit McMahon well in the first half, as he recorded just four points and one field goal.

Colorado’s fresh faces made an impact as well, with both Barrington Hargress and Josiah Sanders recording points early on.

Despite these early successes, mounting mistakes allowed the Bobcats to cut the lead. The Buffs shot just 50 percent from the free-throw line in the first half (7-of-14) and made just one of their seven three-point attempts.

A scoring drought for the Buffs and an offensive run led by forward Christian King gave the Bobcats the lead. 

CU found a slight swing of momentum after its student section counted down a fake shot clock and forced forward Jaden Steppe to shoot and miss a long-range three-pointer. 

“We need our students, and we need them every single game,” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said postgame. “...Our students are participants in this game, they’re not spectators.”

This allowed the Buffs to cut the lead to one, but they still trailed at halftime, 33-32.

The second half continued the trends of the first half early on.

Colorado’s inefficient scoring continued while Montana State buried two early threes. One of which saw the Buffaloes leave McMahon completely unattended for a wide-open look.

After freshman guard Jalin Holland recorded his first career points, Bobcats guard Cavin Holden nailed a deep three-pointer to extend his team’s lead to 48-41.

“Thank God I didn’t know how good Montana State was before the game,” Boyle said. “I wouldn’t have slept at all last night.”

At that point, something shifted in both teams’ guard rooms. After recording four and zero points, respectively, in the first half, McMahon and Johnson came alive in the second half.

McMahon improved his shooting consistency and finished the game shooting 10-of-13 and hitting all three of his free throws for a total of 24 points. Additionally, he finished tied for second on his team in rebounds with four.

But his performance met its match. After missing his only two field goal attempts in the first half, Johnson became the premier weapon for the Buffaloes after halftime. 

With his father and longtime mentor, godfather and NBA legend Dwayne Wade, cheering him on from courtside, Johnson suddenly couldn’t miss. He finished the night 6-of-9 shooting and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. 

“It means the world to me,” Johnson said. “Having [Wade] here for my first college game means a lot.”

He combined his efficient shooting with pure aggression. It paid off with 12 attempts at the free-throw line, 10 of which he converted. 

With help from eight offensive rebounds from Elijah Malone, he finished the night with 24 points and, more importantly, a win for his team.

The Buffs return to the CU Events Center on Saturday, Nov. 8, to face the Eastern Washington Eagles at 2 p.m. MT (ESPN+)