Second-half surge powers Colorado past Abilene Christian in season opener
The Colorado Buffaloes took care of business, beating the Abilene Christian Wildcats 94-59 in Monday’s season opener at the CU Events Center. It took a 58-25 second half to turn a two-point halftime lead into a blowout.
“Tale of two halves,” head coach Tad Boyle said.
Colorado had four assists and nine turnovers in the first half and shot 44.8% from the field. After the break, the Buffs shot 75.9% with 14 assists and two turnovers.
North Dakota State transfer Noah Feddersen opened his Buffs tenure with a statement, initiating the offense, grabbing an offensive rebound and finishing a tough layup for the first points of the season.
Then the Aussies made their mark.
Around the 13-minute mark, international transfer Goc Malual spiked a layup attempt for his first career block, and the ball made its way up to fellow Australian transfer Alex Dickeson, who hit the first 3-pointer of the game for his first career points. The Sydney connection had the crowd popping in game one as Colorado built a 15-9 lead.
Dickeson kept showing off, fueling an 8-0 Buffs run in the middle of the first half. He finished with nine points, five rebounds and a team-high six assists, and his +27 led the team.
“Teammates encouraged me to make plays ... I just found my guys,” Dickeson said.
Sophomore returners Jalin Holland, Ian Inman and Josiah Sanders all hit big shots throughout, and the Buffs led by nine late in the half. Holland went 8 for 12 from the field, finishing with a career-high 18 points, the most on the team.
ACU pushed back late, with Timeo Pons hitting a pair of 3-pointers and Willan Marie-Anais scoring twice to put the Wildcats ahead by one. Barrington Hargress drained a step-back 3 as time expired to make it 36-34 going into the half. The Buffs trailed for just 47 seconds all night.
Holland said the halftime message was simple: be aggressive and be solid.
Colorado opened the second half on an 18-5 run as Hargress, the senior, drained a corner 3 and assisted on three buckets, leaving his fingerprints all over that stretch. He finished with 11 points, two rebounds and four assists, shooting 3 of 5 from deep. Boyle said his defense disrupted ACU, which managed just 25 second-half points.
The contributions kept coming from all over the wings.
UNC Greensboro transfer Justin Neely netted his first buckets in Boulder and finished with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in just 16 minutes. Sanders flashed what a sophomore breakout could look like with 14 points and four rebounds, including making 8-of-9 at the free-throw line, showing off his ability to draw contact.
Boyle singled out Holland’s efficiency and said he believes the sophomore “can be an all-Big 12 defensive player this year.” Holland, who added six rebounds, said he was glad to be back with the other returners.
“Those guys are my brothers, ride or die,” Holland said.
Colorado won on the glass 39-24 and scored 20 fastbreak points to ACU’s two. The Buffs showed the continuity and flash they can play with, but Dickeson knows the slow start can’t happen against tougher Big 12 competition.
“Next time, gotta settle in quicker,” Dickeson said.
Boyle wants to see the same thing from the whole group.
“This time of year you’re just looking for things to get better at,” Boyle said. “What we need to become is a consistent team.”
Colorado will now hit the road to face San Diego State in the Bill Walton Classic. The Buffs look to move to 2-0 on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MT, live on USA Network.
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