BOULDER – On the Colorado men’s basketball team’s (20-9, 11-7 Pac-12) Senior Night, they took care of the Stanford Cardinal (12-17, 7-12) in dominating fashion, winning by a score of 81-71.
The Buffs honored seniors Tristan da Silva and Luke O’Brien before the contest, celebrating the past four years the two spent in Boulder. Da Silva made sure to make it a party, leading the Buffs in scoring with a game-high and season-high 27 points (11-of-18 FG, 5-of-10 3PT) and 11 rebounds. O’Brien added three points, two boards, and a steal in his final game at the CU Events Center.
“It was kind of surreal,” O’Brien said. “I didn’t think it would ever come to this. I know it was but I felt like it just went too fast for us. But we enjoyed it. Obviously, that’s (da Silva) my best friend. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, so it’s tough to sink in that this was our last year.”
Despite being without Cody Williams (ankle) and Julian Hammond III (knee) yet again, the Buffs rode da Silva’s special 19-point second half while KJ Simpson continued his historic scoring stretch of the last couple of games as the duo hit five 3s each on the night. Simpson scored 22 points (8-of-17 FG, 5-of-9 3PT, 1-of-2 FT) and dished out seven assists in his fourth straight game with 22 or more points.
“I was just getting them up, I guess,” da Silva said about his big second half from beyond the arc. “But, I had a couple of games where I’ve been struggling and stuff so it obviously always feels good when you’re making shots.”
It took about 10 minutes for Colorado to figure out Stanford, however, with the Cardinal starting in a 1-3-1 zone and shooting 9-of-12 from the field to start the game en route an early 21-17 lead. The early deficit was the result of Eddie Lampkin Jr. receiving two early fouls, leading to Cardinal big man Maxime Raynaud getting to work inside as the road squad built some early momentum with CU’s big guy on the bench.
When Lampkin returned, six straight points from the 6-foot-11 center led to the Buffs outscoring the Cardinal 27-16 across the final 10 minutes and nine seconds of the first half.
While Raynaud went on to score 26 points (10-of-13 FG, 2-of-2 3PT, 4-of-4 FT) along with 12 rebounds, the rest of the Cardinal fizzled out amid the huge run and failed to build momentum after going down 44-37 at the break. As a team, the Cardinal shot 16-of-45 from the field after their scorching start. Michael Jones, who scored 12 points in the first half, was held to one point in the second while Simpson held Stanford’s Kanaan Carlyle to just 4-of-17 shooting from the field.
“Honestly, just understanding that if we get stops, we don’t let their defense get set up, and taking away 3s,” Simpson said about what changed for the Buffs. “Raynaud and Michael Jones, they were getting it going in the first. Trying to shut their water off for sure, trying to take away their easy looks and make them earn some. After we did that, things started to open up for us on the defensive and offensive end.”
The improved defensive effort was built on the energy of the arena, which was loud throughout the celebratory night as the Buffs won the rebound battle by 11 (38-27) and scored 20 points in transition. The loudest moment of the Senior Night, though, may have come thanks to a high-flying sequence by freshman Bangot Dak.
After checking in due to Lampkin’s foul trouble, Dak spiked a Cardinal shot before slamming home a dunk on the opposite end. The freshman big finished with three points, two rebounds, an assist, two blocks, and a steal in 14 minutes played.
The final few minutes saw a sloppier version of basketball than the night had seen, featuring four Colorado turnovers and allowing the Cardinal to come within 10 points to spoil what was going to be an eight-turnover game from the Buffs.
Still, the win was secured, and the seniors were celebrated.
“In terms of the way we played for the first 38 minutes of the game, ‘Yeah,’” Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said when asked if his team is starting to hit their stride. “Our guys believe in each other, they’ve overcome injuries. It’s next man up.
“...Tonight, Bangot Dak, his number is called. He responds unbelievably well. The stats don’t always tell everything but his activity, his confidence, to me, that’s what makes me the most proud of this team.”
The Buffs now look ahead to their away matchup with the Oregon Ducks (19-10, 11-7) on Thursday, hoping to improve their record against Quadrant 1 teams before the postseason. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT on ESPN2.
“We honored two young men who are, to me, what college basketball is all about,” Boyle said. “...They’ve persevered. They haven't given up. They've gone through tough times each in their own way and to see them honored tonight and given the love that they deserve tonight from our fans and their teammates. It warms your heart as a coach.”
Cover photo by Cristian Blanco/Sko Buffs Sports
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