WATCH: Oliver Hayes recaps the Colorado Buffaloes' dominant win over the MSU Denver Roadrunners.
BOULDER– The Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team handled business against the Metropolitan State University of Denver Roadrunners Friday night in an exhibition match at the CU Events Center, winning 69-45.
"Anytime you win a game by 20-plus, you feel pretty good," Colorado head coach Tad Boyle said after the blowout win.
Despite the ever-so-popular Colorado football team playing on ESPN and the evening’s frigid, snowy conditions, a fair amount of CU fans made the trip out to support the Buffs in their first public showing against an opponent.
In the contest, forward Tristan da Silva led all scorers with 11 points along with seven rebounds and four assists. MSU Denver guard Brayden Maldonaldo led the scoring charge for the Roadrunners with 10 points to accompany his three rebounds and two assists.
After winning the opening tip, the Buffs started off the game strong with a three-point bucket from da Silva. Coming into the season regarded as a top senior in the nation, the four-year Buffalo rattled in six of Colorado’s first 10 points.
"I'm more and more comfortable out there," da Silva said after the game, "That's what it really comes down to."
With CU’s leading scorer from last season getting going, the supporting cast came to life. Highly touted freshman forward Cody Williams hit a layup for his first points in a Colorado uniform while the other three starters also got on the board within minutes of the opening tip.
As junior guard K.J. Simpson hit his first shot of the game as the last CU starter to score, the Buffs took an 18-5 lead just five and a half minutes in.
With the black and gold leading, the energy was high. On defense, coach Boyle rotated through his roster, finding different lineups to terrorize the MSU Denver offense. CU forced numerous turnovers and found themselves in the transition often. From the 15:52 mark of the first half, the Roadrunners only scored one point across the next nine minutes.
The Buffs scored 14 points across MSU Denver’s scoring drought, taking a lead they would hold the rest of the game despite missing a number of easy baskets at the rim. Coach Boyle believed the Buffs' hot start led to missed opportunities down the stretch.
"I think we got impatient," Boyle said, "When you have success early, guys want to do it quick."
The Roadrunners gained some momentum to end the half as they outscored the Buffaloes 12-9, led by Maldonaldo’s eight first half points. Still, CU led 33-18 heading into the break as Simpson matched Maldonaldo as the first half’s leading scorer with eight of his own.
Coming out of halftime, da Silva once again kicked off the scoring for both sides. MSU Denver responded with a basket of their own, but the Buffs continued to outplay the struggling Roadrunners.
As CU outscored MSU Denver 36-27 in the second half, Boyle looked deep into his bench, allowing deeper rotation guys some action. As the game winded down, the Buffs enjoyed their win in a joyful fashion as Williams and the Colorado squad continued to attack the basket for a number of highlight dunks.
CU freshman forward Cody Williams slams home a two-handed dunk against MSU Denver. The former ESPN No. 6 recruit scored eight points on 4/10 shooting from the field along with five boards and two assists. (Photo by Chy Evenson/Sko Buffs Sports)
"I wanted to get a look at some of those younger guys," Boyle said, "because against Texas, we really only played about seven dudes."
At the end of the 24-point win, Boyle had played 12 different Buffs with all of them getting on the board. As a team, Colorado racked up 19 assists.
"The one thing I'll say our guys did a great job of, I thought, is sharing the ball," Boyle said, "...We have an unselfish team."
The Colorado Buffaloes don’t play again until their season opener against the Towson Tigers on Monday, Nov. 6, at the CU Events Center. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MT.
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