TUCSON, Ariz. - The Colorado Buffaloes (9-10, 0-8 Big 12) fell to the Arizona Wildcats (13-6, 7-1 Big 12) 78-63 on Saturday, marking the 14th-straight loss for the Buffs at McKale Memorial Center.
Early in the game, CU kept the game close, holding the lead at two separate points in the first half. This was fueled by their defensive execution, as they held the Wildcats to just 38.2% shooting, allowing the Buffs time to find their offensive rhythm throughout the half. Forward Andrej Jakimovski led the way offensively for CU in the first 20 minutes, recording ten points while shooting 3-of-6 from the floor, and knocking down both of his free throws. The Macedonia native also made his presence felt from beyond the arc, shooting 2-for-3 on his three-point attempts.
As the half winded down, the Buffs were finding high-percentage shots and despite experiencing some familiar turnover issues, their defense was generating turnovers of their own. With one half in the books, the Buffs seemed to have most of the momentum on their side despite a two-point deficit.
Both teams began the second half playing a very similar style to the first, with interior defense and turnover generation serving as the only real way either squad could get a leg-up on one another. With the game drawn even at 40 apiece, leading scorer Andrej Jakimovski had a breakaway path to the rim off a clean pass from guard Julian Hammond III. However, the ball bounced off Jakimovski’s fingertips and into the hands of the Wildcats, leading to an easy three-point make for guard Anthony Dell’Orso. On the very next play, Jakimovski dropped another pass on a break to the rim, leading to two more points for Arizona. This gave the Wildcats the momentum they needed down the stretch, as they pulled away through the final ten minutes of the game.
Dell’Orso continued to catch fire and ended up finishing the game with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting. His teammate, guard K.J. Lewis, came off the bench and recorded 12 points alongside him in the contest, as they were the catalysts for Arizona’s offense. The Cats also began to dominate CU in the paint, with forward Tobe Awaka finishing the game with 15 total rebounds. With 1:48 left to play in the game, AU stretched the lead to 17, their largest of the day, and as the final buzzer sounded, Colorado watched their hopes of their first conference win go up in smoke.
With this win, Arizona has now won nine of their last ten games and sits tied for second place in the Big 12 standings. While they struggled with turnovers throughout the game today, they made up for it with great scoring nights from Dell’Orso and Lewis along with excellent rebounding and 19 points off turnovers.
As for CU, they remain in last place in the Big 12 as they prepare for their next game back at home against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Jan. 28, which will tip-off from the CU Events Center at 7:00 PM MT.
Yorumlar