PULLMAN, Wash. – Trying to get their second season sweep in a row, the Colorado Buffaloes came up short against the Washington State Cougars as Myles Rice and Jaylen Wells combined for 34 points.
The Colorado offense sputtered in the 78-69 loss as Washington State held them to their third game shooting under 40% from the field this season. The other two were losses to Florida State and then-No.10 Arizona.
Still, the Buffs found themselves in the game with quick scoring runs and 3-point shooting. Each time the black and gold could taste a lead, they seemed to bite their own tongue. With clutch free throw misses, timely turnovers, and botched opportunities, the Cougars took advantage of a sloppy showing by the Buffs.
It wouldn’t have been without Washington State’s continued defensive presence, as Colorado shot 38.6% from the field. J’Vonne Hadley scored just two points a few days after posting a career-high 24 points against Washington while Cody Williams was held to zero field goals for the first time this season, his lowest-scoring game since November 20. KJ Simpson and Eddie Lampkin, who used their chemistry against the Cougars in the first showing, were forced into seven combined turnovers.
Simpson still scored 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but the Cougars’ ability to limit the drive and transition opportunities for the Buffs was too much for them to handle. WSU only turned the ball over five times as the Buffs’ half-court offense stalled most of the contest. Colorado was held to just six assists, tying their season-low from their November loss against then-No. 20 Colorado State.
On defense, the Buffs found few answers as WSU’s Rice and Wells led the scoring charge after performing poorly in Boulder. Isaac Jones, the Cougars’ leading scorer on the season (15.8 points per game), came up in big moments as he contributed 13 points and helped clean up the glass with 11 of Washington State’s 40 rebounds. Jones’ impact on the boards led the Cougars to a five-rebound advantage over the Buffs.
Colorado trailed the whole game following an early 4-1 lead as Wells and Andrej Jakimovski led a 9-0 run with a trio of 3’s. Jakimovski faltered in the second half but his first half showing was certainly felt as he banked in a 3 later in the half and added five rebounds and four assists.
The Buffs came to tie the game at 22 each with four minutes and 31 seconds left in the half, but Jones, who had been held scoreless up to this point, rose up with two hands for an emphatic, momentum-shifting slam. The dunk sparked a 7-0 run as the Cougars took a 36-30 lead into the half.
Coming out of the break, Washington State picked up right where they left off as they extended the lead to 10 behind good drives and tough shot-making. The Beasley Coliseum erupted as freshman Reuben Chinyelu rejected a Williams’ poster attempt, followed by a tip-slam by Jones in the same sequence.
Not seeming to falter despite the deficit, the Buffs closed in behind 3s from Julian Hammond III and Simpson. With the lead cut to four, a four-point stretch from Wells, including a high-flying dunk of his own, stretched the lead back to double digits yet again with just under 10 minutes left.
As the Cougars looked to close out the game, the Buffs gave one last effort. Behind a string of stops and good whistles, Simpson was able to line up a 3 to cut the lead to three. As Rice fired back with free throws, Lampkin answered with a smooth spin, for an and-one layup and a chance to make it a 67-65 WSU lead with 1:33 left.
Unfortunately for CU, the big man would miss short as Rice added back-to-back layups in the following minute to seal the victory for the Cougars.
The loss, featuring many lapses and an overall handling of the Buffs by Washington State in nearly every category led to CU’s fourth loss of Pac-12 play, all of which coming on the road.
The Buffs now have a week off before heading to Utah for another Saturday, 3 p.m. MT matchup against the Utes. The afternoon affair comes with added importance after CU’s loss to WSU further hurts their dwindling chances at making March Madness.
Cover photo by @CUBuffsMBB/X
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