The Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team easily took care of the Cal State Fullerton Titans (0-3), winning 83-53 Wednesday night to move to 3-0.
Of their three games, this is the most complete this team has looked. Colorado ended with 22 assists on 30 made field goals, compared to Fullerton’s four on 18 field goals. The Buffs also out-rebounded the Titans 38 to 28. After CU’s first bucket 15 seconds into the game, they never let go of the lead.
Colorado forward Andrej Jakimovski started off hot, making three of his first four 3-point attempts to score nine of CU’s first 11 points. The forward ended the night going five for eight on 3s, totaling 17 total points to go along with three rebounds and an assist.
“I made my first shot, and then I got an extra boost, but my main focus was on defense, rebounding,” Jakimovski said. “My teammates were creative finding me open, we moved the ball really good this game.”
After Jakimovski’s fast start, the Buffs let Fullerton claw its way back to within three after a 3 and some hard-earned baskets. Once the forward stepped back on the court, he drilled his fourth shot from beyond the arc to extend the Colorado lead. He then made another statement with a tough layup off a CU second-chance possession.
At halftime, the score was 35-29, as Colorado was only up six points. The Buffs decided to make adjustments which helped the defense tighten up for the second half.
The Buffs outscored the Titans 48 to 24 in the latter 20 minutes of play.
The Titans struggled shooting all night, going 2-for-17 from beyond the arc and shooting 18-for-58 on the night compared to CU, who went 12-for-27 on 3s and 30-for-53 on overall shots. Fullerton also struggled with defensive rebounds, only gathering 17 while CU gathered 30.
Fullerton was forced to take a timeout two minutes into the second half after two buckets from starting center Elijah Malone and another 3 from Jakimovski.
After a Fullerton layup, both teams failed to score for over three minutes until Fullerton’s Davis Bynum hit a jumper. Bynum’s jumper was quickly matched by a quick Trevor Baskin layup.
The Titans’ rough stretch did not get any easier, as guard Javon Ruffin started heating up after a long 3 and a tough layup. The guard ended the night with seven points and five assists.
It seemed like everything was going well for Colorado. They were controlling all sides of the ball, which was evident when Baskin had a highlight reel-worthy block, and moments later center Bangot Dak unleashed a 3 which splashed through the net.
Towards the end of the game, freshman Sebastian Rancik started heating up, ending the game with a 3 and a monster slam. Rancik had a breakout game. The forward finished with 11 points, the second-highest on the team.
“He’s a tough kid, the thing I love about him is he wants to be coached,” head coach Tad Boyle said in regards to Rancik. “He's unbelievably gifted offensively. I don't have to worry about talking to Sebastian about his 3-point shot or his ability to run the floor.”
Everyone for Colorado on the floor did their part, as no one had more than 22 minutes played, and the bench scored 39 points, which shows how deep this roster can be. Unsung heroes like forward Assane Diop, who had zero points but led the team in rebounding with eight and guard RJ Smith, who had seven points and four assists, were a major reason why CU dominated this game so heavily.
Though the team played very well, the Buffs continued to have turnover problems, turning the ball over 11 times.
“I still gotta figure out our turnover issues. I mean it's amazing, we find new ways to turnover,” Coach Boyle said. “The turnovers we are having, we can correct, but that's always room for improvement.”
Boyle and his team hope to fix their turnover woes and remain unbeaten when they face the Harvard Crimson (1-3) at home on Sunday. The game will be broadcast at noon M.T. on ESPN+.
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