Snapshot: Oregon State 60, CU Buffs MBB 52
Turning point: Oregon State took control with an 11-0 run midway through the second half, a burst powered by three 3-pointers from freshman Jordan Pope.
Buff of the game: Tristan da Silva. The junior forward was a bright spot for the Buffs, recording his second double-double with 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Da Silva also hit a career-best four 3-pointers.
What’s next?: The Buffs will try to get back on track at home on Thursday against California (8 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
CORVALLIS, Ore.— In an up-and-down season that has seen its share of ugly lows, the Colorado men’s basketball has flailed its way into new depths.
The Buffaloes’ struggles continued on Saturday night at Oregon State, as the Beavers took control in the second half to hand CU a 60-52 defeat at Gill Coliseum.
OSU scored only 42 points in a loss in Boulder on Jan. 7, had lost seven of its previous eight games, and had lost its past three home matchups against CU. None of that mattered on Saturday, as an awful second half by the Buffs sent Colorado to fifth loss in the past six games.
Despite shooting only .350 overall and .306 in the second half, the Buffs still converted three more field goals than the Beavers while connecting on an equal number of 3-pointers. Yet far too many fouls defensively led to a 17-for-22 night for the Beavers at the free throw line.
CU was just 3-for-7 on free throws and fell to 1-8 this season in true road games.
“We’re figuring out ways to lose games,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “Tonight we lost the game at the free throw line. We get outscored 17-3 at the free throw line and we scored three more baskets than Oregon State. Obviously they weren’t fouling and we were fouling. Sometimes that happens on the road. But that free throw discrepancy was a big part of the game.”
The Buffs once again displayed all the familiar offensive shortcomings that are turning this campaign into a lost season. While CU was shooting well in the first half, the Buffs committed 10 of their 13 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, which produced a one-point halftime lead that easily could have been more.
Colorado also once again failed to get significant offensive contributions across its rotation. Forward J’Vonne Hadley turned in a solid game, posting just his second double-digit scoring effort over the past 12 games by going 5-for-5 with 11 points and seven rebounds. And for much of the second half, Tristan da Silva was a one-man show for the Buffs, as he scored all 13 CU points over the final seven minutes.
Da Silva recorded the second double-double of his career with 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, but he had little to no help offensively beyond Hadley. KJ Simpson went 1-for-13 with just four points. Nique Clifford, coming off a career-high 17 points in Thursday’s loss at Oregon, went 2-for-8 with four points. And the bench combo of Luke O’Brien and Julian Hammond III didn’t score at all while going a combined 0-for-7.
“I feel like we’ve got to make sure we share the ball and trust each other, and make plays for each other,” da Silva said. “That starts in practice. We’ve just got to get back to work on Monday.”
The Beavers took control with an 11-0 run midway through the second half, a burst sparked by freshman Jordan Pope, who hit three of his five second-half 3-pointers during the run. A da Silva bucket inside with 3:28 remaining kept CU within 53-49, but a da Silva 3-pointer in the final minute proved to be the Buffs’ only points the rest of the way.
Da Silva (4-for-8) and reserve guard Ethan Wright (2-for-2) went a combined 6-for-10 on 3-pointers, but the rest of CU’s team was just 1-for-14.
“We’re not playing very smart basketball right now. We’re just not,” Boyle said. “There’s only one person to blame, and that’s the head coach. Body language is an issue with this team when things don’t go well. That’s lack of toughness. That’s lack of mental toughness. That’s lack of leadership. The only way to fight through that stuff is to regroup mentally.”
Oregon St. 60, Colorado 52
COLORADO (12-11, 4-8 Pac-12)
da Silva 9-21 0-0 22, Lovering 2-3 0-1 4, Clifford 2-8 0-0 5, Hadley 5-5 1-3 11, Simpson 1-13 2-3 4, Hammond 0-4 0-0 0, O’Brien 0-3 0-0 0, E.Wright 2-2 0-0 6, Gabbidon 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-60 3-7 52.
OREGON ST. (9-13, 3-8 Pac-12)
Andela 3-3 0-0 6, Bilodeau 1-2 0-0 2, Taylor 4-14 6-8 14, Akanno 0-4 5-6 5, Pope 7-15 0-0 19, Rataj 1-3 2-4 5, Ibekwe 1-2 2-2 4, Krass 1-3 2-2 5, C.Wright 0-1 0-0 0, Ryuny 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-47 17-22 60.
Halftime — Colorado 26-25. 3-point field goals — Colorado 7-24 (da Silva 4-8, E.Wright 2-2, Clifford 1-5, Hammond 0-2, O’Brien 0-3, Simpson 0-4), Oregon St. 7-18 (Pope 5-10, Krass 1-1, Rataj 1-1, Bilodeau 0-1, C.Wright 0-1, Akanno 0-2, Taylor 0-2). Rebounds — Colorado 37 (da Silva 15), Oregon St. 36 (Taylor 12). Assists — Colorado 10 (da Silva, Clifford, Hadley, Simpson 2), Oregon St. 10 (Taylor 4). Total fouls — Colorado 18, Oregon St. 13. A — 3,789.
