Boulder – About the only thing Colorado didn’t do Thursday night in its 117-74 victory waltz over outmanned Mercer was help Richard Roby’s scoring average.
But the Coors Events Center blowout sure did wonders for CU’s walk-ons, who might not see as much action in a normal practice. Kyle Carder led the charge of the backup brigade with 13 points. A 6-foot-4 freshman guard from Joplin, Mo., Carder had played in only one game for a total of four minutes. This time he got to work up a sweat in 16 minutes and made the most of it.
“The guys made me feel relaxed,” said Carder, who said he turned down offers from Division II schools because he always liked CU. “I didn’t feel like I had to prove anything.”
Carder canned 3-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc and helped CU reach the century mark for the first time since a 107-74 win over Stetson on Nov. 24, 2002.
“(Carder) is really an intriguing young man,” CU coach Ricardo Patton said. “I think before he’s done he’s going to be a real player for us because he can shoot the basketball.”
Colorado, 8-1 to start a season for the first time since 1979, tried its best to not run up the score. Roby logged only 11 minutes, none after the starting lineup sat down with 16 minutes left.
The sophomore sharpshooter finished with eight points, 10 below his season average.
There was no need to risk an injury to a regular, because even CU’s nonscholarship players were too much for the visiting Bears. The lineup that finished off a 65-29 first-half frolic included four walk-ons and 6-9 center Julius Ashby, who played in his first game of the season after becoming academically eligible a day earlier.
Ashby scored six points and grabbed five rebounds in 11 minutes. “I felt I was a step slow,” he said. “I’m going to be doing a lot of running.”
When coaches talk about emptying their bench it usually means putting in a couple of gym rats for a mop-up minute or two at the end of a game. CU’s Patton really did empty his. All 17 players on the Buffs’ roster, including four walk-ons, got in the first-half boxscore.
“Every kid in your program deserves an opportunity like this at some point,” Patton said. “They don’t come often. But when they do, you owe it to the kids. They work hard in practice like everybody else.”
Still, CU matched its sixth highest point total ever. Yes, Mercer is a Division I program. In fact, six or seven conferences typically are rated below the Atlantic Sun. But Mercer (1-5) lacked the size and quickness to stick with Buffs.
Mercer could have used Wesley Duke, the Broncos’ rookie tight end who played basketball for the Bears from 1999 through last season. At 6-feet-5, Duke set a school record with 173 career blocked shots and participated in a national slam dunk contest during the 2005 Final Four.
Colorado extended its nonconference home winning streak to 14 games. Up next is a 1 p.m. New Year’s Eve date against Dartmouth.
MERCER (1-5)
Aaron 1-6 0-0 3, Pfohl 5-8 2-4 12, Emerson 3-12 5-5 12, Waters 4-8 0-1 8, J. Skogen 0-5 0-0 0, Hammonds 0-0 0-0 0, Brown 6-12 0-0 14, Pervan 3-5 0-0 7, Alacqua 2-6 0-0 6, Slonaker 1-2 0-0 2, Martin 0-1 0-0 0, Dolan 1-4 0-0 2, C. Skogen 3-6 0-0 8. Totals 29-75 7-10 74.
COLORADO (8-1)
Copeland 4-4 0-0 9, Osborn 3-3 0-0 8, Obazuaye 9-11 1-4 19, Hall 3-5 0-0 6, Roby 3-4 0-0 8, Eddy 2-3 0-0 5, Boidock 1-2 0-0 2, Carder 5-6 0-0 13, Senger 3-4 2-2 8, Coleman 2-4 1-2 6, Freeman 4-7 2-4 12, Williams 1-6 0-0 2, Arrington 4-6 0-1 8, King-Stockton 0-2 0-0 0, Ashby 2-5 2-2 6, Perkowski 1-1 2-2 4, McGee 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 47-75 11-19 117.
Halftime – Colorado 65-29. 3-point goals – Mercer 9-20 (C. Skogen 2-3, Alacqua 2-4, Brown 2-4, Pervan 1-1, Aaron 1-2, Emerson 1-3, J. Skogen 0-1, Martin 0-1, Waters 0-1), Colorado 12-19 (Carder 3-4, Osborn 2-2, Freeman 2-2, Roby 2-2, Copeland 1-1, Eddy 1-2, Coleman 1-2, McGee 0-1, Obazuaye 0-1, Hall 0-2). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – Mercer 34 (Pfohl 6), Colorado 47 (Copeland 7). Assists – Mercer 13 (Alacqua, Hammonds, C. Skogen 2), Colorado 29 (McGee 6). Total fouls – Mercer 18, Colorado 13. A – 2,010.
Staff writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
