AUSTIN, Texas — For 20 minutes, the Colorado Buffaloes played like a team determined to break a mark that has been a program blemish for more than a decade.
The first half of Saturday’s game against No. 19 Texas was what CU coach Jeff Bzdelik hoped his team could be when he took on the rebuilding job. Then the second half came and, in only a few minutes, everything the Buffs had built was obliterated.
CU’s 69-67 loss to the Longhorns left the Buffs feeling frustrated over what could have been. The Buffs, who have lost 31 straight road games against ranked opponents stretching back to the Big 12’s inaugural season in 1996-97, went on the road in front of a Frank Erwin Center crowd of 16,755 and, for the most part, played with poise and confidence and were more than an equal match for the Longhorns. When the Buffs faltered, though, they fell apart.
“We had opportunities at the line and at the rim,” Bzdelik said. “We never cashed in. We couldn’t rebound the ball and we missed some opportunities. We knew they were going to make a run, but we can’t let them have that kind of run. We need to pick ourselves up and continue to get better.”
That run was the Buffs’ undoing. CU (9-8, 1-2 Big 12) extended a halftime lead to 41-28 on Richard Roby’s layup with 19:02 left. But Roby, the Buffs’ leading scorer, picked up his third foul away from the ball on an inbound play and had to sit with 18:51 left. Texas guard A.J. Abrams then made a 3-pointer to start a 24-2 run that ended with the Longhorns leading 52-43.
CU had burned Texas for seven 3-pointers in the first half, a season high. The Longhorns responded by increasing the pressure on the Buffs’ perimeter, including putting on a full-court trap that helped keep CU from making another shot beyond the 3-point line the rest of the game. Once Texas (14-3, 1-1) took the momentum, CU could not get it back. The Buffs missed eight consecutive shots and four straight free throws and used their final timeout with 11:28 left to keep the pressure on themselves. Abrams scored 12 of his 17 points during the Longhorns’ decisive run.
“I guess we came out too sluggish,” CU’s Marcus Hall said. “They were doing the same thing they had been doing all game. I think we got a little impatient on offense and, again, we didn’t get stopped. We just didn’t find guys on transition.”
Once the Buffs found their footing, they were stuck playing catchup. Hall’s layup with 1:33 left closed the gap to 69-65. On the ensuing possession, CU played sound defense and forced Texas star D.J. Augustin, who scored a game-high 25 points, to force a shot as the shot clock wound down. The Buffs had chances to snag the rebound but Texas’ Connor Atchley ended up with the ball, giving the Longhorns a chance to run more clock. CU didn’t get the ball again until only 18 seconds remained. Roby closed out the scoring with a tip-in as the final buzzer sounded.
COLORADO (9-8, 1-2)
King-Stockton 1-3 0-2 2, Hall 4-10 0-0 10, Higgins 2-4 2-2 8, Silas 5-13 5-5 15, Roby 8-13 1-3 18, Thorne II 2-5 2-2 8, Knutson 1-3 2-2 4, Jackson-Wilson 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 24-54 12-16 67.
TEXAS (14-3, 1-1)
Johnson 1-4 0-0 2, James 3-8 0-0 6, Atchley 6-7 1-1 15, Abrams 6-19 1-1 17, Augustin 8-16 7-11 25, Lewis 0-0 0-0 0, Wangmene 0-2 0-1 0, Mooney 0-0 0-0 0, Mason 1-5 0-0 2, Pittman 0-1 0-1 0, Chapman 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 26-64 9-15 69.
Halftime — Colorado 37-28. 3-point goals —Colorado 7-20 (Thorne II 2-3, Higgins 2-4, Hall 2-4, Roby 1-3, Knutson 0-1, Silas 0-5); Texas 8-24 (Abrams 4-14, Atchley 2-3, Augustin 2-5, Mason 0-2). Fouled out —None. Rebounds — Colorado 34 (Higgins 8), Texas 35 (James 8). Assists — Colorado 11 (Higgins 3), Texas 9 (Augustin 5). Total fouls —Colorado 19, Texas 18. A — 16,755.
