BOULDER, Colo.—After a nine-day break between games, Colorado came out ready to play.
Cory Higgins scored 17 points and Dwight Thorne II added 12 as Colorado routed Prairie View 72-47 Friday night in the first meeting between the schools.
“You beat up on yourselves in practice for so long, it is good to play someone else,” said the only senior on Colorado’s roster, Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, who chipped in eight points and seven rebounds. “It is good to get that competitive edge back.”
That was evident from the outset, with Colorado opening a 43-18 halftime lead.
“Coming off a nine-day layoff, with final exams, spotty practice times and locations and players coming in and out of practice with study sessions and tutor sessions, I was very pleased with the way we came out of the gate,” Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik said.
Prairie View had difficulty dealing with a fresh Colorado squad. The Panthers were missing four players due to injuries and eligibility issues, and were playing the fourth in a string of five consecutive road games that started Dec. 2.
“We had a lot of stuff going on,” said Prairie View coach Byron Rimm II. “We only had nine guys tonight, and a lot of them were thinking about Christmas break. I think fatigue played a role.”
No one scored in double figures for Prairie View (3-8), which was led by Christopher Jones’ nine points. It was the first time Colorado had held an opponent without a double-digit scorer since Dec. 27, 1999, against Villanova.
The Buffaloes (5-3) seized control early with an assist from Higgins, who scored 15 of his points in the first half.
Even with liberal substitutions—11 Colorado players scored—there was no letup in the second half. Thorne got it started for Colorado by draining a 3-pointer, and the Buffaloes led by as many as 32 points while out-shooting Prairie View 50.9 percent to 31.9 percent from the field.
Bzdelik said the fact that Prairie View was undermanned didn’t diminish the experience his young team gained.
“You have a team as young as we are, with one senior and one junior, players need playing time,” he said. “Getting out there in front of people and playing is the way you gain experience. It’s important for guys to get that opportunity.”
