BOULDER, Colo.—Colorado showed that a little time off can be a big help.
Alec Burks scored 19 points and Corey Higgins had 18 to lead the Buffaloes to a 89-61 victory over The Citadel on Friday night.
Freshman Andre Roberson had 11 points and 10 rebounds and Levi Knutson scored 11 for the Buffaloes (6-3), who were playing for the first time since Dec. 8.
“It was good to get back on the court,” Higgins said. “I knew we were going to be ready to play. It was going to come down to execution.”
It was Colorado’s 18th straight non-conference home win dating back to the 2008-09 season.
“When you win by 28 at home, you should be pretty pleased, but I think we have a lot of room for improvement,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said.
Roberson’s double-double was the first of his career.
“That’s one of the main areas I’m trying to improve, especially at the college level,” Roberson said of his rebounding. “I just have to keep working hard, keep pushing.”
Mike Groselle had 22 points to lead the Bulldogs (3-6), who were playing their first game since beating St. Mary’s (Md.) College on Dec. 6.
Higgins hit two 3-pointers to start the game as Colorado took an early 11-2 lead.
After a timeout, The Citadel scored five quick points to make it 12-7, but that’s as close as it got.
Austin Dufault’s three-point play with 3:32 left in the half gave Colorado a 41-22 lead, but The Citadel scored the last six points of the half to cut the lead to 13.
Any hope for a comeback for the Bulldogs ended early in the second half. Higgins hit a layup and nailed a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Buffaloes a 46-28 lead and forced The Citadel to call a timeout with 18:59 left.
Higgins, Colorado’s second-leading scorer, looked fresh after the eight-day layoff.
“I think the break really helped him,” Boyle said. “He probably needed it more than or other guys. He had some nicks and bumps that he had taken the first part of the season and had some time to get healthy.”
Knutson’s jumper midway through the second half gave Colorado a 65-41 lead.
“That’s one of the areas we’re trying grow in, not letting teams get back into the game,” Higgins said. “Keeping our foot on the gas and maintaining our lead throughout the game.”
It was a disappointing start to a tough stretch for the Bulldogs. Including Friday’s game, The Citadel plays nine of 11 contests on the road and won’t have back-to-back home dates until seven games into the Southern Conference schedule.
