BOULDER, Colo.—Misfiring from the field, Colorado made up for its lack of shooting accuracy the only way it could, hustling for loose balls, fighting for rebounds and nailing free throws.
The surge in intensity helped the Buffaloes come back from a 12-point deficit in the second half to beat Oklahoma State 75-71 for their seventh straight win.
Cory Higgins led the way for Colorado (14-4, 3-0 Big 12) with 23 points. Alec Burks had 20 points, including four free throws in the final 10.8 seconds, and Marcus Relphorde added 14 points.
Burks also had a career-high 11 rebounds and Higgins made all 10 his free throws to boost his career total to 487, surpassing Donnie Boyce (480) for the school record.
“We just had to get back to defending and try to get some easy buckets,” Higgins said.
Oklahoma State (13-4, 1-2) got 21 points from Jean-Paul Olukemi, Keiton Page had 19 points and Marshall Moses for 14. The Cowboys also outshot the Buffaloes from the field 47.3 percent to 37.5 percent. But Colorado wound up making 34-of-39 free throws to the Cowboys’ 11-for-19 performance and outrebounded Oklahoma State 39-24.
“You are not going to win a game when one team shoots 39 free throws and one shoots 14,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. “It’s just like banging your head against the wall. We were playing well offensively, getting whatever we wanted offensively, and executing, but just fouling, fouling on the other end.”
Colorado, playing before its first home sellout crowd of the season, improved to 11-0 at in Boulder this season. The Buffaloes are off to a 3-0 start in conference play for the first time since 1996-97, when they opened 6-0 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
“We were getting outhustled. We were getting out-toughed,” said Colorado coach Tad Boyle, who lectured his team during a huddle after falling behind 54-42 with 16:09 remaining. “I thought they were getting the long rebounds and the loose balls. If we lose a game because we can’t make shots, and they play better than us, that’s one thing. But when you’re getting outhustled and out-toughed on your home floor, that’s not acceptable. Our guys, to their credit, turned it around and got those hustle plays.”
Levi Knutson, who missed his first four shots from 3-point range, finally connected from beyond the arc with 8:10 left, and the Buffaloes, down by 12 early in the second half, pulled to within 58-56.
Burks made two free throws to tie it a minute later, and Austin Dufault’s reverse layup put Colorado back in front 60-58 with 5:56 remaining. The Cowboys got to within a point in the final minutes but no closer.
The Cowboys went on a 16-8 run to start the second half, stretching a four-point halftime lead to a 12-point bulge.
But Higgins got hot to help Colorado get back in the game, rattling in a 3-pointer from the baseline to start a 9-2 burst that pulled the Buffaloes to within 56-51 with 12:13 remaining.
“Our guys didn’t respond real well in the first half, but we battled” Boyle said. “To get out of here with a win is a testament to our players. When you shoot 37 percent from the field and win a basketball game in this league, you’re doing some things right. The key was our rebounding, and we got stops when we had to get stops.”
Colorado shot a season-low 25.9 percent from the field (7 for 27) in the first half but converted 17-of-18 free throws in that span to keep it close. Oklahoma State went into the break up 38-34.
A 3-pointer by Higgins with 6:45 left in the opening period gave the Buffaloes a 29-27 lead, but they didn’t make another field goal in the half.
