BOULDER — Before Colorado looked ahead to the Pac-12 opener, the Buffs aced their final nonconference exam with some Big Seven defense.
Twelve CU players scored Wednesday during a 92-34 smothering of New Orleans at the Coors Events Center.
The crowd of 5,277 witnessed coach Tad Boyle’s team hold an opponent to the fewest points CU had allowed since Frosty Cox’s Buffs beat Kansas 42-30 on Jan. 17, 1949.
“How did they get 34?” Boyle joked after the Buffs improved to 8-4 entering Saturday’s conference opener against Utah. “We finally put two halves together. Better late than never. Hopefully, we can use this as a springboard as we head into conference play because it’s a whole new season.”
The inconsistent Buffs, who led Texas Southern by as many as 23 points in the first half last Thursday before escaping with a 56-51 victory over the one-win SWAC team, dominated from the opening possession to the last basket of garbage time.
Senior guard Carlon Brown set the tone with seven quick points to stake CU to a 13-2 lead at the first media timeout. A 12-0 run capped with a steal and layup by freshman guard Askia Booker, the team’s key sixth man who missed the previous game because of the flu, made the score 25-7 with 11:18 remaining in the first half.
“(Tuesday), I wasn’t feeling that well and I was still very up and down,” Booker said. “I couldn’t leave my team out there any longer without playing. There won’t be any more sitting out for me.”
The Buffs had a 51-20 lead at halftime after shooting 53.3 percent from the field, going 17-for-18 (94.4 percent) at the line and outrebounding the under-sized visitors 26-10.
CU outscored the Privateers 29-7 to begin the second half and led 80-27 after a layup by Sabatino Chen with 7:23 remaining.
NEW ORLEANS (9-6)
Wertz 1-2 0-0 2, Cook 2-6 2-2 6, Knight 1-4 0-0 3, Williams 1-6 0-0 3, Holmes 0-4 0-0 0, Nelson 2-10 1-2 7, Varmall 2-6 3-3 7, Banchy 0-1 0-0 0, Costanza 0-0 0-0 0, Harmon 1-5 0-0 2, Barnes 1-5 0-2 2, Canady 0-4 0-0 0, Lafont 1-2 0-0 2, James 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 12-56 6-9 34.
COLORADO (8-4)
Roberson 4-10 4-6 12, Dufault 5-9 4-4 14, Tomlinson 0-1 0-0 0, Dinwiddie 3-5 6-6 12, Brown 7-10 3-4 18, Booker 5-11 2-2 13, Sharpe 0-1 2-2 2, Webb 1-1 0-0 3, Harris-Tunks 1-1 0-0 2, Chen 2-2 2-2 6, Adams 2-4 0-0 5, Mills 1-1 0-0 2, Eckloff 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 32-58 23-26 92.
Halftime — Colorado 51-20. 3-point goals — New Orleans 4-20 (Nelson 2-5, Knight 1-1, Williams 1-5, Varmall 0-1, Holmes 0-1, Lafont 0-1, Canady 0-3, Harmon 0-3), Colorado 5-14 (Webb 1-1, Eckloff 1-1, Brown 1-2, Adams 1-3, Booker 1-3, Roberson 0-1, Dinwiddie 0-1, Dufault 0-1, Tomlinson 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — New Orleans 18 (Cook, Knight, Nelson, Varmall, Wertz, Williams 2), Colorado 53 (Roberson 12). Assists — New Orleans 6 (Varmall, Williams 2), Colorado 18 (Dinwiddie 6). Total fouls — New Orleans 15, Colorado 10. A — 5,277.
