BOULDER — Colorado coach Tad Boyle has implored his team, even as it has seen many goals it had set for this season float further out of view, to embrace fleeting opportunities.
A last-of-its-kind stage presented itself for the Buffaloes seniors Saturday night: a home game against a top-10 team.
and the Buffs got the message.
The senior point guard scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half to lead CU to a 74-65 upset of No. 10 Oregon, giving the Buffs their biggest highlight in a perplexing season that included seven consecutive losses to open Pac-12 play.
White hit one big shot after another down the stretch, helping CU win its second straight game. The Buffs also snapped a 17-game winning streak by the Ducks, who have never won at Coors Events Center in seven trips.
“If these guys dial in, they can play with anyone in this league,” CU coach Tad Boyle said. “There’s a lot of basketball left. That’s a heck of a team we beat. That’s not just a top-10 team. That’s a legit top-10 team.”
CU improved to 12-10 and 2-7 in the Pac-12. Oregon fell to 19-3 and 8-1.
White left his Division II school in Colorado Springs after his junior season because he wanted to test himself against the country’s best teams at the highest level.
On Saturday he wrote his signature performance.
“These are the kind of games why you come to Colorado in the first place,” said White, who had five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
White began cooking midway through the second half. The 6-foot-5 guard nailed back-to-back 3-pointers from the top of the key to give CU a 45-39 lead with 13:15 left in the game. Each time Oregon fought back, White had an answer. He hit a 3-pointer, finished a three-point play after being fouled on a tough layup and found with a beautiful pass that led to another three-point play and a 62-52 CU lead.
Oregon closed to within four late, but CU held on. The Buffs put together their best defensive performance of the season, limiting Oregon to 38.6 percent shooting from the field.
“We really guarded tonight and that’s why we won tonight,” White said.
The Buffs showed energy from the start.
In a span of 68 seconds early in the first half, CU hit 3-pointers on four straight possessions to take a 14-5 lead. , and George King (two) all hit long-range shots during that stretch.
“That was huge,” King said. “I don’t think Oregon was expecting that.”
BOXSCORE:
The Buffs hit just one of their next seven 3-point attempts in the first half, but the quick flurry ignited a Coors Events Center crowd. CU rode the energy to a 35-34 halftime lead with the help of freshman , who scored five quick points midway through the period to quell a brief Oregon run.
King finished with 13 points for CU, which won its third game of the season over a ranked opponent.
“This could be how we right the ship,” King said.