Bring on the Oregon Ducks.
The Colorado Buffaloes put together a crisp, efficient performance in their nonconference finale Sunday afternoon, putting the defensive clamps down on a cold-shooting Iona team while getting a balanced effort offensively to post a 99-54 win at the CU Events Center.
The victory gives the Buffs an 11-2 mark going into Pac-12 Conference play and sets the stage for a pivotal league opener Thursday night at home against No. 6 Oregon.
Playing for the first time since an emotional win at the overtime buzzer against then-No. 13 Dayton on Dec. 21, and with the showdown against Oregon looming in four days, CU tackled Iona with commendable focus on both ends of the floor.
The victory also was No. 200 for head coach Tad Boyle at CU. In his 10th season at the helm, Boyle is just the second Buffs coach to reach that mark, trailing only all-time wins leader Sox Walseth (261).
“What a feel-good win as we finish nonconference play and go into conference play,” Boyle said. “I don’t think we got Iona’s best shot. They hadn’t played in 12 days and I think there was a little rust on them. Going into this game, I was nervous. They’ve got good players on that team. They’re going to win some games in their league, I really believe, as the season progresses.”
The Buffs shot a season-high .567 overall while going 17-for-28 on 3-pointers, which matches a team record for 3-pointers in a game. CU previously hit 17 3-pointers on Jan. 30, 2005 at home against Oklahoma State. The Buffs also held Iona to a .300 mark, matching the Gaels’ season low.
CU’s 26 assists was the program’s most in a game since the Buffs recorded 27 at home against Cal State Northridge on Dec. 22, 2009. Seven players scored in double-figures for the Buffs, including double-doubles from Evan Battey (12 points, 12 rebounds) and point guard McKinley Wright IV (13 points, 10 assists). D’Shawn Schwartz went 4-for-6 on 3-pointers and led CU with 14 points while matching a career-high with nine rebounds.
It was the first time since a home date against Jackson State on Nov. 13, 2013 that the Buffs have had seven players score in double figures.
“We played really well besides our 15 turnovers,” said Wright, who posed his second consecutive double-double and the seventh of his career. “Other than that, I thought our offense was scoring really well. We moved the ball, shared the ball. Twenty-six assists so yeah, it was clicking at a high level.”
Defensively, Iona missed its first six shots and made only 3 of its first 20, eventually finishing with a 6-for-28 mark on 3-pointers. CU also outrebounded the Gaels 47-24.
In a game that easily could have been overlooked sandwiched between two of the biggest games of the season, the Buffs’ only blemish was their 15 turnovers, and several of those occurred late during bona fide garbage time with the outcome long decided.
“I think it wasn’t a challenge (to stay focused),” Battey said. “We just focused on winning the possession, one possession at a time. Us focusing on that today, we’ll get to Oregon in a couple days.”
FAST BREAK
What went right: Just about everything for the Buffs, who shot a season-high .567 overall while matching a team record by knocking down 17 3-pointers. CU also outrebounded the Gaels 47-24.
What went wrong: Very little. Even the Buffs’ 15 turnovers—still above the curve for a team that has struggled in that department for much of the season—didn’t prove damaging, and that total was padded by several garbage time giveaways.
Star of the game: McKinley Wright IV. CU’s junior point guard went 5-for-7 with 13 points, 10 assists, and only one turnover. It was Wrightap seventh career double-double and his fifth career game with double-digit assists.
Whatap next: One of the biggest games of the season is on deck at the CU Events Center, as No. 6 Oregon visits on Thursday (7 p.m., ESPN2).
COLORADO 99, IONA 54
IONA (2-5): Agee 3-10 3-4 9, Crawford 4-15 4-5 14, Perez 1-2 1-2 4, Washington 3-9 2-2 9, Ross 2-6 2-2 6, van Eyck 1-2 0-0 2, Thiam 1-5 0-0 3, Gist 1-4 0-0 2, Cashaw 0-0 0-0 0, Ristanovic 2-6 0-0 5, Nikolic 0-1 0-0 0, Weiss 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-60 12-15 54.
COLORADO (11-2): Schwartz 4-8 2-2 14, Wright 5-7 0-0 13, Gatling 2-7 2-2 7, Kountz 4-8 1-2 10, Battey 4-7 4-6 12, Bey 4-6 2-2 11, Daniels 3-5 1-2 10, Siewert 4-5 2-2 12, Walton 2-2 0-0 4, Strating 0-0 0-1 0, Parquet 1-1 0-0 3, Dombek 1-3 0-0 3, Ersek 0-0 0-0 0, Martinka 0-0 0-0 0, McQuade 0-0 0-0 0, Ryder 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 34-60 14-21 99.
Halftime – Colorado 35-19. 3-Point Goals_Iona 6-28 (Crawford 2-5, Perez 1-2, Ristanovic 1-4, Thiam 1-4, Washington 1-4, Gist 0-1, van Eyck 0-1, Agee 0-3, Ross 0-4), Colorado 17-28 (Schwartz 4-6, Daniels 3-4, Wright 3-4, Siewert 2-3, Bey 1-1, Parquet 1-1, Dombek 1-2, Kountz 1-2, Gatling 1-4, Battey 0-1). Rebounds – Iona 21 (Agee 8), Colorado 46 (Battey 12). Assists – Iona 8 (Washington 5), Colorado 26 (Wright 10). Total Fouls – Iona 19, Colorado 13.