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Mistakes add up for CU Buffs men's basketball in loss at Washington

pat rooney, daily camera, boulder, colo.
·5 min read

Dec. 5—SEATTLE — The little mistakes are adding up for the Colorado men's basketball team. And they are threatening to derail the Buffaloes' season before the holidays.

It was a familiar refrain for CU on Sunday at Washington, as missed free throws and turnovers played big roles in a 73-63 setback at Alaska Airlines Arena.

It was the Buffs' seventh consecutive loss at UW and ninth in 10 games in Seattle since joining the Pac-12 Conference. It also gave CU its first 0-2 start in league play since the 2018-19 season.

"I said this before the season, and I'll say it again. I knew there would be growing pains with this team," CU head coach Tad Boyle said. "I didn't know to what degree they would be. I didn't know how long they would last. But we're experiencing them right now. Here it is, early December. We experienced them in November when we went to Grambling. We experienced them in Myrtle Beach. We experienced them this week in the first two league games. Every player is going through growing pains."

As was the case during a home loss against Arizona State on Thursday, the Buffs' miscues proved far too plentiful to overcome.

CU shot 6-for-13 at the free throw line, dropping their season percentage to an unsightly .648. After committing 20 turnovers against ASU, the Buffs committed 18 more against the Huskies, giving Washington a 25-17 edge in points off turnovers. UW shot an even 50% from the field, the same percentage Grambling posted last month in CU's only previous true road game.

Late in the first half, the Buffs were called for a lane violation on a missed free throw by UW. The miscue essentially cost CU four points. Not only did the Huskies convert the extra chance but, given an opportunity to set up a press on the inbounds play, UW forced a quick CU turnover and turned it into a 3-pointer from Jamal Bey.

Center Lawson Lovering, who had recorded just one field goal over the previous three games, converted a monster dunk midway through the second half and drew a foul, but he inexplicably celebrated the play by barking in the face of a UW player, drawing a technical foul for taunting which gave the Huskies two extra points. It was Lovering's second taunting technical in six games, as a similar situation against UMass on Nov. 17 against UMass gave the Minutemen an extra point in what turned into a three-point CU loss.

"The lane violations, the missed free throws, it puts so much pressure on your defense," Boyle said. "And our defense wasn't good enough either."

CU trailed 33-26 at halftime and, like the Arizona State game, stumbled out of the gate following the break, as UW opened the second half with a 10-3 run. The Huskies eventually built their lead to 16 points before the Buffs slowly chipped away. CU scored nine consecutive points to start a 14-2 run late in the second half, pulling within 56-54 with 4 minutes, 7 seconds remaining. The Buffs remained within three on a Javon Ruffin 3-pointer with 1:39 to play, but UW posted the next five points and outscored CU 11-4 the rest of the way.

"I just feel like we've got to stop looking up at the clock, looking up at the score, and just keep playing," CU point guard KJ Simpson said. "Then those silly, loose turnovers that we have, the easy shots that we didn't make, the free throws — the little things will all fall if we focus in on those things."

Snapshot: CU Buffs at Washington

Turning point: UW closed the first half on a 15-4 run and added a 10-3 burst to start the second half, forcing the Buffs to play catch-up the rest of the way.

Buff of the game: J'Vonne Hadley. Reinserted into the starting lineup, Hadley went 7-for-10 and scored a team-high 15 points with four rebounds and three steals.

What's next?: The rivalry with Colorado State will be renewed for the first time in three years when the Rams visit the CU Events Center on Thursday (7 p.m., ESPN2).

Washington 73, Colorado 63

Colorado (4-5, 0-2)

da Silva 6-14 1-4 13, Lovering 2-4 0-3 4, Simpson 5-10 1-1 13, Hadley 7-10 1-1 15, Wright 0-4 0-0 0, O'Brien 1-5 2-2 4, Gabbidon 1-2 0-0 2, Clifford 1-4 1-2 4, Hammond III 1-1 0-0 2, Ruffin 2-5 0-0 6. Totals 26-59 6-13 63.

Washington (7-2, 1-1)

Brooks Jr. 6-11 2-2 14, Meah 6-8 4-6 16, Fuller II 3-7 1-1 8, Bey 4-9 2-2 12, Bajema 5-8 3-3 16, Johnson 2-6 2-2 7, Grant 0-1 0-0 0, Menifield 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-52 14-16 73.

Halftime — Washington 33-26. 3-point field goals — Colorado 5-17 (da Silva 0-1, Simpson 2-5, Wright 0-3, O'Brien 0-2, Clifford 1-1, Ruffin 2-5); Washington 7-19 (Brooks Jr. 0-1, Fuller II 1-4, Bey 2-6, Bajema 3-5, Johnson 1-2, Menifield 0-1). Rebounds — Colorado 30 (Clifford 5); Washington 27 (Brooks Jr., Meah 7). Assists — Colorado 14 (Hammond 4); Washington 12 (Brooks Jr., Johnson 4). Total fouls — Colorado 16, Washington 16. A — 7,261.