Colorado aims for a season sweep of Oregon State when the teams continue Pac-12 play on Saturday at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore.
Colorado (12-10, 4-7 Pac-12) has won six of the last seven meetings, including a 62-42 victory on Jan. 7. Tristan da Silva had 17 points to lead the Buffaloes, who held Oregon State to 34 percent shooting.
Oregon State’s shooting woes were on display again on Thursday, when Utah rolled to a 63-44 victory after limiting the Beavers to 34 percent shooting from the field and 2 of 18 (11 percent) from 3-point range.
The Beavers (8-13, 2-8) are starting three freshmen, including forwards Michael Rataj and Tyler Bilodeau. The team’s inexperience was exploited by a veteran Utah squad that cruised to a 32-16 halftime lead.
“You’ve got to give them credit defensively, but we missed a lot of open ones that we normally make, and at the rim,” Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. “(Utah is) a very mature, physical and experienced team. They obviously exposed some of our weaknesses.”
Reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week Jordan Pope is averaging 12.3 points to lead the Beavers, who have lost seven of their last eight.
Sophomore guard KJ Simpson leads Colorado at 16.9 points per game, followed by da Silva (15.7 ppg). The Buffaloes have struggled away from Boulder this season with just one win in its first seven true road games.
The Buffaloes snapped a three-game skid with a win over Washington State last Sunday but weren’t able to carry the momentum into Thursday’s matchup against Oregon.
Colorado forced 18 turnovers but shot 37 percent in the 75-69 loss to the Ducks. da Silva scored 23 points and Nique Clifford added a career-high 17.
“Our guys battled their tails off,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “When you shoot 37 percent and they shoot 49 percent and you’re still in the game, it shows our fight, our competitiveness and our grit. All you can ask us is that they give you everything they’ve got and I felt like they did — but we didn’t finish.”
–Field Level Media
