TUCSON, Ariz. — Colorado's offense went cold in the second half Monday as the Buffaloes dropped an 88-74 decision to Arizona in their Pac-12 opener.
CU fell to 6-2 overall (0-1 Pac-12) while Arizona improved to 7-1, 1-1.
Tad Boyle's Buffs led, 44-42, with just two minutes left in the first half, only to see the Wildcats close with an 8-0 run for a 50-44 halftime lead. CU cut the deficit back to three early in the second half before Arizona used a 10-2 run to take control and the Buffs could never climb back into striking range.
Evan Battey led the Buffs with 18 points — 14 in the first half — and Maddox Daniels added 12, all on 3-pointers. McKinley Wright IV had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists while Jeriah Horne grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
James Akinjo led UA with 22 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED: After a see-saw first 18 minutes that featured 13 lead changes, Colorado held a 44-42 lead following a Maddox Daniels 3-pointer with 2:09 left in the half.
But the Buffs then went scoreless down the stretch — including missing the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity — while the Wildcats scored the final eight points of the half for a 50-44 halftime edge. The UA run included six points in the final 35 seconds, with James Akinjo hitting a running 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Buffs did manage to cut the deficit back to three early in the second half after D'Shawn Schwartz's second 3-pointer of the half pulled CU to within 53-50. But the Wildcats answered with a 10-2 run to take control and the Buffs were never able to pull closer than nine again.
The Buffs were hurt by foul troubles in the second half, with Battey — who had 14 points in the first half — drawing his second and third fouls early in the period, then getting whistled for his fourth midway through the half.
The Buffs also shot barely 30 percent from the floor in the second half after knocking down 51.6 percent of their shots in the first 20 minutes.
Colorado took a 13-10 six minutes in after the Buffs converted four offensive rebounds into nine points. UA rallied midway through the half with a 9-3 run to take a 37-32 lead before the Buffs answered with their own 9-3 surge after a timeout to regain the lead, 41-40.
TURNING POINT: Arizona's 8-0 run over the final two minutes of the first half — including six points in the final 35 seconds — turned momentum in UA's favor and the Buffs never recovered.
NEXT UP: The Buffs continue their three-game road trip with a Thursday stop at USC (7 p.m., ESPN2) before wrapping it up Saturday in a 6 p.m game at UCLA.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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Buffs Fall To Wildcats In Pac-12 Opener - University of Colorado Athletics - CUBuffs.com
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