Colorado University Athletics
White Produces Down Stretch In Buffs' Win Over Ducks
January 28, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — It's an old adage, but it still rings true: players make plays.
Derrick White made plays for the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday. In particular, the senior guard made plays when it mattered most — and the result was a 75-65 Colorado win over No. 10 Oregon.
White finished with 23 points — 17 in the second half — along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals. He also played a big hand in CU's defense making life miserable for the Ducks' offense all night long.
"Players make plays down the stretch," head coach Tad Boyle said. "In the Xavier game that we won here back in December, Derrick White made plays. He made big time plays down the stretch tonight. I can't say enough about what he brings to this team. (But) tonight was a complete team effort and he got a lot of help tonight. There's been nights when Derrick hasn't gotten help, but everybody was dialed in."
The Buffs were indeed dialed in from the beginning and they maintained that effort for the rest of the night. CU led for much of the game, and while the Ducks never let Colorado pull away for a comfortable lead, the Buffs never flinched under pressure.
"It's a great feeling," White said. "It was a team effort all the way. We all made big plays and we all guarded. That's the main reason we won this game. That's the main reason you come to Colorado in the first place, to win on your home court."
Coming into the game, White had hit just two of his last 16 3-point tries. But he was 3-for-4 against the Ducks, including back-to-back treys that gave CU a six-point edge seven minutes into the second half.
He came up big again later in the half, sparking a 13-1 run that gave Colorado a 12-point lead, 64-52, with just 3:11 remaining. White hit another 3-pointer in the run, added a conventional three-point play and then dished an assist to George King that produced another three-point play. He closed the run with a pair of free throws and, after Oregon closed the gap to four, had three more points and a deflection that led to a steal in the final 1:48 as CU put the game away.
"Derrick was great tonight," King said. "He made plays down the stretch, made some clutch shots. He got a lot of deflections and key plays. A lot of stuff that he did that was great doesn't show up on the stat sheet. I'm not sure if we could have won that game without him tonight."
King also had an outstanding game, hitting two 3-pointers early that set the tone for the game and finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds.
White, while obviously enjoying the win, was already looking ahead. With a modest two-game win streak in hand, the Buffs hit the road next week for a pair of games in the Bay Area. They play at Stanford on Thursday and Cal on Sunday.
"It's a confidence booster for sure," White said. "(But) we know that any team in the Pac-12 can beat us but we also just showed that we can beat any team in the Pac-12. We have to bring it every night and can't get too high here. We have to get back to work and plan for Cal and Stanford."
SIEWERT STANDS OUT: CU's freshman Lucas Siewert had his second straight nice effort, finishing with five points, a pair of rebounds and an assist. Siewert, who had three points and five rebounds in Thursday's win over Oregon State, also had a couple of key "hustle plays" that provided Colorado with possession of the ball.
BUFFS NOTES: Xavier Johnson is now 15th on CU's all-time scoring list, as he moved past David Harrison on Saturday. Johnson's 10 points give him 1,320 for his career. He is also 17th in rebounding (649). … King has made at least two 3-pointers in CU's last seven games. He is 19-for-36 from behind the arc in that span. … Wesley Gordon (8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal) is now tied for fifth on CU's all-time list in career starts (112). … White's four steals were a personal best and also best by a Buff this season. ... And finally, while Colorado's win was no doubt considered an upset, at least one person in the Events Center saw it coming: Jake Johnson, son of KOA's voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson, predicted a Buffs victory before the game.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
