Colorado
13-10,3-7Pac-12
Stanford
11-11,3-7Pac-12
Buffs Get Victory At Stanford For Third Straight Win
February 02, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
STANFORD, Calif. — At this point of the season, style points don't matter.
The Colorado Buffaloes played some solid defense in the second half Thursday and overcame a season-high 23 turnovers to collect an 81-74 win at Stanford, ending a 10-game road losing streak in Pac-12 play in the process.
The win, Colorado's third in a row, improved the Buffs to 13-10 overall and 3-7 in Pac-12 play while Stanford dropped to 11-11, 3-7.
CU senior Derrick White had an outstanding all-around game, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and a pair of steals.
"He's so important to us," head coach Tad Boyle said. "He just makes winning basketball plays. He knows how to play. You can't teach the things he does."
Xavier Johnson also had 19 points for CU to go along with five rebounds and three assists. CU's bench contributed 33 points to the win, including 13 from freshman Bryce Peters and 10 from Tory Miller, who also had seven rebounds.
"We overcame a lot to get this road victory," Boyle said. "Our guys played with great toughness and great determination and we overcame 23 turnovers on the road. That's really hard to do."
HOW IT HAPPENED: After taking a 10-point lead into the locker room at intermission, the Buffs saw Stanford cut that margin to four eight minutes into the half before a 13-2 CU run put Colorado in control for good.
"They cut it to four and we bowed our back, much like we did against Oregon State at home when they cut it to two," Boyle said. "This team is coming, they're starting to believe in each other a little bit."
Peters (13 points) fueled the run with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and White also had a 3-pointer in the burst to give CU a 66-51 edge with just under eight minutes to play. The Buffs still led by 15 with six minutes to go, and while the Cardinal managed to whittle the edge down to single digits, they never got closer than seven in the final minutes.
The Buffs earned the win despite a scoreless night from junior George King and just two points from big man Wesley Gordon.
"We had other guys step up, there's no doubt," Boyle said. "Our bench was MVP of this game. They came in and gave us great minutes. … We won this thing without some of our key guys having great nights. That's another good sign."
Had the Buffs taken care of the ball a little better, the game likely never would have been close. CU's 23 turnovers led to 23 Stanford points.
"Just silly stuff," Boyle said. "This time of year you can't be doing that kind of stuff, so we dodged a bullet with those tonight."
Still, Boyle was overall pleased with the effort, especially that of CU's defense. Stanford shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, but the Buffs clamped down in the second half and cut that percentage to 42. Colorado held Stanford forward Reid Travis to nine points on 4-for-11 shooting, seven points under his season average.
"I think they're really starting to take pride in their defense," Boyle said. "Our post guys took a big challenge. Reid Travis is a heck of a player down there and so is Michael Humphrey. Defensively we played well."
After a see-saw first 10 minutes of the game, the Buff put together a 10-0 run to take a 29-18 lead with six minutes to go in the half. White started the run with a 3-pointer before Johnson hit a pair of free throws and White added two more. Dominique Collier then tossed in a 3-pointer on an offensive rebound and assist from Miller.
That was enough to send CU into the locker room at halftime with a 41-31 lead.
Overall, it was a solid first half for the Buffs, as they shot 57 percent from the field (15-for-26) and held a commanding 17-9 edge on the boards. But, 12 turnovers that led to 11 Stanford points prevented the lead from being larger.
TURNING POINT: After the Cardinal had cut CU's lead down to four, 53-49, eight minutes into the second half, the Buffs put together a 13-2 run to regain control. Bryce Peters had eight points in the run, including a pair of 3-pointers.
WHAT IT MEANS: Now with a three-game win streak, the Buffs have some momentum, which they'll need heading into Cal for Sunday's 2:30 p.m. game. If the Buffs can get a win there, they'll return home for a pair next week with a good chance to make a late-season run.
CU STANDOUTS: Derrick White was terrific, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and a pair of steals. His steal and basket with just under eight minutes to play completed a 13-2 CU run and gave the Buffs a 66-51 edge. … Senior Xavier Johnson had 19 points, five rebounds and three assists. …  Freshman Bryce Peters had 13 points off the bench. … Tory Miller had 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado's bench outscored their Stanford counterparts, 33-23, negating a 23-13 Stanford edge in points off turnovers. … The Buffs had a 38-29 edge in rebounds and a 6-1 edge in blocked shots.
NOTEWORTHY: CU junior George King was held scoreless for the first time since his freshman season. … The Buffs have now won four in a row on Stanford's home floor. … It was CU's first road win since last year at Washington State. … The 23 CU turnovers were the most since 24 at Oregon State last year. … Xavier Johnson has scored in double figures in his last eight games. … Derrick White's eight rebounds were a season high. … Tory Miller is 28-for-43 (65.1 percent) from the field in Pac-12 play.
QUOTEWORTHY: "We've got a little mojo now and I think our guys are starting to believe." — CU head coach Tad Boyle
"I think a lot of our losses, we've watched film and seen a lack of effort. Those one- and two-possession games we needed to win. I think we kind of changed our mindset to we have to get stops every time." CU senior Xavier Johnson
NEXT UP: The Buffs finish their Bay Area swing Sunday with a 2:30 p.m. game at Cal (ESPNU). Colorado then returns home next week for a Thursday game with Washington (8 p.m.) at the Coors Events Center and a Feb. 12 matchup with Washington State (6:30 p.m.).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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