Colorado joins Silute BC for a group photo
Bench Fuels Fourth Quarter Run, Buffs Top Silute BC
August 18, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Buffaloes Score 47 Points Off The Bench
PONTE BUGGIANESE, Italy – There were moments over the last 24 hours the phrases of endurance, long bus trips, hot & humid conditions made their way around the Colorado basketball camp.
The Buffaloes' first two games in Italy were played in a span of just over 24 hours. In between those games included several hours on a bus, traveling from Rome to Florence, and a two-hour stop and walking tour of Siena, with normal summer heat and humidity reigning in this Mediterranean climate.
Despite those conditions, Colorado showed some strength through adversity and displayed its depth as the Buffaloes defeated Silute BC out of Lithuania 73-60 on Friday night.
Colorado survived a sluggish start and took a close game into the fourth quarter before opening up a double-digit point lead. The Buffaloes outscored Silute 23-15 in the fourth hitting 9 of 11 from the floor.
Look no further than Colorado's bench for the difference, scoring 47 points highlighted by 14 from junior Namon Wright. Deleon Brown had 12 points and Lucas Siewert had 10 points and nine rebounds.
"It's actually kind of scary to think about," said Brown on the team's depth. "Everybody on our team can play. We've got shooters, to big men, to guys that can handle the ball. We're a really well rounded team and I feel like there is no limit to what we could do."
HOW IT HAPPENED: This was, as head coach Tad Boyle called it, "a man's game…as physical of a game as we'll see." Â
There were 33 fouls called, and arguably, many more not called. Both teams had 20-plus turnovers. Colorado won the battle of the boards 50-38, but Silute's 18 offensive rebounds didn't set well with the Buffaloes.
"I thought we battled and competed," Boyle said. "We've got a tough minded group. We certainly didn't play our best game by any stretch of the imagination."
The game was tight for three quarters until a late spark of energy and a 10-0 run proved to be the difference.
Tied at 52-52 with 6:40 remaining, Siewert drilled a 3-pointer at the top of the key to answer a Caleb Oetjen bucket. Brown scored after a Silute turnover to put Colorado up 57-52.
Silute couldn't capitalize, missing three straight shots. Wright took advantage with another 3-pointer and helped cap off the run with a dish to George King on a dunk which gave Colorado a 62-52 lead with 4:22 left.
Silute cut the lead in half after a 3-point play by Andrius Globys, but Colorado responded again with an 8-0 run, four of which came from King including a nice jam off a lob from McKinley Wright IV to cap it.
"We turned the ball over 26 times and won by 13, that tells you how good this group can be," Boyle said. "That's a number we can't live with, but they didn't put their tails between their legs. I've talked a lot about this team and their spirit, and I think that's a testament to their spirit is that they just kept battling."
It wasn't the first time the Buffs needed a jolt. Colorado missed its first six shots with a pair of turnovers as Silute built a 7-2 lead out of the gate. However, Colorado scored the last 13 points of the quarter for a 15-7 lead after one. Brown had four points in that span and Namon Wright hit the first of his two 3-pointers.
Silute had its best shooting quarter in the second, hitting 53 percent and outscoring Colorado 21-16 and trimmed the Buffaloes' lead to 31-28 at the break.
TURNING POINT: Colorado got stops and produced offensively in the pivotal fourth quarter. The Buffaloes gave up 18 offensive rebounds in the game, but only three came in the final 10 minutes. Colorado shot 81 percent while holding Silute to 26 percent.
WHAT IT MEANS: A well-deserved rest. The Buffaloes will have a light touristy day on Saturday and Sunday before leaving for Venice and their third game on Monday.
KEY STATISTICS: George King had his second-straight double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Colorado blocked nine shots, including three from 7-foot freshman Dallas Walton. Tyler Bey had nine rebounds, giving him 15 over two games. McKinley Wright had eight points and a team-high four assists. Caleb Oetjen led Silute with 14 points and five assists.
The Buffaloes' first two games in Italy were played in a span of just over 24 hours. In between those games included several hours on a bus, traveling from Rome to Florence, and a two-hour stop and walking tour of Siena, with normal summer heat and humidity reigning in this Mediterranean climate.
Despite those conditions, Colorado showed some strength through adversity and displayed its depth as the Buffaloes defeated Silute BC out of Lithuania 73-60 on Friday night.
Colorado survived a sluggish start and took a close game into the fourth quarter before opening up a double-digit point lead. The Buffaloes outscored Silute 23-15 in the fourth hitting 9 of 11 from the floor.
Look no further than Colorado's bench for the difference, scoring 47 points highlighted by 14 from junior Namon Wright. Deleon Brown had 12 points and Lucas Siewert had 10 points and nine rebounds.
"It's actually kind of scary to think about," said Brown on the team's depth. "Everybody on our team can play. We've got shooters, to big men, to guys that can handle the ball. We're a really well rounded team and I feel like there is no limit to what we could do."
HOW IT HAPPENED: This was, as head coach Tad Boyle called it, "a man's game…as physical of a game as we'll see." Â
There were 33 fouls called, and arguably, many more not called. Both teams had 20-plus turnovers. Colorado won the battle of the boards 50-38, but Silute's 18 offensive rebounds didn't set well with the Buffaloes.
"I thought we battled and competed," Boyle said. "We've got a tough minded group. We certainly didn't play our best game by any stretch of the imagination."
The game was tight for three quarters until a late spark of energy and a 10-0 run proved to be the difference.
Tied at 52-52 with 6:40 remaining, Siewert drilled a 3-pointer at the top of the key to answer a Caleb Oetjen bucket. Brown scored after a Silute turnover to put Colorado up 57-52.
Silute couldn't capitalize, missing three straight shots. Wright took advantage with another 3-pointer and helped cap off the run with a dish to George King on a dunk which gave Colorado a 62-52 lead with 4:22 left.
Silute cut the lead in half after a 3-point play by Andrius Globys, but Colorado responded again with an 8-0 run, four of which came from King including a nice jam off a lob from McKinley Wright IV to cap it.
"We turned the ball over 26 times and won by 13, that tells you how good this group can be," Boyle said. "That's a number we can't live with, but they didn't put their tails between their legs. I've talked a lot about this team and their spirit, and I think that's a testament to their spirit is that they just kept battling."
It wasn't the first time the Buffs needed a jolt. Colorado missed its first six shots with a pair of turnovers as Silute built a 7-2 lead out of the gate. However, Colorado scored the last 13 points of the quarter for a 15-7 lead after one. Brown had four points in that span and Namon Wright hit the first of his two 3-pointers.
Silute had its best shooting quarter in the second, hitting 53 percent and outscoring Colorado 21-16 and trimmed the Buffaloes' lead to 31-28 at the break.
TURNING POINT: Colorado got stops and produced offensively in the pivotal fourth quarter. The Buffaloes gave up 18 offensive rebounds in the game, but only three came in the final 10 minutes. Colorado shot 81 percent while holding Silute to 26 percent.
WHAT IT MEANS: A well-deserved rest. The Buffaloes will have a light touristy day on Saturday and Sunday before leaving for Venice and their third game on Monday.
KEY STATISTICS: George King had his second-straight double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Colorado blocked nine shots, including three from 7-foot freshman Dallas Walton. Tyler Bey had nine rebounds, giving him 15 over two games. McKinley Wright had eight points and a team-high four assists. Caleb Oetjen led Silute with 14 points and five assists.
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