BOULDER, Colo. – South Dakota State mounted a comeback to take a second-half lead, however Colorado did enough to top the Jackrabbits as the Buffaloes came away with an 81-70 victory on Friday, Dec. 13, at the CU Events Center.
The Buffaloes jumped ahead early getting out to a 13-4 lead in the opening four minutes of the contest. The Jacks cut the deficit to a single possession after consecutive 3-pointers by Isaac Lindsey and Kalen Garry with just over five minutes left in the half.
A layup by SDSU’s Stoney Hadnot with 30 seconds remaining made it a 40-35 margin in favor of Colorado going into halftime.
The Buffs scored the first four points of the second half to match their largest lead of the night at the time of nine. The Jackrabbits followed by going on an 11-2 run, capped by a Joe Sayler layup, to tie the score at 46-46 with 14:55 to play.
Colorado again responded by scoring the contest’s next four points as the Buffs got back in front. The home side led 55-52 when a Garry offensive putback made it 55-54. A missed 3-pointer on Colorado’s ensuing possession led to an open layup on the other end for Matthew Mors, off an assist from Oscar Cluff, to give the Jackrabbits a 56-55 edge with 10:08 remaining.
The lead for the Jackrabbits lasted less than a minute.
Colorado’s Elijah Malone drained a 3-pointer to put the Buffs up 58-56 with 9:22 on the clock. The Buffaloes’ next possession saw Julian Hammond III sink a 3-pointer and Colorado never allowed the margin to get back to a single possession.
South Dakota State still competed late and was down 75-70 following a Sayler layup with 1:24 to play. The Jackrabbits defended Colorado’s next time down the court to the end of the shot clock, but Hammond III connected on a 3-pointer and was fouled in the process, leading to a four-point play and sealing a victory for the Buffs.
Colorado improved to 7-0 at home and 8-2 overall. SDSU dropped to 8-5 on the season.
NOTES
- Hammond III finished as the game’s leading scorer as he paced Colorado with a career-high 23 points. He was 8-for-14 from the floor and had a game-high six assists. Joining him in double digit scoring were Malone (15) and RJ Smith (11).
- Colorado was 18 of 19 at the free throw line (94.7%) which included a 16-for-17 clip in the second half. SDSU was 9 of 13 at the charity stripe. The Buffs had a 34-26 edge in rebounds.
- Both teams attempted 56 field goals with Colorado making 28 and SDSU 25. The Jackrabbits were 11 of 25 (44%) from 3-point range while Colorado was held to a 7-for-24 clip.
- SDSU had two double-digit scorers in Sayler (16) and Garry (12). Matthew Mors, Jaden Jackson and Hadnot each had eight points, while Cluff registered a line of nine points and nine rebounds. Cluff also had a team-high four assists and Sayler produced a career-high three steals.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State will host its next game. The Jackrabbits play on Thursday, Dec. 19, as they take on Chadron State in First Bank & Trust Arena.