BOULDER — Every night, it seems, Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes turn to a different weapon, as CU has had six different players lead the team in scoring in seven games.
Tuesday night, it was redshirt freshman Evan Battey and sophomore D'Shawn Schwartz with the honors, as both tossed in a team-high 14 points in an 82-58 win over South Dakota at the CU Events Center.
The win, Colorado's fourth in a row, improved the Buffs to 6-1 while South Dakota fell to 4-4. It was CU's fourth straight game with at least 80 points and fifth in seven outings this season, as five Buffs hit double-figure scoring.
Tyler Bey added 13 points and seven rebounds to CU's totals while McKinley Wright had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Shane Gatling finished with 11 points.
The Buffs continued their smooth-shooting ways, hitting 48 percent of their field goals (26-for-54), while also producing a 41-33 edge on the boards. CU also held the Coyotes to just 34 percent shooting shooting from the field (19-for-56), and nine different Buffs finished with at least 10 minutes of playing time.
Battey, who continues to shake the rust from his game after a two-year layoff from competitive play, also had four assists — all in the first half — and four rebounds.
"When we start hitting on all cylinders, this is a dangerous team," Boyle said. "We just have to understand that on any given night it might be someone else's night. We have to be OK with that. If we are, then we will be OK."
Tyler Peterson led the Coyotes with 15 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs never trailed in the game, and built a 10-point lead midway through the first half before the Coyotes cut the margin back to five.
Colorado, though, finished the half with an 18-10 surge, with Battey getting three assists in the run. The first went to Schwartz, who delivered a ferocious dunk, the second went to Lucas Siewert for a layup, and the third went to Gatling on the wing for a 3-pointer.
"I've always been a good passer and they know that," Battey said. "They cut, they space out so I can hit them."
After taking a 13-point lead into intermission, 41-28, the Buffs quickly blew the game open in the first three minutes of the second half. CU bumped the lead to 49-30 in the first two minutes of the period, then pushed the cushion into the 20s on a pair of baskets from Bey after a South Dakota timeout did nothing to halt Colorado's run. CU led 53-32 with 16:45 still to play, and the Buffs' cushion never dipped below 20 again the rest of the night.
Maybe the only blemish on Colorado's night was 13 turnovers, with nine of those coming in the first half. But the Buffs reduced their mistakes in the second half while also ratcheting up the defensive pressure, including a stretch in which they limited South Dakota to just 1-for-8 shooting.
Boyle was particularly pleased with CU's defensive effort. The Buffs, who allowed Colorado State to shoot better than 50 percent from the field in last weekend's 86-80 Colorado win, entered the game 10th in the Pac-12 in field goal defense.
The Coyotes had no such luck, hitting just 19 of their 56 field goal tries. South Dakota did not make consecutive field goal attempts until less than four minutes remained in the game, and the Coyotes missed 17 straight 3-point tries after hitting three of their first five.
As for Battey, the redshirt freshman continues to make strides on a nightly basis, giving the Buffs another weapon in the paint, both as a shooter and a playmaker. After a relatively slow start, he has hit double figures in three of his last five games, has had at least four rebounds in his last six games, and is third on the team in assists.
"Obviously we knew there was going to be rust on his game," Boyle said. "Every time he steps on the floor he seems to be more confident and more comfortable out there. He is a weapon offensively and he just keeps getting better. He, Lucas and Tyler are a really good three-headed monster in the post."
SCHWARTZ RE-EMERGES: After scoring just two points overall in CU's last two games, Schwartz bounced back with a solid effort, scoring his 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting.
"D'Shawn was great," Boyle said. "It's good to have him back being aggressive. He made some really nice plays attacking the rim and he was under control off the bounce. That (dunk) was a big-time play in the first half."
Schwartz credited assistant coach Kim English with giving him some needed pointers. "I'm just trying to make sure I'm aggressive, keep watching film and picking my spots. I think that's something I need to focus on. Just studying the game a little bit more will make it easier."
TURNING POINT: After the Coyotes had shaved a 10-point CU lead in half with just under seven minutes to play in the first half, Colorado closed with an 18-10 run to take a 13-point lead at halftime, 41-28. CU then quickly pushed the cushion into the 20s early in the second half to put the game away.
WHAT IT MEANS: With four straight wins, the Buffs have a chance to extend it to five in a row with another home game Saturday before hitting the road for their final four non-conference games.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado shot 48 percent from the field (26-for-54) while holding South Dakota to just 34 percent from the field (19-for-56).
NOTEWORTHY: The Buffs are averaging 85.3 points per game. … CU is 82-27 in non-conference games under Boyle. … Tuesday's win was the 1,300th in Colorado history, with the Buffs' all-time record now 1,300-1,198. …
QUOTEWORTHY: "The first few games I was a little nervous, just the first time back in three years. I was so foreign to playing in front of the fans and playing on the home court. I've really settled in." — CU's Evan Battey.
NEXT UP: The Buffs wrap up a four-game homestand Saturday with a 4 p.m. game against Illinois-Chicago at the CU Events Center.
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