BOULDER — Colorado got good production from seniors George King and Tory Miller-Stewart plus a nice debut from freshman McKinley Wright IV on Friday as the Buffs opened the season with a 66-51 win over Northern Colorado at the Coors Events Center.
After missing most of the first half with two fouls, King led the Buffs with 12 points — all in the second half — and nine rebounds. Miller-Stewart added 11 points and five rebounds while Wright added 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in his first game as a Buff.
Andre Spight led UNC with 19 points.
The Buffs put the game away midway through the second half, breaking open a tight game with a 12-0 run.
HOW IT HAPPENED: After taking an 11-point lead into the locker room at the half, 35-24, Colorado lead the Bears back in the game in a hurry after intermission. Sparked by five points from Spight, UNC went on a 13-0 run early in the half to tie the game at 37-37 barely four minutes in.
The two teams then traded buckets before Colorado once again began to pull away. After UNC closed the gap to 45-44, Colorado went on a 12-0 run over a five-minute span to take a 57-44 edge with just more than five minutes to play. Miller-Stewart had four points in the run, King added three and McKinley Wright finished the burst with a driving layup for a 57-44 lead. UNC ended its drought with a Jordan Davis bucket, but King answered with a 3-pointer to bump the margin to 14, 60-46, with just more than four minutes to play.
Colorado then kept the lead in double digits for the remainder of the game.
The Buffs jumped out to a quick lead, getting five quick points from Namon Wright and four from Miller-Stewart to go up 11-7 just six minutes in. CU then built the lead to double digits when Dominique Collier swiped a pass near midcourt and drove for a layup to bump the Buffs' edge to 23-13.
But the Buffs went cold and the Bears slowly chipped away. Spight hit five straight points in a 9-2 UNC run, and with just under four minutes to go, Colorado's edge had been cut to 25-22.
That forced a Tad Boyle timeout and his words in the huddle evidently had an effect. The Buffs emerged to put together a 10-2 run over the final four minutes of the half, sparked by five points from Deleon Brown, including a 3-pointer, and a Lucas Siewert trey from the top of the key. McKinley Wright closed the half with a driving layup on a nice halfcourt pass from Lazar Nicolic to give the Buffs a 35-24 lead heading into intermission.
TURNING POINT: With just more than 10 minutes to go, the Buffs went on a 12-0 run over a five-minute span to turn a one-point game into a 13-point lead. Miller-Stewart had four points in the run, George King added three and McKinley Wright finished it with a driving layup.
NEXT UP: The Buffs play host to Denver in a 7 p.m. game Tuesday at the Coors Events Center.
After missing most of the first half with two fouls, King led the Buffs with 12 points — all in the second half — and nine rebounds. Miller-Stewart added 11 points and five rebounds while Wright added 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in his first game as a Buff.
Andre Spight led UNC with 19 points.
The Buffs put the game away midway through the second half, breaking open a tight game with a 12-0 run.
HOW IT HAPPENED: After taking an 11-point lead into the locker room at the half, 35-24, Colorado lead the Bears back in the game in a hurry after intermission. Sparked by five points from Spight, UNC went on a 13-0 run early in the half to tie the game at 37-37 barely four minutes in.
The two teams then traded buckets before Colorado once again began to pull away. After UNC closed the gap to 45-44, Colorado went on a 12-0 run over a five-minute span to take a 57-44 edge with just more than five minutes to play. Miller-Stewart had four points in the run, King added three and McKinley Wright finished the burst with a driving layup for a 57-44 lead. UNC ended its drought with a Jordan Davis bucket, but King answered with a 3-pointer to bump the margin to 14, 60-46, with just more than four minutes to play.
Colorado then kept the lead in double digits for the remainder of the game.
The Buffs jumped out to a quick lead, getting five quick points from Namon Wright and four from Miller-Stewart to go up 11-7 just six minutes in. CU then built the lead to double digits when Dominique Collier swiped a pass near midcourt and drove for a layup to bump the Buffs' edge to 23-13.
But the Buffs went cold and the Bears slowly chipped away. Spight hit five straight points in a 9-2 UNC run, and with just under four minutes to go, Colorado's edge had been cut to 25-22.
That forced a Tad Boyle timeout and his words in the huddle evidently had an effect. The Buffs emerged to put together a 10-2 run over the final four minutes of the half, sparked by five points from Deleon Brown, including a 3-pointer, and a Lucas Siewert trey from the top of the key. McKinley Wright closed the half with a driving layup on a nice halfcourt pass from Lazar Nicolic to give the Buffs a 35-24 lead heading into intermission.
TURNING POINT: With just more than 10 minutes to go, the Buffs went on a 12-0 run over a five-minute span to turn a one-point game into a 13-point lead. Miller-Stewart had four points in the run, George King added three and McKinley Wright finished it with a driving layup.
NEXT UP: The Buffs play host to Denver in a 7 p.m. game Tuesday at the Coors Events Center.
