Colorado’s men’s basketball team mounted a strong comeback in the second half but ultimately fell short against No. 14 Texas Tech, losing 73-71 at the CU Events Center on Saturday.
The Buffaloes, led by head coach Tad Boyle, now stand at 12-4 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play. Texas Tech holds an identical record.
After trailing by as many as 24 points early in the second half, Colorado put together a significant rally with a 20-3 run. Sebastian Rancik hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two late in the game. The Buffaloes had an opportunity to win on their final possession, but Barrington Hargress’s three-point attempt did not fall.
“We had no timeout,” Hargress said about the last shot. “We were really focused on getting that stop and giving ourselves a chance to either put the game in overtime or get the win. We took care of that part. Then, Isaiah (Johnson) and I were looking to get a good shot up.”
Freshman Isaiah Johnson led Colorado with all of his 21 points coming in the second half, including a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line. Hargress contributed 17 points while Rancik finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Texas Tech saw four players score in double figures, highlighted by Donovan Atwell’s five three-pointers. JT Toppin recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds along with four assists, while LeJuan Watts added another double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
In spite of being outscored for much of the contest, Colorado dominated late—outscoring Texas Tech by a margin of 36-15 over the final thirteen minutes. In the first half, Texas Tech made eight three-pointers at nearly a fifty percent clip but managed just three after halftime as Colorado increased its defensive pressure.
“We found out when we took our trip to Australia that we have a really competitive team that won’t budge for anything,” Boyle commented on his team’s comeback effort. “It took us a while to wake up, and the biggest thing we talked about after the game was that if we can be that competitive team you guys saw in the last six minutes of the game, we can play with anybody. So, that really has to be our consistent approach.”
A recurring issue for Colorado this season has been allowing offensive rebounds; Texas Tech collected sixteen such boards leading to ten second-chance points.
“This year’s Achilles heel is our inability to finish possessions,” Boyle said. “It’s not about winning and losing to me, I told myself that I’m not going to let my emotional state be dictated by wins and losses. I’m going to let my emotional state be dictated by how our team is executing, how we are, how we execute, and every game plan is to finish possessions when we get our stops. You don’t get an offensive rebound unless a shot goes up and doesn’t go in. So when they shoot it and it goes in, that’s a basket. There’s no offensive rebound when they shoot it and miss it. Now there’s either a defensive rebound or an offensive rebound. Our problem is too many offensive rebounds for the opponent, and it’s happened all year.”
The Buffaloes started well offensively before falling into a slump midway through the first half which allowed Texas Tech back into contention via several successful long-range shots.
Colorado will next travel for an away matchup against Cincinnati on Wednesday January 14 at 5 p.m., which will air on Peacock.
