It was a tale of two halves at the CU Events Center.
The first 20 minutes were close. Colorado led just 36-34 at halftime.
The next 20 minutes were all the Buffaloes. They cruised to a 94-59 win over Abilene Christian in both teams’ season openers. CU (1-0) outscored ACU (0-1) 58-25 in the second half.
“In the first half, we weren't at our best offensively or defensively. We really let them back in the game when we had it,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said following his 17th season opener with the program. “A tale of two halves.”
The Wildcats were without two of their top players: forward Noah Bolanga and big man Cade Hornecker. Naturally, it was a harder night for ACU and its rotation.
Yet, starter Timeo Pons and bench guard Evan Boisdur came alive in the first half. The duo combined for 19 points before the break, hitting all four of the Wildcats’ 3-pointers. ACU, known for its pressure, forced nine first-half turnovers. CU’s best defender, Jalin Holland, picked up two fouls in two minutes, so Boyle had to adjust early and play his rotation quicker than expected.
“Jalin can be an All-Big 12 defensive player this year. I think he's that good,” Boyle said. “He's got the speed with his feet, physicality, strength. He just got to get the discipline and play without fouling.”
While CU shot better from the field and won the first-half rebound battle, Barrington Hargress had to hit a step-back 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to keep its lead.
“Barrington is a guy – you saw the play made at the end of the first half,” Boyle said. “He's got the ability to take things and make lemonade out of lemons.”
The senior guard finished with 11 points and four assists.
The second half, though, was a completely different story.
“Just be aggressive and be solid, I'm not gonna lie,” Holland said made the difference. “We had a lot of slip-ups on defense, so just containing them, just being in the right spots, and not letting them get open 2s, open 3s.”
The Buffs held Abilene Christian to just 10-of-32 (31.3%) shooting in the second half. The Wildcats missed all 12 second-half 3-point attempts. They also had seven turnovers. Pons and Boisdur combined for just five points in the second half.
In turn, CU’s offense played much better. It capitalized on turnovers and fixed its own; the Buffs had no turnovers for the first 16 minutes of the second half. It also had 14 assists after just four in the first half. Freshman Alex Dickeson showcased his passing with a game-high six assists, featuring two lobs, two skip passes and two full-court outlet passes to Justin Neely.
“I just found my guys where they were, where they're gonna be,” Dickeson said after his debut. “We know how each other play. Like Noah [Feddersen], he's always gonna be down low, so I can just throw it up whenever.”
With better playmaking, improved defense and solid shooting in the second half, CU cruised to a 35-point win. The one constant was rebounding. The Buffs out-rebounded ACU by 15, and by two on the offensive glass. North Dakota State transfer Noah Feddersen led the team with three offensive boards.
“That was my biggest concern coming into this game, in our three scrimmages, is getting out-rebounded,” Boyle said. “Tonight, we had a lot of guys that helped us.”
Starters
CU: Barrington Hargress, Ian Inman, Jalin Holland, Josiah Sanders, Noah Feddersen
ACU: Yaniel Rivera, Xabier Lopez Rodriguez, Isaac Dye, Timeo Pons, Victor Yimga Moukouri
Head-to-head
CU: 35-58 FG, 10-19 3PT, 14-20 FT, 49 rebounds (10 offensive), 18 assists, 11 turnovers, 4 blocks, 7 steals, 13 PFs
ACU: 25-57 FG, 4-20 3PT, 11-17 FT, 24 rebounds (8 offensive), 9 assists, 13 turnovers, 1 block, 5 steals, 14 PFs
Top performers
CU: Many of Colorado’s players performed well. Five players scored in double digits, five grabbed at least five rebounds and four dished at least three assists. The lone player who met all of those criteria, though, was transfer forward Justin Neely. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench. Jalin Holland, of course, went for a game-high 18 points and team-high six rebounds despite the early foul trouble. He notably laced two 3-pointers and shot 8-of-12 from the field. While others deserve recognition, Alex Dickeson’s passing and pace of play brought energy to the floor. Ending with nine points, five rebounds and a game-high six assists, Dickeson did almost everything in a team-leading plus-27 plus-minus effort.
ACU: Timeo Pons and Evan Boisdur had it going in the first half. They combined for most of ACU’s offense in the opening 20 minutes and made all four of their team’s 3s. They fell off in the second, but big man Willan Marie-Anais went for 11 points and eight rebounds.
How it happened
1st half: CU, 36-34
- U16: CU 10, ACU 9 - CU started 4-of-5 from the field. Feddersen tipped in a missed 3-pointer, and the Buffs hit two mid-range jumpers. Abilene Christian started 3-of-5 from the field as both teams found decent offense early. Holland picked up two fouls in the first two minutes, including one on a 3-pointer. The foul trouble sent Holland to the bench as Dickeson came in. ACU stayed within a point, and Yaniel Rivera had five points. CU had three turnovers.
- ACU TO (12:07): CU 18, ACU 9 - 8-0 run for CU out of the media timeout. Dickeson and Hargress with two transition 3s, one of which off a Goc Malual swat. The Colorado defense stepped up, forcing the Wildcats to miss five straight shots. The Buffs’ four offensive rebounds in the opening minutes started to wear ACU out.
- U8: CU 28, ACU 18 - The Buffs shot 11-of-21 from the field in the first 14 minutes, as Dickeson dished two assists. Holland and Feddersen each got up to six points, as Holland made a mid-range jumper and a backdoor layup. Feddersen caught an alley-oop jam. ACU scored twice inside but continued turning the ball over. Both teams traded turnovers.
- U4: CU 31, ACU 23 - Ian Inman nailed his first 3-pointer of the year, but several turnovers led to a Boisdur 3-pointer and Pons layup. Boisdur led the game with eight points by the first half’s final media timeout. CU kept the advantage on the glass, with 11 more rebounds.
- 1H, CU TO (1:43): CU 33, ACU 30 - Pons hit back-to-back 3s to lead a 6-0 run for ACU. One came off the catch, and one on a step-back.
- HALF: CU 36, ACU 34 - After a free throw and a tip-in for the Wildcats, a Feddersen turnover led to a fast-break layup and a brief 34-33 lead for ACU. Luckily for CU, Hargress swished a step-back 3-pointer as the halftime buzzer sounded, giving the Buffs the lead back. Colorado earned a 10-rebound edge, but three more turnovers and some fouls on drives kept it close. The Wildcats started 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, as CU was 4-of-10.
2nd half: CU, 94-59 (CU, 58-25)
- U16: CU 47, ACU 37 - CU led an 11-3 run out of the half. ACU hadn’t made any of its four field-goal attempts to start the second half. Buffs started 4-of-6, thanks to two Holland makes and a Hargress 3-pointer.
- ACU TO (14:03): CU 54, ACU 39 - The Buffs continued the big run, as Holland nailed a triple out of the first second-half media break. Neely scored two inside buckets, including his second leak out of the day, which forced an ACU timeout. CU hadn’t turned the ball over in the opening six minutes of the half.
- U12: CU 63, ACU 45 - The Black-and-Gold kept up its onslaught as Dickeson dished more dimes, which led to a 3-pointer from Holland and Neely. The sixth-year also had a nice dime and free throws before the media break. ACU was just 4-of-14 shooting in the half by the third break.
- U8: CU 72, ACU 47 - The Buffs had made 77.8% of their second-half field goal attempts midway through the half. The Wildcats were just 27.8%. CU’s defense really turned it up, leading to more offense. And no second-half turnovers through the first 12 minutes led to favorable looks. Sanders scored some buckets, and Feddersen had a second alley-oop jam on an assist from Dickeson.
- U4: CU 86, ACU 55 - CU never laid off the gas pedal. It still had no second-half turnovers. And it began scoring mostly inside, besides an Inman 3-pointer. The Buffs forced more steals against a tired Wildcats team, and Holland scored a game-high 18 points.
- FINAL: CU 94, ACU 59 - Colorado freshmen Eric Jacobsen, Rider Portela, Amir Jones and Chase Hill got some garbage-time minutes. Jacobsen scored a basket as CU went on to win by 35 points. CU shot 75.9% in the second half, while ACU shot just 31.3% and made no 3-pointers.
What’s next
Colorado heads to San Diego for the Bill Walton Classic. It will play San Diego State at 12:30 p.m. MT on the USA Network.
Players Mentioned
Coaches Mentioned
