(Tempe, AZ) Colorado broke open a tight game with a second-half barrage of 3-pointers and Jabari Walker notched his eighth double-double of the season Saturday to lift the Buffaloes to a 75-57 win over Arizona State at Desert Financial Arena.
The win gave Tad Boyle‘s Buffs a split of their road trip to the desert, as they improved to 12-4 overall and 4-2 in Pac-12 play. Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils, who were playing just their second game in 26 days, fell to 5-9, 1-3.
Colorado jumped out to a big lead early, taking a 15-3 edge six minutes in before the Sun Devils battled back to close the gap to three by halftime, 37-34. But the Buffs regained command for good by hitting five 3-pointers in the first seven minutes of the second half to rebuild their lead to double digits and ASU never threatened again.
Walker finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds for the 10th double-double of his career. Guard Keeshawn Barthelemy just missed a double-double, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds, and Evan Battey and Tristan da Silva each scored 11. Nique Clifford added eight points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Jalen Graham led ASU with 16 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED: After taking a three-point lead into intermission, the Buffs took control early in the second half with five 3-pointers in the first seven minutes. Da Silva hit a pair and Clifford, Battey and K.J. Simson each hit one as Colorado pushed its lead to 56-45 with 12:49 remaining.
CU then methodically built its lead to as much as 18 and the Sun Devils never challenged again. The Buffs held ASU scoreless over a four minute stretch in the final minutes to put the game away, as the Sun Devils scored just five points in the final eight minutes.
Colorado threatened to blow the game open early, jumping out to a 15-3 lead in the first six minutes. Walker, coming off a season-low four points in Thursday’s loss to Arizona, hit CU’s first three shots and assisted on the next two while ASU hit just one of its first 11 shots.
But the Buffs went cold and ASU chipped away at the lead, using a 12-1 run to cut Colorado’s lead to 16-15 midway through the half.
The Buffs momentarily regrouped and rebuilt their lead to 10 on a Keeshawn Barthelemy 3-pointer and five straight points from Tristan da Silva gave CU a 29-19 cushion.
But Arizona State rallied again, using a 9-0 run to cut CU’s lead to one before the Buffs pushed their edge back to three, 37-34, at halftime.
Press Release courtesy of Colorado Athletics – Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor
