Colorado takes care of business in season opener against UC Riverside

BOULDER–On Nov. 7, the Colorado Buffaloes beat the UC Riverside Highlanders 82-66 in a blowout win. Four Buffaloes scored in double digits with new addition J’Vonne Hadley leading the way, scoring 16 points on the night. Senior guard Zyon Pullin scored a game-high 17 points for the Highlanders.

The Buffaloes kicked off the scoring after a Nique Clifford steal led to a Hadley transition layup. This play foreshadowed the rest of the game as Colorado’s aggressive defense flustered the Highlanders, leading to transition points throughout the night.

Hadley scored six of the Buffaloes’ first 10 points, giving Colorado an early seven-point lead. However, the UC Riverside defense caused problems early on. The Highlanders forced a number of turnovers, cutting the lead to one early in the first half.

With 11:14 left in the first half, sophomore forward Vladimer Salaridze gave the Highlanders their first and only lead of the game with an and-one layup.

Across the next 3:54, the Buffaloes went on a 16-0 scoring run and never looked back. Coming off the bench, redshirt freshman Javon Ruffin hit his first shot, starting the Buffaloes’ scoring explosion. As Tad Boyle looked to his bench midway through the first half, the run started. In the midst of the run, the Buffaloes pulled out a full-court press, taking advantage of UC Riverside’s inability to handle ball pressure.

Graduate student and Yale transfer Jalen Gabbidon highlighted the Buffaloes’ huge first half with a smooth spin move and drop-off pass to Ruffin, resulting in an and-one in front of the Colorado student section, extending the lead to 34-20. Gabbidon scored 12 points and threw in two assists off the bench in the 16-point win. With the CU Events Center shaking, the Highlanders were rattled, leading to an airball.

Going into the half, Colorado led UC Riverside 46-28. Hadley and KJ Simpson led the scoring with nine and eight points for the Buffaloes, respectively. Colorado’s great defense forced UC Riverside to shoot a measly 12 of 33 from the field.

The Buffaloes picked up right where they left off in the second half, extending the lead to 21 with 15:49 left. Their hustle on the defensive end led to plenty of easy offense.

However, the Highlanders were not quite finished. When Lawson Lovering headed to the bench early in the second half, the Highlanders went on an 8-0 run. With the 7’1” defensive anchor out of the game, the Highlanders took advantage of the Buffaloes’ smaller lineup, scoring four straight layups. Lovering’s absence also allowed the Highlanders to switch to a zone, forcing multiple empty possessions for Colorado.

Unfortunately for UC Riverside, Lovering returned, assisting a Gabbidon layup to end the run. Colorado picked apart the zone, finding Luke O’Brien for a three and Gabbidon for an and-one layup. A lazy turnover by the Highlanders led to a Hadley two-handed slam, giving the Buffaloes a 17-point lead with 10:45 left in the game.

Throughout the rest of the half, the Highlanders tried to catch up. With each run made, even coming within 10 points, the Buffaloes stomped on their necks, extending the lead once more.

KJ Simpson closed out the Highlanders with a tough layup in transition, giving Colorado a 79-66 lead with 1:10 left. The Buffaloes went on to win 82-66.

Colorado was fueled throughout the night by their unwavering energy and aggressive defense. With Lovering holding down the paint and contesting any shot near the rim, the other four Buffaloes were able to fly around the perimeter, contesting shots and getting hands in passing lanes. The UC Riverside offense struggled mightily against the defense, finding themselves shooting a lot of contested jump shots late in the shot clock.

Offensively, Colorado was in control the whole time. The Buffaloes ran the break well, resulting in a lot of easy shots, close to the rim. In the half court, the Buffaloes were able to move the ball well, also leading to easy buckets.

Junior college transfer J’Vonne Hadley shined in the blowout win, leading the Buffaloes in points and rebounds. Despite four first-half turnovers, KJ Simpson put together a great game, scoring 14 points and dishing out three assists. The Colorado bench also came to play, scoring 32 of the Buffaloes’ 82 points. Gabbidon led the bench’s scoring with 12 points.

The Colorado Buffaloes’ next challenge will be against the Grambling State Tigers in an away game. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11.