Free basketball is not all created equal. Despite engineering an impressive 13-point second half comeback, the Colorado Buffaloes showed their age in a 94-90 overtime win against the Big Sky’s Montana State Bobcats.
Colorado committed 16 turnovers and fell behind as many as 13 points, but still walked out of the CU Events Center 1-0.
Here are a few players that stood out to me on Tuesday:
Typically known as a defensive weapon, Elijah Parquet cemented himself as a scoring threat on Tuesday with a career-high 17 points. But his biggest shot of the night was a game-tying three pointer that ultimately sent things into OT. Jabari Walker drove hard to the rim and found Parquet wide open to snap his 0-for-4 night from deep.
Another positive on Tuesday came from the performance of Keeshawn Barthelemy. With McKinley Wright IV gone, Barthelemy’s team-high 19 points and five rebounds was a good indicator that CU’s offense needn’t worry. After scoring just six of those points in the first half, Barthelemy became more aggressive in the second half and paved the way for the comeback.
Turnovers, unfortunately, were a big issue. Jabari Walker didn’t stand out in a good way on Tuesday with his six turnovers. He finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, however.
In his postgame presser, Tad Boyle gave specific attention to the performance of Nique Clifford. His team-high nine rebounds were a huge component in CU’s comeback. Plus/minus is another important stat and Clifford was also a team-best +9.
Colorado plays next on Saturday when it hosts New Mexico at 4:30 p.m. MT.