Fast break
Why the Buffs lost: This one was lost on the glass, as Houston outrebounded the Buffs 38-26 whiel posting an 18-7 edge in second-chance points.
Three stars
1. UH’s J’Wan Roberts. CU had no answer defensively, as Roberts went 9-for-11 with a team-high 20 points.
2. CU’s Julian Hammond III. The senior guard hit a career-high five 3-pointers to keep the Buffs close, finishing with a game-high 22 points.
3. UH’s Terrance Arceneaux. Scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half and also grabbed five rebounds.
Up next: CU faces another ranked foe, this time on the road, as the Buffs visit No. 16 Kansas on Tuesday (7 p.m. MT, ESPN2).
If Colorado had played with the same spirit and energy through the bulk of January that they brought to the floor against one of the premier programs in the nation, the Buffaloes probably wouldn’t be mired in a losing streak that’s among the worst in program history.
Yet while the fight very much was there, so was No. 5 Houston.
It was the sort of effort that, afterward, Colorado coach Tad Boyle said he believes will eventually be rewarded. But it wasn’t this time.
The CU men’s basketball team shook off a poor start and put a scare into one of the Big 12 Conference co-leaders, but ultimately the Cougars’ combination of skill and brawn made the difference, as Houston held off the Buffs in a 69-59 decision at the CU Events Center.
Despite a commendable effort, the defeat nonetheless dropped the Buffs to 0-12 in the Big 12, with the 12-game losing streak tying an identical run from the end of the 2008-09 season as the second-longest within a season in program history. If the Buffs can’t pull off an upset on the road on Tuesday at No. 16 Kansas, Colorado will be in danger of matching the team record for consecutive losses next week against Central Florida.
“Our guys battled tonight. I can’t fault them at all for their fight and their effort,” Boyle said. “I thought our defense in the first half was terrific, the rotations. We really, really battled.
“We’ve got to build on the positives.”
Houston jumped to a quick 14-3 but CU answered with 11 consecutive points to get back in the fight.
The Cougars led 31-27 at halftime and soon extended the lead to nine, but CU guard Julian Hammond III made four of his career-high five 3-pointers after halftime to keep the Buffs close. Colorado remained within 54-52 after three free throws from Andrej Jakimovski with five and a half minutes remaining, but as has often been the case during CU’s losing streak, the Buffs faltered at crunch time.
CU remained within four points on a driving dunk from freshman Sebastian Rancik with 3:45 to go, but Houston scored the next seven points to pull away.
“I think they were really good at rebounding their misses,” Jakimovski said. “They’re a really good team defensively. They’re a really good rebounding team. I think we did a really good job defending, but rebounding was the key tonight.
CU finished with only 12 turnovers, their lowest mark in Big 12 play, and for just the second time in a dozen Big 12 games the Buffs finished with more assists (13) than turnovers.
However, it was the Buffs’ other major, season-long shortcoming that made the difference. Houston outrebounded the Buffs 38-26 and turned 15 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points. The Cougars also dominated the paint offensively, outscoring the Buffs 42-20 in the lane behind a 9-for-11 night for J’Wan Roberts, who scored five of Houston’s points during its late, game-clinching 7-0 run.
“The difference to me was two things,” Boyle said. “It was the rebounding differential, and obviously they outscored us 18-7 on second-chance points. And the second thing is J’Wan Roberts made plays down the stretch for them. He really put them on his back and made some tough shots. The defense was there, but that’s what really, really good players do. To me, he’s an all-conference player and he played like it down the stretch.”
No. 5 Houston 69, Colorado 59
HOUSTON (19-4, 11-1 Big 12)
Roberts 9-11 2-4 20, Tugler 0-2 0-0 0, Arceneaux 5-9 4-4 15, Cryer 6-17 0-0 15, Uzan 4-10 2-5 12, Wilson 3-6 1-2 7, Lath 0-0 0-0 0, Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Francis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-56 9-15 69.
COLORADO (9-14, 0-12)
Dak 2-6 1-2 6, Diop 1-2 2-2 4, Jakimovski 0-4 3-4 3, Rancik 2-4 2-3 6, Hammond 7-13 3-4 22, Ruffin 1-3 0-0 3, Baskin 1-4 0-0 2, Smith 2-5 0-0 5, Kossaras 2-2 0-0 5, Malone 1-2 1-1 3, Carrington 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-46 12-16 59.
Halftime: Houston 31-27. 3-point field goals: Houston 6-15 (Cryer 3-9, Uzan 2-2, Arceneaux 1-2, Miller 0-1, Wilson 0-1); Colorado 9-23 (Hammond 5-7, Kossaras 1-1, Dak 1-2, Ruffin 1-2, Smith 1-3, Baskin 0-1, Carrington 0-1, Diop 0-1, Rancik 0-1, Jakimovski 0-4). Rebounds: Houston 38 (Tugler 10); Colorado 26 (Jakimovski 5). Assists: Houston 8 (Uzan 4); Colorado 13 (Jakimovski 3). Total fouls: Houston 18, Colorado 15. A: 7,485.