Colorado ride second-half surge to rout of Cal State Fullerton

Field Level Media|published: Wed 13th November, 23:27 2024

Oct 23, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Tad Boyle talks to media during the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Media Day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Colorado outscored Cal State Fullerton by 24 points in the second half, breaking open a close game and cruising to an 83-53 win on Wednesday in Boulder, Colo.

Andrej Jakimovski scored 14 of his team-leading 17 points in the first half, and he finished with five of the Buffaloes' 12 3-pointers. Sebastian Rancik and Julian Hammond III each put up 11 points for Colorado (3-0).

The Buffaloes improved to 196-40 at home under coach Tad Boyle, including a 99-8 mark in nonconference home games.

Donovan Oday led the Titans (0-3) with 13 points and seven rebounds. Cal State Fullerton, after scoring 79 points in its season opener at Grand Canyon, has logged exactly 53 points in each of its past two games.

The Titans shot only 31 percent for the game, making 18 of 58 field-goal attempts. They were 2 of 17 (11.8 percent) from 3-point range.

The Buffaloes wound up at 56.6 percent from the floor, 12 of 27 (44.4 percent) from long distance.

Colorado led by as many as 10 points in the first half, going up 29-19 on Hammond's 3-pointer with 7:17 to play before the break. Then it was 31-21 with big man Bangot Dak's layup at the 5:38 mark.

The Buffaloes couldn't pull away before halftime, as the Titans fought back to a four-point deficit. Keith Richard drove for a layup at the 2:12 mark, making the score 33-29.

Colorado took a six-point lead into halftime.

Jakimovski scored 14 of his points in 11 minutes of playing time in the first half. He knocked down three 3-pointers within the first four minutes of the game, and had four treys for the half.

He hit his fifth 3-pointer early in the second half for a 40-29 Colorado lead, and the Buffaloes took off from there.

The Titans got within 55-43 on a Freddie Cooper layup with 8:46 to play, but the Buffaloes scored the next nine points to surge ahead comfortably. Later, Hammond collected a rebound at one end and drove for a layup at the other end of the court, and was fouled on the shot. He made the ensuing free throw for a 74-49 lead.

--Field Level Media

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