Perhaps anxious to get life in the Big 12 Conference started ahead of schedule this season, Colorado pulled off a major upset and will face No. 5 Iowa State on Wednesday in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawaii.
Colorado’s official debut Big 12 game still is scheduled to take place Dec. 30 at home against Iowa State. But the teams will face off for a preview from paradise in what will be the first of three games between the programs in the regular season.
The Buffaloes earned the honor with a signature victory Tuesday when they held off two-time defending champion UConn 73-72 in the second round in the Maui event. Julian Hammond III scored 16 points for the Buffaloes (5-1), while Andrej Jakimovski added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
No. 2 UConn led by as many as 11 points in the first half and was up 46-37 with 17:36 remaining before Colorado went on an 11-0 run to take a two-point lead with 14:02 left.
The Huskies appeared to wrest control by taking a 70-65 edge with 3:28 to go before the Buffaloes scored eight of the final 10 points. UConn played the final 4:40 after 6-foot-10 center Samson Johnson fouled and the final 2:04 after 6-10 center Tarris Reed Jr. also departed.
One of the best victories for Colorado’s Tad Boyle in 19 seasons as a Division I coach came after he lost five double-digit scorers from last season’s 26-11 team.
“I mentioned that we are going to learn a lot about (our) team in this tournament, and we learned from (Monday) night,” Boyle said, referencing a loss to Michigan State in the first round. “The biggest thing I was disappointed in (against the Spartans) was our fight and our shot selection. We challenged (the team). I’m really proud of them.”
Iowa State (4-1) fought to the end to secure its spot in the fifth-place game by holding off pesky Dayton 89-84. Iowa State trailed 78-77 with 3:33 remaining before the game was tied 81-81 with 1:20 to go. The Cyclones scored six of the next seven points.
Iowa State went 10-for-10 on free throws over the final 3:23 as it rallied from a nine-point, first-half deficit.
Keshon Gilbert scored a season-high 24 points for the Cyclones by going 6 of 8 from the floor and 12 of 14 from the free-throw line. Curtis Jones added 19 points, while Dishon Jackson scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
“This is such a great tournament,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said after his team shot a season-best 51.7 percent from the floor.. “I’m not sure there’s ever been a stronger field here. And you know every game is gonna be a war — and we’ve already had two.”
The victory came after Iowa State blew an 18-point lead and lost in the first round to No. 4 Auburn on Monday.
“Our bench, I thought, was the best it’s been so far this year,” Otzelberger said after the reserve unit outscored Dayton’s 30-12.
–Field Level Media
