Colorado aims to remain undefeated when the Buffaloes host Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday night in Boulder, Colo.
The Buffaloes (2-0), Pac-12 Tournament runners-up last season before joining the Big 12 this summer, come off a 90-88 double-overtime win over Northern Colorado on Friday. Elijah Malone, a transfer from NAIA-level Grace College, led Colorado with 27 points and is averaging 15.5 points and six rebounds this season.
Colorado outrebounded both of its first two opponents by 10 or more, but the Buffaloes also lost the turnover battle in each game.
Despite committing 21 turnovers on Friday, Colorado prevailed to secure Tad Boyle his 300th win as the Buffaloes’ head coach.
“It means I’ve been here a long time and we’ve had a lot of good players,” said Boyle, who is 300-183 in his 15th season at Colorado. “It means I’ve had a lot of good assistant coaches. But I know when I wake up tomorrow I’ll be thinking of how we get to 301.”
Colorado is 195-40 at home under Boyle and 98-8 in nonconference home games.
Cal State Fullerton (0-2) lost its opener 89-79 at Grand Canyon, an NCAA Tournament team last season, before falling 80-53 at Stanford last Friday. The Titans will now face the Buffaloes for the second time in program history before closing its season-opening, four-game trip at Oregon State on Friday.
Cal State Fullerton shot just 13-of-40 (32.5 percent) from the floor on Friday against the Cardinal and conceded 19 points off turnovers. The Titans trailed by just three points at halftime before being outscored 50-26 after the break.
“Win or lose, you have to stay together and you have to compete,” head coach Dedrique Taylor said after the loss. “In the second 20 minutes, I didn’t feel like we did that and it showed.”
John Mikey Square leads Cal State Fullerton with 10.5 points per game, Kaleb Brown adds 10 points and Donovan Oday chips in 9.5 points.
–Field Level Media
