Jabari Walker had 17 points, including a key three-point play late, and added 10 rebounds as Colorado held on to beat Eastern Washington 60-57 on Wednesday in Boulder, Colo.
Steele Venters scored 23 points while Mason Landdeck and Ethan Price had 11 points each for the Eagles (4-5).
Colorado (7-3) led by eight at halftime and scored the first four points of the second half, but the Eagles hung tough. Rylan Bergersen sank a 3-pointer for his first points of the game and added two layups, and Venters scored four quick points during a 15-4 run that cut the deficit to 47-46 with 8:40 remaining.
The Buffaloes broke a seven-minute scoring drought on a layup by Elijah Parquet, but Venters hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 49 with 7:04 left.
Tristan da Silva’s dunk put Colorado back in front, but Price hit a layup to tie it again with 5:39 left. The Buffaloes turned it over on their next two possessions and Landdeck turned those giveaways into four points and a 55-51 lead for Eastern Washington with 4:35 left.
Colorado’s Evan Battey converted a three-point play with 2:55 left to bring the hosts within 55-54. The Eagles missed a 3-point attempt on the other end, and Walker completed a three-point play to put Colorado back in front.
Down 59-57, Eastern Washington missed shots on three straight possessions but had a chance to tie at the buzzer after Walker missed three of four late free throws. However, Venters’ tying 3-point attempt was off.
Eastern Washington led 6-0 early on a three-point play and a 3-pointer, but the Buffaloes came back strong, scoring the next 14 points.
The Eagles answered with another six points to cut the deficit to 14-12 before Colorado produced a 15-4 run to lead 29-16.
Walker hit a layup with 6:29 left to make it 33-18, Colorado’s biggest lead of the half, but Eastern Washington made a run before halftime. The Eagles held the Buffaloes without a field goal for the final 2:34, and led by Venters’ 14 points in the first half, cut the deficit to 39-31 heading to intermission.
–Field Level Media
