Colorado Can't Hold Second Half Lead, Falls To California 57-50

Colorado disappointingly lost to California tonight 57-50. Colorado definitely came out better than expected, but they should have won this game. They went into halftime with all the momentum and had a seven point lead at the break. They stayed close with Cal in the second half, but careless turnovers and poor shot selection doomed the Buffaloes down the stretch. Austin Dufault led the way with 19 points and Andre Roberson added 11 points. However, that was not enough due to the 17 turnovers Colorado committed. Overall, it was a surprising road performance, but the Buffaloes should have won this game.

Things the Buffaloes did well: The defense was outstanding the whole game and has been the main reason for Colorado's impressive play as of late. Andre Roberson had a great game in limited minutes and continues to rebound well as he added 14 rebounds in tonight's game. More importantly, Austin Dufault kept up his strong play in Pac-12 games. Dufault was 3-4 from the three point line and 6-7 from the free throw line and helped keep Colorado in the game in the second half.

Things the Buffaloes struggled with: The Buffaloes struggled offensively tonight. Carlon Brown was 3-10 from the field, Roberson was 4-12, and Dinwiddie was 1-5. Some of the inefficient shooting had to do with Cal's defense, but they couldn't make some easy shots and the bigs couldn't finish around the rim. Spencer Dinwiddie got into foul trouble once again. Because of this, he was not able to get into a rhythm at all. Colorado needs to take smarter shots against better defensive teams if they want to continue to contend in the Pac-12.

Up Next: The Buffaloes take on Stanford on Saturday. Before this game, I expected Colorado to lose to Stanford. However, if Colorado comes out with the same defensive intensity as tonight, they should be able to win. A split would be crucial for the Buffaloes to keep their standing in the Pac-12.