Brutal second half derails Buffaloes in loss to Ducks

The Colorado Buffaloes came into Thursday night having lost four of their last five and hoping that a home matchup against the only team they defeated in that stretch, the Oregon Ducks, would be just thing the thing they needed to get back on track. In the first half, it looked like that might just be the case. But a 16-point second half gave the Buffaloes a 66-51 loss and continued an ugly streak. Tad Boyle was unable to coach the Buffaloes Thursday night due to COVID-19.

The CU Events Center didn’t take long to get loud, even with a less than expected turnout, thanks mainly to the great first half from Keeshawn Barthelemy. Barthelemy poured in 16 points in propelling the Buffaloes to a lead as large as five points. A buzzer-beating three from the Ducks allowed them to take a one-point, 36-35 lead into the half.

The energy we saw the team harnessing couldn’t be sustained in the second half and when the shots stopped falling, the Ducks found a way to run away with the game. Oregon outscored Colorado 30 - 16 after the intermission, turning a 40-40 tie with under seventeen minutes to go into a 15-point blowout loss. Barthelemy didn’t score in the second half but his 16 points still led the Buffs by five points over the next high scorer, Jabari Walker with 11.

For the Ducks, Jacob Young finished with 21 points on 8-17 shooting.

Next up for the Buffaloes is a home matchup against an Oregon State squad that just got blown out at Utah. Tip off is at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.