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Wednesday, December 21
Boulder, Colo.
5:00 PM

Colorado

86
vs
78

Southern Utah

Photo by: DC

Buffs Top SUU To Give Boyle CU Win Record

December 21, 2022 | Men's Basketball

BOULDER — Tad Boyle stepped into history Wednesday.

Colorado put four players in double figures and the Buffaloes knocked off Southern Utah 86-78 to make Boyle the winningest coach in CU men's basketball history.

The win was No. 262 for Boyle in his 13 years in Boulder, surpassing the 261 of legendary Buffs coach Sox Walseth, whose name graces the court at the CU Events Center.

CU improved to 8-5 with its fourth straight win while the Thunderbirds fell to 8-5.

KJ Simpson led CU with 21 points while Tristan da Silva added 20 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Nique Clifford scored 14 and Julian Hammond III chipped in 11.

Harrison Butler led SUU with 18.

Boyle was honored with a post-game tribute that featured video clips from former players and coaches and a hardy crowd of 5,100 braved Wednesday's blizzard to stay and cheer.

 "This does not happen by accident, and I've got a lot of support, a lot of love," Boyle said. " And the one thing I want you fans to know is we are not done yet. I've never felt more excited about the future of Colorado basketball than I do today."

Boyle also made special mention of four CU staffers who have been with the program since he took the reins in 2010: associate head coach Mike Rohn, director of operations Bill Cartun, assistant to the head coach Marge Marcy and academic coordinator Mindy Sclaro.

"These four people deserve just as much credit as I do, as do our former coaches, every former player and every current player," Boyle said. "It's not about me. It's about them. It's about what we do together as a team."

HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado had to work for the win. The Buffs led by as much as 12 late in the first half, but had just a four-point cushion at intermission, 38-34.

The Thunderbirds then erased CU's edge after halftime, taking a 44-42 lead less than four minutes in. The two teams then traded the lead several times over the next four minutes, with SUU taking a 57-55 edge with 11 minutes to play.

But the Buffs finally took control for good with a 13-0 run. Da Silva had seven points in the burst, including a 3-pointer, Clifford added four and a Javon Ruffin bucket inside with 6:07 to play gave CU a 73-59 edge.

Colorado then kept the Thunderbirds at bay down the stretch. SUU managed to close the gap to single digits in the final minute but the Buffs made seven key free throws to hold on for the win and put Boyle atop CU's record book.

"It was a grind out there," da Silva said. "But we fought and gave ourselves a chance to win in the end."

The Thunderbirds were clearly not intimidated by the Pac-12 Buffs. Colorado trailed by seven early after the SUU buried four 3-pointers in the first seven minutes.

But the Buffs used an 11-0 run to take control. Clifford had five points in the surge, Jalen Gabbidon drained a long 3-pointer and a Julian Hammond III layup gave Colorado a 20-16 lead with just more than 11 minutes to go in the half.

Colorado then slowly built its lead into double digits with a pair of 8-0 runs. Tristan da Silva had four in the first to help CU to a 30-21 lead before Clifford had four points in the second run to give Colorado a 38-26 cushion with 3:05 to play.

But the Thunderbirds refused to let the game get out of reach. SUU hit two 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the half while Colorado went scoreless and CU took a 38-34 edge into intermission.

TURNING POINT: Colorado trailed 57-55 midway through the second half. But minutes later CU put together a 13-0 run to take a 73-59 lead and the Buffs were in control the rest of the way.

WHAT IT MEANS: Boyle now sits atop the list of the program's all-time wins, and will likely add significantly to the total over the next several years.

KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs shot just 3-for-17 from 3-point range but shot 28-for-49 from two-point range to make up for their long-range woes … The Buffs held SUU to 41 percent shooting (27-for-66) … Colorado had a 42-37 edge on the boards and outscored the Thunderbirds 52-30 in the paint, despite the absence of big men Lawson Lovering and Luke O'Brien (out with injuries).

NEXT UP: The Buffs have a brief holiday break, then return to action with a two-game Pac-12 trip to the Bay Area. Colorado plays a 9 p.m. game at Stanford on Dec. 29 (ESPNU), followed by a 4 p.m. game at Cal on Dec. 31 (Pac-12 Network).

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu