BOULDER, Colo. (AP) Josh Scott had 21 points and eight rebounds, and Colorado coach Tad Boyle faced Northern Colorado for the first time since leaving for Boulder as the Buffaloes beat the Bears 93-68 on Saturday afternoon.
Scott, who went 0 for 7 from the field and scored two points in the loss Wednesday to Colorado State, had six quick points and three crowd-igniting blocks during an 11-3 run in first four minutes of the second half to lead the Buffs after a slow start in the opening half.
Askia Booker added 11 of his game-high 20 points in the second for the Buffs, who then went on a 19-3 run down the stretch to take a commanding 88-63 lead with 3:12 remaining.
Cameron Michael scored 16 points and went 4 for 6 from the perimeter to lead the Bears, who were 8 for 10 from the 3-point line in the first half.
The Buffs looked to have things under control in the first half - for a few moments, anyway.
Booker hit one of his career-high five 3s while falling down, and Wesley Gordon went to the line and hit successive free throws as the Buffs took a 36-31 lead with 6:12 left in the half. Jaron Hopkins then went coast-to-coast after the Bears missed a layup and extended the lead to 38-31 with a one-handed dunk a few moments later.
But Colorado had three of turnovers in the final three minutes of the first half, and Northern Colorado closed the half on a 5-0 run to cut the lead to 44-42.
The Bears couldn't sustain their lights-out shooting, though. Not even close. They hit seven of their first eight 3-pointers, but went just 10 of 18 from deep by the game's end.
Michael and fellow-sophomore guard Jordan Wilson both went 3 for 3 from the perimeter in the first half to kept Northern Colorado close.
Tevin Svihovec made an uncontested layup to knot the game at 31-31 with 7:13 left in the first.
TIP INS
Colorado: Freshmen Dominique Collier and Tory Smith missed the game with injuries. Collier, a highly-touted guard from nearby Denver East High School, missed his second consecutive game with a sprained wrist. Smith sat after hitting his head during a team practice.
Northern Colorado: Senior guard Tevin Svihovec was the last remaining player on the UNC roster to be recruited by Boyle. He scored 13 points and went 5 of 15 shooting.
UP NEXT
The Buffaloes host DePaul on Dec. 22.
Northern Colorado travels to face the Omaha Mavericks on Wednesday.
