DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Colorado overcame a 10-point second-half deficit Tuesday to force overtime but the No. 18 Buffaloes came up short in the extra period, falling 77-71 to Florida State in the Sunshine Slam championship game.
Tad Boyle‘s Buffs fell to 4-1 overall while the Seminoles improved to 4-1.
Cold shooting doomed the Buffs, as CU shot just 35 percent from the floor (25-for-72), including 5-for-20 from 3-point range. Colorado also committed 20 turnovers, which the Seminoles converted into 19 points.
The Seminoles shot 47 percent for the game (25-for-57), but were 15-for-28 in the second half and overtime, including 4-for-4 in the extra period.
Cody Williams led CU with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Colorado’s two leading scorers for the young season, KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva, both suffered poor shooting nights. Simpson finished with 15 points on 5-for-22 shooting (1-for-6 from long range) while da Silva had eight points on 2-for-9 shooting.
FSU had four players in double figures, led by Jalen Warley with 19.
In a game that featured nine lead changes and 13 ties, Colorado held a 30-27 edge at the break. FSU used a 20-7 run early in the second half to take a 10-point lead, but Colorado quickly put together a 10-0 run to tie the game.
The Buffs fell behind again but used an 8-0 surge to regain the lead, only to go scoreless over the last 2:48 of regulation as FSU rallied to force overtime.
Florida State then scored the first nine minutes of the extra period to take control for good.
“We gave one away,” a disappointed Boyle said after the game. “We were not very good. We knew Florida State was going to pressure, but when you have 20 turnovers against anybody, it’s going to be hard to win. … When something like this happens, it’s hard to blame anyone but the coach. I’ve got to do a better job.”
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado led 30-27 at the half but a cold start and some hot Seminole shooting from long range resulted in FSU taking a 10-point lead early in the second half. Florida State opened the period with a 20-7 run that included four 3-pointers and CU trailed, 47-37, less than seven minutes into the half.
But the Buffs rallied. Colorado put together a 10-0 run, capped by a Simpson 3-pointer, to tie the game at 47-47.
FSU then regained the lead, taking a 55-49 edge before Colorado staged another rally. J’Vonne Hadley sparked an 8-0 run with a pair of baskets and two da Silva free throws gave CU a 57-55 edge with 4:24 to play in regulation.
CU then took a 60-57 lead on a 3-pointer from Julian Hammond III before the Seminoles tied it with 1:15 on the clock — and that’s how regulation play ended, with both teams coming up empty on offensive possessions in the final minute.
Florida State then took control early in the overtime, scoring the first nine points of the period and a CU rally in the final minute came up short.
“Our guys battled, our guys competed,” Boyle said. “It’s not a toughness factor, it’s not a competitiveness factor, it’s not not being ready to play. It was just simply taking care of the basketball and taking great shots and the ability to finish and we weren’t good enough with that tonight.”
Shooting woes hounded the Buffs for nearly the entire game. CU was just 4-for-17 from the floor to open the first half and while the Seminoles were also having a tough time finding the bucket, FSU finally put together a 6-0 run to take an 18-12 lead with 7 minutes to play in the half.
But the Buffs finally found their shooting eye coming out of a timeout. Williams hit a bucket from the lane to start a 9-0 run that included a pair of KJ Simpson buckets (both off feeds from Tristan da Silva), a Williams free throw and two charity tosses from da Silva.
With four minutes to go in the half, Colorado held a 21-18 lead, and they extended the margin to 23-19 on a Luke O’Brien dunk at the 3:31 mark.
Florida State rallied to tie the game at 27-27 before Julian Hammond III drained a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to give Colorado a 30-27 lead at the break.
TURNING POINT: Colorado gave up two quick buckets to FSU to open the overtime, aided by a Buffs turnover. The Seminoles scored the first nine points of the period and CU had no answer.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado will likely slip out of the top 25 after the loss. CU also let an opportunity for a quality neutral court win slip away.
KEY STATISTICS: CU shot just 35 percent from the floor (25-for-72), including 5-for-20 from 3-point range … Colorado committed 20 turnovers that the Seminoles converted into 19 points … The Seminoles shot 47 percent for the game (25-for-57), but were 15-for-28 in the second half and overtime, including 4-for-4 in the extra period.
NEXT UP: The Buffs return home for a noon game Sunday against Iona at the CU Events Center (Pac-12 Network).
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Story by Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com. Content courtesy of the University of Colorado at Boulder.