CU Buffs men’s basketball holds off Montana State in season opening OT thriller

Season openers thin to beryllium memorable games anyway.

For a new-look Colorado men’s hoops squad playing a regular play crippled successful beforehand of fans astatine the CU Events Center for the archetypal clip successful much than 20 months, the country that unfolded Tuesday nighttime mightiness beryllium 1 these Buffaloes volition bring up often astatine aboriginal reunions.

CU trailed by 13 points aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional and overcame a 10-point shortage with 8 minutes remaining to stun Montana State for a 94-90 overtime victory. CU improved to 10-2 successful play openers nether caput manager Tad Boyle, and it was the Buffs’ 14th consecutive triumph successful a location opener.

Montana State led 38-35 astatine halftime aft Washington transportation RaeQuoan Battle swished a 3-pointer astatine the buzzer, and the Bobcats opened the 2nd fractional with a 13-3 run.

Montana State led 68-58 earlier the Buffs mounted a rally, reeling disconnected a 15-5 tally capped by a dunk from Nique Clifford that tied the crippled 73-73. The crippled remained tied astatine 75-75 erstwhile Montana State’s Xavier Bishop drained a 30-footer arsenic the changeable timepiece expired. The Bobcats added 2 escaped throws from Abdul Mohamed, putting the Buffs successful a five-point spread with 53.1 seconds remaining.

However, connected a nighttime marred by foul occupation and ill-timed turnovers for CU, the Buffs didn’t flinch. Evan Battey connected connected a brace of escaped throws with 43.1 seconds remaining and, aft the Bobcats missed 2 escaped throws with 38 seconds left, CU elder defender Elijah Parquet knocked down a clutch 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining, tying the crippled 80-80.

The Buffs got a antiaircraft halt and forced overtime, promptly scoring the archetypal 5 points of the other session. A fewer missed escaped throws successful the last infinitesimal kept things close, but the Buffs managed to clasp disconnected the Bobcats.

Point defender Keeshawn Barthelemy led 5 Buffs players successful treble figures with 19 points. Parquet finished with a career-high 17 points and Battey finished with 16 points.

Colorado 94, Montana St. 90, OT

MONTANA ST. (0-1)

Belo 6-7 4-5 16, Mohamed 5-13 3-3 16, Adamu 5-9 2-2 14, Bishop 3-12 2-3 11, Patterson 4-10 0-0 10, Battle 3-6 0-0 8, Lecholat 4-5 1-1 9, Osobor 2-2 0-0 4, Tynes 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 33-69 12-14 90.

COLORADO (1-0)

Battey 6-6 3-5 16, Walker 4-8 4-5 14, da Silva 1-2 4-4 6, Barthelemy 6-11 4-5 19, Parquet 5-11 6-9 17, Clifford 3-7 4-6 11, O’Brien 1-3 0-0 2, Lovering 1-4 1-1 3, Simpson 2-5 1-2 6. Totals 29-57 27-37 94.

Halftime – Montana St. 38-35. 3-Point Goals – Montana St. 12-30 (Mohamed 3-6, Bishop 3-9, Adamu 2-3, Battle 2-3, Patterson 2-7, Lecholat 0-1, Tynes 0-1), Colorado 9-19 (Barthelemy 3-3, Walker 2-4, Battey 1-1, Simpson 1-2, Clifford 1-3, Parquet 1-5, da Silva 0-1). Fouled Out – Bishop, Battle, Lovering. Rebounds – Montana St. 26 (Mohamed 9), Colorado 35 (Clifford 9). Assists – Montana St. 22 (Tynes 4), Colorado 14 (Barthelemy 5). Total Fouls – Montana St. 27, Colorado 17.