No. 8 Arizona Basketball starts slow, rallies to beat Colorado

Feb 18, 2023; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa (25) drives to the net Colorado Buffaloes guard KJ Simpson (2) and forward Tristan da Silva (23) during the second half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2023; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa (25) drives to the net Colorado Buffaloes guard KJ Simpson (2) and forward Tristan da Silva (23) during the second half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports /
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TUCSON, AZ – No. 8 Arizona Basketball (24-4, 13-4) overcame a slow start but rallied to beat Colorado (15-13, 7-10), beating the Buffaloes, 78-68.  

Looking to close out the weekend on a high note, No. 8 Arizona Basketball was back in action as they took on Colorado after dominating Utah on Thursday evening.

Taking on a talented but inconsistent Colorado team, the Wildcats were the favorite in this one; however, it didn’t start in Arizona’s favor. Falling behind by as many as 12 early on, luckily, the Wildcats were able to rally and control the rest of the game.

Together, the Wildcats shot a combined 49.1 percent from the field, including 5-13 (38.5 percent) from three, as Arizona came away with a convincing, 78-68 win!

Despite Azuolas Tubelis getting into early foul trouble once again, the Wildcats received some big-time contributions elsewhere in this one!

Oumar Ballo led the way, scoring a team-high 18 points while grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds, meanwhile, Cedric Henderson, Jr. added with 15 points on 6-8 shooting and Pelle Larsson added with 11 points while shooting 9-11 from the charity stripe.

Tubelis did still end the game scoring a very respectable 13 points on 5-10 shooting!

Despite Colorado pulling ahead early on, No. 8 Arizona Basketball responded with a 40-16 run to cruise in their 10-point win over the Buffaloes.

Looking to close its week out on a high note, Arizona returned to action with a favorable matchup against the Colorado Buffaloes.

However, from the tip, this one wasn’t pretty. Allowing the Buffaloes to control the tempo early on, Colorado found its offensive rhythm as they opened the game on an 18-6 run.

Luckily, the Wildcats wouldn’t go quietly in this one, responding with a 17-4 run to pull ahead 23-22 after Kylan Boswell rocked the crowd with an electric reverse layup!

Colorado would regain the lead momentarily, and fortunately for us, Arizona responded once again with a 23-10 run to lead 46-34 at halftime, completing their 40-16 run after falling behind by 12 early on.

Looking to continue its dominant play, the Wildcats would begin to pull away a bit in the second half, leading by as many as 17 with 4:19 to play, but unfortunately, Colorado wouldn’t go quietly in this one, responding with a bit of a run to make this a bit closer than it actually was.

Luckily, Arizona would hang tough in the end, coming away with a convincing, 78-68 win!

With the win, the Wildcats improve to 24-4 (13-4) on the season and will resume basketball action next Saturday when they take on rival ASU in Tucson! Tip-off against the Sun Devils is set for 12:00 PM MST!

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