Anthony Dell'Orso scored 20 points on 7-11 from the field and 6-9 on three-point attempts and Tobe Awaka scored with points with 15 rebounds, including eight on the offensive boards and Arizona pulled away late to beat Colorado 78-63 on Saturday afternoon at McKale Center.
Arizona used 17-4 to stretch a six-point lead with 7:43 remaining to 70-53 with 3:33 left to put Colorado away. Dell'Orso scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half on 5-8 from the floor and made four of his six three-point field goal attempts. Awaka had four points and four rebounds with four on the offensive glass in the second half.
Arizona continued to receive exceptional play off the bench. K.J. Lewis had 10 points in the second half and Henri Veesaar scored nine as the Wildcats bench outscored Colorado's 21-6 after halftime. Lewis finished with 12 points and Veesaar had nine points, four rebounds and two blocks.
Julian Hammond with 19 points, Javon Ruffin with 12 and Andrej Jakimovski with 10 were the only Colorado players in double figures. Colorado shot 42.9 percent from the floor and made nine of their 19 three-point attempts. Arizona shot 47 percent and made nine of its 27 three-point attempts.
W secured, CU later! pic.twitter.com/DAcJ1v517I
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) January 25, 2025
Arizona struggled to put Colorado away until the 17-4 second-half run. The Wildcats got off to a great start and led 12-5 early in the first half, Colorado had its first lead 26-25 with 3:54 left since they went in front 3-2. Arizona led 33-31 at halftime. The Wildcats outscored the Buffaloes 45-32 in the second half.
With Colorado behind them, Arizona has its biggest game of the season to this point when the Wildcats host Iowa State on Monday night. Iowa State is ranked third nationally and coming off a 76-61 win over Arizona State on Saturday. Iowa State at Arizona will have an 8:30 tip-off on ESPN.