KJ Simpson scored 23 points, Luke O’Brien had 18 points, and the Colorado Buffaloes beat the Utah Tech Trailblazers 98-71 on Thursday night in Boulder, Colo.
Eddie Lampkin Jr. had 16 points and nine rebounds, Tristan da Silva contributed 15 points and J’Vonne Hadley had 11 points for Colorado. The Buffaloes (9-2) have won four straight.
Aric Demings and Noa Gonsalves scored 14 points each and Beon Riley added 10 points for Utah Tech (5-7).
Colorado took control of the game from the opening tip. Lampkin started with two free throws, O’Brien hit a 3-pointer and Simpson scored the next five points as the Buffaloes raced out to a 10-0 lead in the first 4:18.
Gonsalves got the Trailblazers on the board with a layup 20 seconds later, but Colorado kept adding to its advantage. Hadley made two layups, da Silva scored off a turnover, Simpson drained another from deep and Lampkin hit a layup to make it 21-4 with 11:04 left in the first half.
Demings’ jumper temporarily stopped the onslaught, but the Buffaloes had another surge, this one an 11-3 run that made it 32-9.
Utah Tech tried to chip away, getting within 19 points on a jumper from Una Turay. However, O’Brien made a layup, Simpson hit again from deep and Lampkin went 2-for-4 from the line to give Colorado a 43-17 lead late in the first half.
Two free throws from Angleo Kambala cut the Trailblazers’ deficit to 46-25 at intermission.
The lead fluctuated between 19 and 23 points in the first five minutes of the second half, and then Utah Tech coach Jon Judkins picked up a technical foul with his team down 60-38. Da Silva made all three free throws and Simpson hit again from deep to put the Buffaloes ahead 66-40.
The Trailblazers scored the next six points, but Colorado kept them at bay the rest of the game. Utah Tech got as close as 18 midway through the second half but never threatened to make it a game.
–Field Level Media