The Colorado Buffaloes bounced back from their first loss of the season a week ago, and now they’ll have to respond again after falling to in-state rival No. 20 Colorado State on Wednesday night.
Colorado (5-2) pivots to host Pepperdine on Sunday afternoon.
No one is looking for more of a rebound than senior Tristan da Silva, who struggled in the loss to the Rams. da Silva scored 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds on Wednesday night but was 3-for-11 from the field, missed all five of his 3-point attempts, and has had troubles away from home.
It’s not a concern for head coach Tad Boyle.
“I’m sure he’s frustrated,” Boyle said. “But the nice thing about coaching seniors is you kind of know what they’re made of. You know what kind of character they have, what kind of toughness they have, if they can fight through tough stretches. And there’s no doubt in my mind Tristan is one of those guys who can do that.”
The Waves (4-5) won three of their first four games this season before dropping four straight. That streak ended with a 77-62 win over Idaho State on Tuesday in a game where senior Houston Mallette eclipsed 1,000 points for his career.
Mallette has given coach Lorenzo Romar a lot to be proud of in his time at the school.
“It’s been an experience like no other,” Romar said after Tuesday’s win. “He’s so passionate about being the best at whatever he does. He works, he’s in the gym all the time and yet he’s a good student.”
The Waves face a tough task in Boulder on Sunday. The Buffaloes have won all of their home games comfortably and da Silva has played well on his campus, averaging 16.5 points a game in the wins.
Boyle is confident da Silva can translate that to the road.
“Tristan has worked hard on his game. He’s a good shooter,” Boyle said. “He’ll work himself out of it.”
–Field Level Media