LAS VEGAS – Josh Scott had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Askia Booker added 20 points, and Colorado pulled away for a 78-71 victory over Oregon State in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament Wednesday night.
Colorado (15-16) traded shots with Beavers in an entertaining first half before stretching its lead in the second half behind Booker and Scott.
Booker hit three 3-pointers during a key run midway through the second half and 9-of-10 free throws overall. Scott made 4-of-8 shots and all eight of his free throws.
Tre’Shaun Fletcher added 12 points for 10th-seeded Colorado, which will move on to face second-seeded Oregon in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
No. 7 seed Oregon State (17-14) had a hard time containing Booker and the Buffs in the second half, allowing them to hit 13-of-23 shots.
Gary Payton II and Malcolm Duvivier had 17 points each, and Olaf Schaftenaar added 16 for the Beavers.
The Beavers were the surprise of the early Pac-12 season, winning five of their first seven games, including a home victory over Arizona.
Oregon State stumbled over the second half of conference after a rash of injuries and closed with six losses in seven games. The only shot at the NCAA Tournament was to win the Pac-12, and the NIT is not a given without a strong conference tournament.
Injuries to Scott and Xavier Johnson stung the Buffaloes in January, leading to their first losing record – so far – in five seasons under head coach Tad Boyle.
One of Colorado’s losses was to Oregon State on Feb. 21, when the Buffaloes had trouble with the Beavers’ zone and scored 12 first-half points in a 72-58 loss.
Colorado was much better than that in the rematch, with Scott scoring 12 points on his own in the first half.
Oregon State was pretty good, too, casting up one 3-pointer after another. The free-shooting Beavers shot 16 times from behind the 3-point arc, making seven. Duvivier led the way, scoring 13 points to help Oregon State take a 40-38 lead at halftime.
Oregon State’s freewheeling ways didn’t work early in the second half; the Beavers had trouble getting good looks and missed a few open ones.
Booker, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to miss after going 0-for-5 from the floor in the first half. Shooting without hesitation, he hit consecutive 3-pointers and added another during an 8-0 run that put Colorado up 63-54 midway through.
Oregon State made a small run and chipped away at the lead, but Colorado kept knocking down shots to keep them at bay.
The Buffaloes had a 39-26 advantage rebounding and made 24-of-26 free throws.
The Beavers have been outrebounded in 14 consecutive games. Oregon State scored 20 points off Colorado’s 18 turnovers.
