Colorado’s men’s basketball team was unable to contain Baylor on either end of the court, resulting in an 86-67 loss at Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas, on Wednesday night.
With this defeat, the Buffaloes dropped to a 13-10 overall record and 3-7 in Big 12 play. Baylor improved to 13-9 and matched Colorado’s conference record at 3-7.
Head coach Tad Boyle reflected on his team’s performance, saying, “I thought in the first half, our youth really showed in terms of letting our frustrations on offense bleed over into defense and and that can’t happen, not on the road,” Boyle commented. “We’re going to struggle at times on offense, and we did tonight. We miss shots at the rim that we normally finish. Missed some free throws, just little things like that that we just didn’t quite have it.”
Jalin Holland led Colorado with a career-high 12 points. Barrington Hargress added 11 points while Isaiah Johnson and freshman Ian Inman each contributed 10 points; it was Inman’s first time reaching double figures.
Baylor played most of the game with a seven-man rotation. Freshman Tounde Yessoufou led all scorers with 27 points and seven rebounds.
Boyle noted Yessoufou’s impact: “They like to play through him in the post,” Boyle said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s athletic, and he can get his own shot. He was a man amongst boys tonight.”
Turnovers were a persistent problem for Colorado; they committed nine turnovers in the first half alone (10 total for the game), allowing Baylor to capitalize offensively. The Buffs shot just 40 percent from the field after making eight of their last eleven attempts late in the contest.
Colorado kept pace early but fell behind by nine points midway through the first half before Baylor closed out with a decisive run to lead by 24 at halftime—a margin they maintained throughout.
In the second half, Colorado forced several turnovers but could not reduce Baylor’s lead below nineteen points.
The Buffaloes will next face Arizona State at home on Saturday, Feb. 7 at CU Events Center. The game is scheduled for broadcast on ESPN2.
