Colorado secured an 84-73 victory over Portland State on Wednesday evening at the CU Events Center, with freshman Isaiah Johnson contributing 20 points off the bench and leading a decisive late-game run. The Buffaloes overcame early deficits and managed to hold off a persistent Vikings squad in a game played without fans due to high winds, power outages, and hazardous road conditions.
Attendance was limited to 101 people, mainly family and friends of players from both teams. CU Athletics and the CU Division of Public Safety made the decision for safety reasons.
“Kind of a weird night tonight for the Buffaloes,” Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle said. “It took me back a few years ago when we played in this building with hardly anybody here — except there weren’t even as many fans as there were tonight. It was basically just some employees and family friends.
“It was a good win in a very unique environment, more like a scrimmage than a basketball game. But we beat a good team — that’s a good basketball team we beat — so you’ve got to take that, be proud of it, and move on.”
Bangot Dak recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Alon Michaeli contributed nine points and 10 rebounds. Barrington Hargress added 15 points while Sebastian Rancik scored 12. Seven Colorado players had at least seven points each; Josiah Sanders finished with nine points, Felix Kossaras with seven.
Hargress led with six assists while Rancik had four steals defensively. Hargress and Johnson each tallied three steals; Dak led in blocked shots with two.
Colorado trailed during the first 12 minutes but never fell behind again after briefly losing the lead late in the first half. The Buffs struggled to build more than a five-point advantage until an 11-2 run late in the second half gave them control of the game.
“We finally got some stops strung together down the stretch, and that allowed us to take it from two or three points to eight or ten, and then we were able to hold them off,” Boyle said.
Portland State’s Jaylin Henderson scored 23 points while Terri Miller Jr. added 16; together they accounted for most of their team’s scoring during one stretch in the second half.
The Buffs will next travel to Arizona for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series Phoenix where they will face Stanford on Saturday at 6 p.m., televised on ESPNU. Arizona will play San Diego State in another matchup at that event.
