Buffaloes' Charge Falls Short Against Trojans at Galen Center

In a closely contested conference game, the Colorado Buffaloes, ranked 11th, faced off against the 7th-ranked USC Trojans at the Galen Center. The Buffaloes entered the fray with an impressive offensive display but ultimately fell short with a final score of 81-87. The Trojans edged out to maintain their lead in a game that saw four ties and five lead changes.

The Colorado Buffaloes showcased their offensive capabilities by sinking 28 of their 49 field goal attempts, translating to an efficient field goal percentage of 57. Their sharpshooting extended beyond the arc as well, where they converted seven out of thirteen three-point shots for an impressive three-point percentage of 54. Inside the paint was another area where Colorado excelled, racking up 36 points.

Despite these strong offensive numbers, it was on defense where challenges arose for Colorado. They managed only one block throughout the contest compared to four from USC. Additionally, while both teams were aggressive in pursuit of steals – eight for Colorado and seven for USC – it was clear that maintaining possession was crucial; Colorado turned over the ball sixteen times.

Colorado's playmaking abilities were on full display with twenty-two assists contributing to their scoring efforts; however, this was somewhat offset by a less favorable assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.47 when compared to USC's ratio.

Rebounding also proved pivotal in this matchup as both teams fought hard under the boards. The Buffaloes grabbed twenty rebounds (five offensive and thirteen defensive), while personal rebounds stood at eighteen. On second-chance points though, they managed to score eight points which showed tenacity in following up shots.

A standout statistic for Colorado was free throw shooting; they made eighteen out of twenty-eight attempts from the line which amounted to a free throw percentage rounded down slightly below average at sixty-four percent.

As fans look ahead after this intense battle on court, attention now turns toward future contests for redemption and victory. The next challenge awaiting them is against UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles on February 26th at 7:00 PM local time (Mountain Time). Fans eager to follow along can tune into ESPN2 for live coverage as COLO aims to bounce back from this setback with renewed vigor and focus on securing a win away from home.