KJ Simpson and Eddie Lampkin Jr. each had double-doubles to lead the third-seeded Buffaloes to a 72-58 win over No. 6 seed Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals Thursday from Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. It marked the seventh straight victory for Tad Boyle’s squad, who will take on second-seeded Washington State in the semifinals on Friday.
Colorado surged out to a 27-13 first-half lead after a Tristan da Silva three-pointer at the 10:29 mark. Utah came storming back with a 15-0 run to take a 28-27 lead on a Gabe Madsen layup with 5:08 remaining. The Buffaloes quickly countered and led 33-30 going into the break. Colorado never relinquished their lead in the second half. The Utes cut the lead to four on a Branden Carlson jumper with 15:57 left, but the Buffaloes had an answer. Colorado built as much as a 17-point lead in the second half, before closing with the 14-point victory.
Simpson finished with a game-high 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Lampkin Jr. had 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Da Silva added 14 points and six rebounds. Star freshman Cody Williams, who hadn’t played since injuring his ankle against Utah on February 24, came off the bench for six points in 24 minutes of action. Carlson and Hunter Erickson had 13 points each to lead Utah.
Game time for Colorado’s semifinals matchup against Washington State is set for 10:30pm ET and can be seen on Fox Sports 1. The Buffaloes and Cougars split the regular season series with each team winning on their home court. Colorado is 19-8 all-time against Washington State, including a 2-1 in Pac-12 Tournament play.
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