Buffs Stumble in Second Half Against KSU

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Junior Richard Roby led the Buffs with 26 points, but Colorado could not hold a half-time lead, as the hot-shooting Wildcats shot 67 percent from the floor in the second half to win 87-71 Saturday afternoon.  Freshman Xavier Silas chipped in 17 points for the Buffs.

Cartier Martin came off the bench to score 19, Clent Stewart added 16 and Blake Young had 13.

Huggins joins Lon Kruger as the only coaches for the Wildcats to record 20 wins in their inaugural seasons. Kruger went 20-11 in 1986-87.

It's also the first time the Wildcats (20-9, 9-5 Big 12) have won 20 games in the regular season since 1987-88. They won 20 in 1998-99 but didn't record No. 20 until the Big 12 Tournament.

The Buffaloes (6-18, 2-12) lost their ninth game at Coors Events Center this season, the most home losses in school history. They've now dropped five straight and nine of their last 10.

It's Kansas State's first sweep of the Buffaloes since 1992. The Wildcats beat Colorado 78-59 in Manhattan, Kan., on Feb. 10.

The Buffaloes went more than five minutes without a basket early in the second half, allowing the Wildcats to break open a tie game with a 13-0 run. Kansas State's 58 points in the second half was a season high.

The Wildcats had a big run in the first half, only to see Colorado rally back into the game. After falling behind early, Kansas State went on a 17-3 run to take a 21-15 lead with 7:54 remaining in the first half. However, the Buffaloes regrouped and went into the locker room leading 30-29 after Dwight Thorne hit a 3-pointer with 49 seconds to go before halftime.

Huggins coached Roby's half brother, Kenyon Martin, while the two were at Cincinnati. Martin plays down the road for the Denver Nuggets, but he's been out after microfracture surgery on his knee early in the season. Martin was a consensus national player of the year his senior season for Huggins, averaging 18.9 points.

The Buffs have two games left before the Big 12 Tournament, starting with a road game at Missouri on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m.