Buffs Rally to Beat Crimson

BOULDER –Redshirt-sophomore Casey Crawford came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points leading the University of Colorado men's basketball team to a 70-57 win over the Harvard Crimson, Saturday afternoon at the Coors Events Center.

This is the first time in 60 years that the two teams have played one another. Colorado now owns a 2-0 record against the Crimson (1-1).

Crawford scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the second half and added a personal-best four three-pointers. Sophomore Cory Higgins added 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds (the third straight game he has led the team in rebounds) for the home team that saw balanced scoring sending four players in double digits for the third straight game.

 Junior Dwight Thorne II and freshman Austin Dufault each added 11 for the Buffs and they improved to 2-1 on the young season.

"Winning is a byproduct of getting better, said CU head coach Jeff Bzdelik. "I'm not worried about winning or losing right now because the results will be there as we continue to get better. I tell them to be fearless. I'm not going to get mad if you miss a shot or try to do the right thing with effort. I want them to be fearless. They are a very unselfish team."

Colorado made a season best 52.5 percent (21-of-40) from the field and hit 77.8 percent (21-of-27) from the free throw line. CU also out-rebounded Harvard, 28-25, a season-first out-rebounding their opponent.

Harvard led at the break holding a 34-29 edge on 52 percent from the field (14-of-25) led by Linn's seven points and career-best three steals. Linn had five for the game.

CU mounted its comeback with under 12 minutes to play when Dufault scored five of his 11 points cutting CU's deficit to 47-45.  

With 6:57 remaining, a three-point play by sophomore Levi Knutson tied it at 49, tying the game for the fifth and final time as the home finally pushed ahead to stay. A three-pointer by Thorne 26 seconds later, then a three-point play by Higgins on CU's next possession pushed the advantage to six points and a 55-49 lead.

CU out-scored Harvard, 41-23 in the second half.

Harvard lived-and-died with the 3-pointer, making 4-of-9 in the first half, helping the Crimson shoot 56 percent from the field (14-of-25). In the second half, Harvard only shot 1-of-8 from the arc ending up with 29.4 percent for the game.

The Crimson was led by Keith Wright with a career-high 18 points and six rebounds, while Lin added 11 points. The Crimson led by as many as nine points in the second half.

CU continues its November home-stand entertaining Lafayette College (Pa.) on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m.

The Buffaloes head to Stanford for their first road game next Saturday, Nov. 29, part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Harwood Series before heading back to Boulder for another four consecutive home games.