STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Colorado coach Tad Boyle liked the way Bryce Peters looked making his first 3-pointer of the second half so much that he called for another perimeter shot from the freshman guard a few moments later.
On a night when the Buffaloes were inconsistent offensively most of the game, it wound up being one of Boyle’s best calls.
Derrick White scored 19 points with eight assists and eight rebounds, Peters made his two 3s as part of a big run in the second half and Colorado held on to beat Stanford 81-74 on Thursday.
“A lot of times you draw that play up and you get a guy a shot and he misses it (but) Bryce knocked it down,” Boyle said. “You recruit guys to do that kind of stuff and he did it. He can get hot, he can make shots for us which sometimes we need him to do. Tonight we needed him to do it and he did it.”
White said Peters’ two 3-pointers gave the Buffaloes a spark.
“Bryce was huge today,” White said. “He plays great defense every game and today he was shooting well. We love what Bryce brings to the table.”
Xavier Johnson had 19 points and six rebounds, Peters scored 13 points and Tory Miller added 10 and seven rebounds to help the Buffaloes (13-10, 3-7 Pac-12) to their third consecutive win following a seven-game losing streak.
The win also the 199th of Boyle’s career, 143 coming with the Buffaloes.
It wasn’t easy or pretty as the two teams They combined for 48 fouls and 35 turnovers, including a season-high 23 by Colorado.
The Buffaloes were held to one basket over the final six minutes but made 9 of 12 free throws down the stretch to seal their seventh consecutive win over the Cardinal.
Marcus Sheffield scored 19 points and Michael Humphrey added 13 points and eight rebounds for Stanford (11-11, 3-7).
“It was a herky-jerky kind of game,” Stanford coach Jerod Haase said. “I didn’t really feel there was a flow to our offense.”
Colorado led 53-49 with 11½ minutes remaining before going on a 17-6 run. Peters made two of his three 3-pointers, including one from 27 feet out, and had two free throws during the run.
“Coach has given me a lot of freedom on the court and I’ve been feeling a lot more confident,” Peters said. “I just came out and played my old way.”
Stanford closed within 72-63 on Humphrey’s jumper with 2:28 left.
Colorado shot nearly 58 percent in the first half but it was misleading. The Buffaloes committed 12 turnovers and managed only three buckets over the final 4 ½ minutes.
Sheffield, who had 15 points before the break, kept Stanford close with three 3-pointers and Josh Sharma added a 19-foot jumper to pull the Cardinal within 41-31 at halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Colorado: The Buffaloes rode the momentum from their stunning win over then-No. 10 Oregon last week to a sometimes sloppy win over the Cardinal. Boyle’s team still has a long way to go to get out of the bottom half of the conference but the view looks a lot better than they did a short time ago. … Colorado leads the all-time series 10-9.
Stanford: The Cardinal appeared to have things turned around with three straight wins in mid-January but that’s a distant memory now. Stanford didn’t play poorly but was inconsistent on the defensive end and were outmuscled inside most of the night.
SEEING THE LIGHT
Colorado’s winning streak feels a lot better considering it began following the team’s seven-game losing streak, the Buffaloes’ longest since 2008-09. “We stayed together and that’s the most important part,” White said. “If you lose seven in a row it’s easy to start blaming or pointing fingers. We have a big stretch in the second half of the Pac-12 season that we need to make a run in.”
UP NEXT
Colorado: The Buffaloes stay in the Bay Area and play at California on Sunday seeking their first-ever win in Berkeley.
Stanford: Hosts Utah on Saturday. The Utes have won three of the four against the Cardinal, the lone loss coming last season at Maples Pavilion.
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