Bangot Dak put together a big game, but encountered foul trouble in the second half.
Colorado head coach Tad Boyle turned to Elijah Malone, yet the senior center once again managed to foul out after a brief cameo.
This time, Alon Michaeli was able to pick up the slack.
The reserve freshman forward shook off a recent slump to provide the Buffaloes with critical production off the bench, playing a key role in CU’s 83-69 Big 12 victory on Saturday against Oklahoma State.
Dak finished with a game-high 17 points with seven rebounds, but he went to the bench at the 16 minute, 37 mark of the second half after picking up his third foul. Just five seconds after replacing Dak, Malone committed a very late foul on a 3-point attempt by OSU’s Parsa Fallah, who had made just 10 3-pointers all season.
That was Malone’s third foul. Two minutes later, Malone committed his fourth and fifth fouls just five seconds apart, fouling out after just 5:11 of playing time. Malone fouled out of last month’s game at West Virginia after playing only nine minutes.
Michaeli, though, provided a spark that has been absent through the bulk of Big 12 play. Michaeli had scored just 11 points in the previous six games combined, but he went 5-for-8 against Oklahoma State with 12 points and five rebounds. Michaeli also connected on both of his 3-point attempts, giving him multiple 3-pointers for the first time since Jan. 20 against Kansas while ending an 0-for-8 slide from the arc.
“We need a couple of our big guys to give us something,” Boyle said. “We need that five-spot, because Bangot can’t do it all by himself for 40 minutes. We need some help there. Sometimes we need to play small ball, and that’s part of it, too. In this league, having those bigs — whether it’s Tacko (Ifaola), whether it’s Elijah, whether it’s Alon — it could be different guys on different nights. But we need two of those three guys to play like they’re capable of playing for us to be as good as we can be.”
Inman delivers
CU freshman wing Ian Inman continued his recent surge, scoring eight points with one assist, one rebound and one steal without a turnover in 14:08 of court time.
Inman went 1-for-3 on 3-pointers and was fouled on another long-range attempt, knocking down all three of his free throws on the first attempts of his collegiate career. With the game tied 53-53 in the second half, Inman started a 15-4 run that gave the Buffs the lead for good with five consecutive points.
In the past seven games, Inman has shot .391 (9-for-23) on 3-pointers.
“The one thing I respect about Ian, he doesn’t let his playing time — or his lack of playing time — affect his attitude, affect his effort, affect his mentality,” Boyle said. “He plays with great confidence, within himself. And that’s hard to do as a freshman. As I look to the future, Ian Inman’s a big, big part of it. I think he’s really got a chance to become a really good college basketball player in this league. His best days are certainly ahead of him.”
Notable
After shooting .266 on 3-pointers in the previous three games (21-for-79), the Buffs finished 11-for-29 (.407) against Oklahoma State. The 11 made 3-pointers tied a season-high the Buffs hit three times previously, all at home (Eastern Washington, Central Florida, TCU). … CU held Oklahoma State, which had been averaging 84.1 points, to its second-lowest scoring total of the season. … The Buffs’ 11 steals marked their most in Big 12 play and was the second-highest total of the season. … CU finished with 20 assists, hitting that mark for the fifth time this season.