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Josh Scott picks up the slack in No. 15 Colorado’s overtime victory

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Colorado’s Josh Scott (AP Photo)

On Sunday afternoon No. 15 Colorado picked up its best win of the season to date, beating then- No. 10 Oregon 100-91 with the guard tandem of Askia Booker and Spencer Dinwiddie combining for 50 points and 11 assists. Those two juniors are expected to lead the way for Tad Boyle’s Buffaloes, and on most nights they do.

Wednesday’s game against Washington State in Spokane (the students are still on break, which is why the game wasn’t played in Pullman) wasn’t one of those occasions, with Booker shooting 2-for-12 from the field (13-for-14 FT) and Dinwiddie accounting for just six points and two assists after not attempting a single shot in the game’s first 20 minutes. In instances like these Colorado’s fortunate enough to have the services of one of the Pac-12’s most improved players in sophomore big man Josh Scott, and against the Cougars his play was a critical factor in the Buffaloes’ 71-70 overtime victory.

Scott accounted for 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, with 15 points and six rebounds coming in the second half and overtime. And with the guards struggling every one of those points and rebounds were needed at Spokane Arena. The Cougars were once again without the services of leading scorer DaVonte Lacy, but 24 points from Dexter Kernich-Drew and double-doubles posted by D.J. Shelton (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Royce Woolridge (ten points, 11 assists) kept Ken Bone’s team in position to pull off the upset.

But the Cougars couldn’t match the production of Scott and Xavier Johnson, who added 14 points, in the paint with the Buffaloes outscoring the Cougars 36-18 in the paint. Wednesday’s performance certainly wasn’t a pretty one for Colorado, with their starting guards struggling as mightily as they did. But in conference play, there are some nights in which teams simply have to gut out a win.

Thanks in part to Josh Scott, Colorado was able to do that and remain undefeated in Pac-12 play.

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