Da Silva scores 17 points to lead No. 18 Colorado past pesky Iona 85-68
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Tristan da Silva scored 17 points to go over the 1,000-point mark for his career and No. 18 Colorado shook free in the second half from the relentless pressure of Iona for an 85-68 win on Sunday.
Da Silva scored 14 of his points in the first half as he became the 39th member of the school’s 1,000-point club.
Colorado (5-1) was a 19 1/2-point favorite, but struggled early on with the full-court pressure of pesky Iona (2-4). After halftime, the Buffaloes changed tactics and focused on going inside to take advantage of their size advantage. They scored 26 points in the paint in the second half, including a highlight-reel dunk from Cody Williams and a one-handed slam from Eddie Lampkin Jr. that energize the crowd.
The Buffaloes used an 11-0 run midway through the final half to pull away.
KJ Simpson had 15 points for the Buffaloes, who got back on track after an overtime loss to Florida State last week during their final game of the Sunshine Slam in Florida.
Greg Gordon led Iona with 19 points while Idan Tretout finished with 18. Iona was without Joel Brown due to a shoulder ailment. Freshman Jeremiah Quigley stepped in and had 11 points. Wheza Panzo, the Gaels’ second-leading scorer, was held to three points.
Down by seven early in the game, Iona dialed up the intensity and made things difficult for Colorado. The Gaels even grabbed the lead for a total of 71 seconds in the first half.
BIG PICTURE
Iona: The Gaels’ last win over a ranked team was Nov. 25, 2021, when they beat No. 10 Alabama 72-68 with Rick Pitino at the helm.
Colorado: The Buffaloes are now 123-38 in regular season nonconference games under coach Tad Boyle.
HISTORY WITH IONA
This marked the second time Colorado has played Iona in men’s hoops. On Dec. 29, 2019, the Buffaloes beat the Gaels 99-54 behind a program record-tying performance from 3-point range. The Buffaloes matched a school mark with 17 3-pointers.
UP NEXT
Iona: Host Marist on Wednesday.
Colorado: At rival Colorado State (6-0) on Wednesday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball