The Colorado men’s basketball team put up a respectable fight. But it wasn’t enough to topple the best of the best out of Australia.
The Buffaloes suffered their first loss of a four-game exhibition tour, dropping a 93-87 decision against the Australian Boomers, the country’s national team, in a game played during the wee hours of Thursday morning Mountain Time in Carrara, Australia.
After opening the trip with a pair of wins, the Buffs suffered their first setback despite holding a slight lead over the Boomers for the bulk of the first half.
“Colorado Basketball has never been, nor will ever be, satisfied with losing,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said in a release. “With that being said, I am extremely proud of our team for the toughness and resilience they showed in a very tough environment. This was a Big 12-type game in regards to both the physical play and the road environment with both the fans and officials. This is an experience that we can build upon and learn from next January and February.”
Boyle went with a starting lineup of Elijah Malone, Sebastian Rancik, Felix Kossaras, Barrington Hargress and freshman Jalin Holland, and that combo got the Buffs off to a strong start. The Australians scored the first point of the game but CU reeled off 10 of the next 11 points, with Malone and Rancik combining for all 10. The Buffs held the Boomers without a field goal for the first 3 minutes of the game.
A 10-0 run by the Boomers got the home side back in the game, and it was a nip-and-tuck battle the rest of the way.
Rancik hit three first-half 3-pointers and scored 11 of his 16 points in the opening half, leading the Buffs to a 44-43 lead at halftime. The older, far more experienced Boomers were able to drive to the basket almost at will against a CU club that played six freshmen as well as two new transfers, one of whom, former Denver guard Jon Mani, joined the Buffs just a few weeks ago.
However, during the third quarter it was CU’s defensive breakdowns along the 3-point line that changed the complexion of the game. The Boomers hit six 3-pointers during the period, turning their one-point deficit at halftime into an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
CU pulled within one point midway through the fourth on back-to-back 3-pointers from two freshmen, Holland and Josiah Sanders. The Boomers, however, responded with a 13-5 run, pushing their lead back to nine points with 2 minutes remaining. The Buffs again rallied to within four points with a minute remaining on a 3-pointer by freshman Isaiah Johnson, but those were CU’s final points of the game.
Johnson enjoyed a solid game, going 6-for-10 overall and 3-for-4 on 3-pointers while pacing the Buffs with 19 points. Five players scored in double figures, with Rancik finishing with 16 points and five rebounds. Hargress, the new point guard who transferred from UC Riverside, scored 11 points, while Holland and Malone added 10 apiece. Malone also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.
Jack McVeigh, who spent last season on a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets, led the Boomers with 20 points and seven assists.
“As always, the difference between winning and losing is a very fine line at times,” Boyle said. “Tonight was one of those games. A turnover here, or there. A missed free throw, a missed defensive assignment, and the inability again to guard the 3-point line, all of these areas can be pinpointed in this loss. The good news is that we can control and improve on all these areas.”
The Buffs will spend the next few days sightseeing in Cairns, including a trip to the Great Barrier Reef, before traveling to Sydney for the final game of the trip. The Buffs will take on the Sydney Kings, a club coached by the father of CU assistant and former guard Nate Tomlinson, on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. MT (11 a.m. Monday in Australia).
Originally Published: July 31, 2025 at 1:51 PM MDT