Colorado falls short against Washington State for 78-69 loss

Buffs had chances to make it five straight wins but failed to close in Pullman

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado tried to mount a comeback on Washington State and couldn't make it happen on Saturday afternoon, losing 78-69 on the road in Pullman. 

KJ Simpson had a game-high 25 points for the Buffs (15-6, 6-4 Pac-12), who had a four-game win streak snapped. The prolific guard was one of four CU players in double figures. Tristan da Silva scored 16 points, along with Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Julian Hammond III each chipping in 10. 

As for the Cougars (15-6, 6-4 Pac-12), Jaylen Wells and Myles Rice had 17 points a piece for the victory. Two of the four WSU players in double figures, with Isaac Jones putting up 13 points and Andrej Jakimovski finishing with 11. Wells and Jones had double-doubles with a combined 21 rebounds. Jakimovski came up just shy with nine rebounds in the contest.

Washington State went into halftime with a 36-30 lead. They pushed the margin to 13 points midway through the second half. Colorado then outscored WSU 18-8 over a seven-minute span. 

The Buffs reduced the Cougars lead to 67-64 off a layup by Lampkin with 1:33 left. However, they couldn't stop Rice from taking over on the defensive end with back-to-back layups late. 

What started out as a promising road trip for CU has now turned into somewhat of a break-even point. Tad Boyle's team ends the month at 4-4 in Pac-12 play. The victory over Washington on Wednesday night was the first on the road of the season. The other came at neutral sites. 

WSU held Colorado to 22-for-57 shooting (38.6%) from the floor. They came into the contest above 50 percent from the field as one of the best in the nation. 

UP NEXT:

Colorado ends a three-game road stand at Utah on Feb. 3. 

Washington State heads to Seattle for the first game in this year's Apple Cup rivalry with Washington on Feb. 3.