Fast break Why the Buffs lost: CU finished with 17 turnovers, the second-highest total of the season, and allowed the team with the lowest field goal percentage in the Big 12 to shoot .571 in the first half. Three stars 1. UC’s Baba Miller. Put up a double-double against the Buffs, finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds. 2. UC’s Moustapha Thiam. The other half of an inside tandem the Buffs couldn’t contain, Thiam went 6-for-8 with 15 points. 3. CU’s Isaiah Johnson. The freshman guard took a starring role in the Buffs’ attempted comeback, scoring 16 of his team-high 18 points in the second half. Up next: CU completes the road trip on Saturday at West Viriginia (4 p.m. MT, CBS Sports Network). CINCINNATI — Colorado planned to throw the first punch. Instead, it was Cincinnati that delivered the equivalent of a roundhouse salvo out of the gate. And while the Buffaloes once again picked themselves off the mat, evantually, to put up a fight, it was another case of too little, too late. The CU men’s basketball team stumbled out of the gate and dug a hole that a second consecutive wild second-half comeback couldn’t erase, as the Buffaloes suffered a 77-68 defeat at Cincinnati on Wednesday night. “Cincinnati was the tougher team tonight, and that was evident from the jump,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “We wanted to really come out and be the ones who throw the first punch and get them on their heels. But they did it to us. We knew this was going to be a physical game. We knew they were going to be aggressive. That’s Big 12 basketball. But we didn’t prepare well enough for that. And for that, it’s my fault. We lost this game in the first half, no doubt about it.” It was just four days earlier when the Buffs nearly rallied from a 24-point deficit against nationally-ranked Texas Tech before dropping a two-point decision. It was a similar scenario against the Bearcats, as CU fell behind by 21 points less than 4 minutes into the second half before a comeback that saw the Buffs get within four points with 1 minute, 22 seconds remaining. The Buffs stumbled out of the gate, falling behind 10-0 less than 3 minutes after tipoff. The Buffs finished with 17 turnovers, their second-highest total of the season, and committed the first five of those giveaways in the first 4:10 of the contest. Cincinnati gladly took advantage of CU’s generosity. The Bearcats began the week last in the Big 12 with a field goal percentage of .425, but they made their first five shots against the Buffs and finished the first half with a .571 mark (16-for-28) and a 41-23 lead. “They were taking us out of our actions, and we were turning the ball over which led to their transition, which is how they got the majority of their points,” CU forward Bangot Dak said. “We just came out doing the wrong things.” Cincinnati’s lead grew to 21 points early in the second half before the Buffs rallied, using a 13-3 run to get within 11 points. The Bearcats still led by 15 points when CU managed to unleash another surge, recording yet another 13-3 run to get within 61-56. Cincinnati reestablished a 12-point lead before the Buffs tried to rally once more, scoring eight consecutive points to cut the Bearcats lead to 68-64 with 1:22 remaining on a 3-pointer by Barrington Hargress. Yet the Bearcats held off the Buffs once again, converting 10 of 12 free throws the rest of the way to ruin CU’s first visit to Cincinnati since Dec. 28, 1981. “They came out more physical than us. They came out ready to play,” said CU guard Isaiah Johnson, who scored 16 of his team-high 18 points in the second half. “Going forward, we’ve got to be the ones to punch first and we’ve got to be the ones to start the physicality and exceed what they’re going to do.” Cincinnati 77, Colorado 68 COLORADO (12-5, 2-2 Big 12) Dak 5-9 1-2 12, Rancik 1-5 3-3 5, Malone 1-5 0-0 2, Hargress 4-9 4-4 14, Kossaras 0-2 0-0 0, Johnson 7-10 2-4 18, Sanders 3-6 0-0 6, Michaeli 3-8 1-2 8, Inman 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 25-56 11-15 68. CINCINNATI (9-8, 1-3) Miller 10-17 5-9 25, Thiam 6-8 3-4 15, Harris 3-7 3-6 9, James 1-9 4-4 6, Thomas 3-7 2-2 9, Celestine 1-4 0-0 3, Abaev 1-2 4-6 7, McKinley 0-1 0-0 0, Tillery 0-1 3-4 3, Dzellat 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-56 24-35 77. Halftime: Cincinnati 43-25. 3-point field goals: Colorado 7-20 (Johnson 2-3, Hargress 2-4, Dak 1-2, Inman 1-2, Michaeli 1-4, Sanders 0-1, Kossaras 0-2, Rancik 0-2); Cincinnati 3-16 (Abaev 1-2, Thomas 1-2, Celestine 1-4, Thiam 0-1, Harris 0-2, James 0-2, Miller 0-3). Fouled out: Rancik. Rebounds: Colorado 33 (Dak 7); Cincinnati 32 (Miller 11); Assists: Colorado 15 (Dak 4); Cincinnati 18 (Miller, Harris, Thomas 4). Turnovers: Colorado 17 (Malone, Johnson 4); Cincinnati 10 (Thomas 3). Total fouls: Colorado 24, Cincinnati 17. A: 9,331.   ...read more read less