BOULDER — What else could go wrong for the Colorado Buffaloes?
That’s what fifth-year CU men’s coach Tad Boyle must have been thinking when the Buffaloes’ top scorer, senior guard Askia Booker, headed to the bench with two fouls just two minutes and five seconds into what would become a 52-50 Washington victory Thursday night in a Pac-12 game at the Coors Events Center.
“It was a heartbreaker, to say the least,” Boyle said. “I really thought it would be a game of whoever had the ball last (would win), and Washington had the ball last.”
The Huskies (14-4, 3-3 Pac-12) pulled out the victory when junior guard Andrew Andrews hit a 15-foot jumper from the left elbow with three-tenths of a second remaining.
Colorado (9-9, 2-4) was looking to break a 50-50 tie with under a minute remaining. But the Buffs lost control of the ball with 34 seconds to go. Washington tied up the ball with players diving on the floor, and the possession arrow signaled Huskies ball.
“I just turned it over,” CU sophomore guard Jaron Hopkins said. “I made a costly turnover at a big moment of the game. We work on those situations in practice. I can’t do that.”
Booker never found a rhythm and scored just five points.
Colorado already was missing two of its “big three,” with junior center Josh Scott sitting out his third consecutive game with back spasms and Xavier Johnson joining him on the bench in street clothes while serving a one-game suspension imposed by Boyle for an off-court issue. Johnson missed the two previous games because of an ankle sprain.
Hopkins (11 points) and Wesley Gordon (10) led CU in scoring. Gordon also had a career-best 17 rebounds.
“He was a beast,” Boyle said of Gordon.
Colorado desperately needed a victory after losing three straight Pac-12 road games and instead fell at home for the second time, along with a December loss to Colorado State.
Washington appeared ready to pull away after a basket by Shawn Kemp Jr. put the Huskies up 48-42 with 7:22 to go. But Colorado clawed back and pulled even at 48 apiece when Gordon turned an offensive rebound into a slam dunk with 4:10 left.
“Whether you win four in a row or lose four in a row, it’s about the next game and improving as a player and as a team,” Boyle said. “We can’t let this get us down.”
Colorado hosts Washington State on Saturday night. Washington plays Sunday at 12th-ranked Utah.
