DAYTON, Ohio — Tristan da Silva scored 20 points and the University of Colorado won its first NCAA Tournament game in three years, closing out the First Four with a 60-53 win over Boise State on Wednesday night. .
A layup by Eddie Lumpkin Jr. and two foul shots by Jevon Hadley led to an 11-0 run that gave the Buffaloes a 56-49 lead with 24 seconds left in a back-and-forth game.
Boise State had to start fouling, but Colorado didn’t let it off the line. And it was successful.
KJ Simpson had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Buffaloes (25-10), who advanced as the No. 10 seed to face No. 7 seed Florida on Friday in Indianapolis.
Chibuzo Agbo had 17 points for Boise State (23-11), which fell to 0-10 overall in the NCAA Tournament.
Both teams got off to a lethargic start, with just 25 points total after 10 minutes of the first half.
Boise State led by six points late in the second half, but Colorado cut the lead to 26-24 at halftime.
Boise State made 1 of 10 3-pointers in the first half, while the Buffs were just 1 of 8 from long range.
Colorado State will take a quick two-hour bus ride west on Interstate 70 to Indianapolis to play Florida State on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
