Bruffey, Wyatt combine for 41-points in 82-64 loss to Colorado College (CO); Waters steals show for Tigers with eight 3-pointers

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas men's basketball team (3-11, 1-4 SCAC) could not slow Colorado College (Colo.) on Sunday evening at the Maher Athletic Center, as the Crusaders had little answer for Jeremiah Waters beyond the arc in an 82-64 defeat. 

6-foot-5 junior forward Tanner Bruffey (Lubbock, Texas/Home School) netted Dallas' first bucket, a 3-pointer just six-seconds into the game. 

Bruffey went on to drain two more trifectas over the course of the game en route to a 17-point performance, on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-6 effort from distance, and a 2-of-4 night from the free-throw line. He also grabbed three rebounds (one offensive), dished two assists, and recorded a steal in 26-minutes of play. 

Dallas opened the game on fire, scoring the first 12-points before the Tigers (6-6, 3-0 SCAC) finally got on the board at the 16:05 mark. 

The Crusaders boasted a 20-5, 15-point lead at 12:18 of the first half. Then, things turned south for Dallas, as Colorado's Jeremiah Waters began heating up from 3-point range. 

Shooting at will, Waters netted seven of his eight overall 3-pointers in the initial frame, and entered halftime with 21 of his game-high 28-points already in the bag. 

With 4:49 remaining in the first half, Waters drilled a 3-pointer to give the Tigers their first lead, 26-25. 

5-foot-9 junior guard Drew Assinesi (Pasadena, Calif./La Salle H.S.) put home a layup with one-second remaining in the opening-half to shrink Colorado's scoreboard-advantage to 10-points (41-31) at the break. 

Assinesi's final stat-line included eight-points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field, and converting on two attempts from the charity stripe. He also totalled five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 34-minutes of game action. 

The first-half saw Colorado shoot 47.8-percent (11-of-23), while Dallas netted 40-percent (12-of-30) from the field. 

6-foot-5 freshman forward Aaron Wyatt (Frisco, Texas/Prestonwood Christian Academy) found twine with a jumper at 19:46 of the second-half to quickly shrink the Dallas deficit to eight points. 

Wyatt accumulated 11 of his team-high 24-points in the final period. He concluded his night with 9-of-16 shooting from the field, and made 6-of-10 attempts from the free-throw line. Wyatt also snatched eight rebounds (four offensive), and had two blocks and as many steals in 33-minutes of work. 

Chris Lesnansky led the Tiger charge with 10-points in the final half.  

A game-high 20-point lead resulted for Colorado when Ryan Kell delivered on a layup with 3:51 remaining. 

When the final horn sounded, Dallas suffered an 18 point, 82-64 defeat. Colorado shot 42.9-percent (12-of-28) in the second half, as opposed to the Crusaders' mark of 40-percent (12-of-30) from the field. 

The Tigers managed eight offensive-rebounds and 11 second-chance points in the second half, while out-rebounding Dallas 23-16 in the half. For the game, the Crusaders trailed in the rebounding department, 40-33. 

Next opponent: 

Dallas will take to the hardwood on Friday, Jan. 13, in an 8 p.m. tilt versus SCAC foe Rhodes College (Tenn.) at the Maher Athletic Center.

The game will be streamed live online via collegetvticket.com, and in-game updates will be provided on Facebook (UDallasAthletics) and Twitter (UDallasSports).