Johnson Scores 17 as Colorado Tops San Francisco 79-69 in Acrisure Holiday Classic

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Isaiah Johnson scored 17 points, and Barrington Hargress added 15 as Colorado defeated San Francisco 79-69 on Thursday in the Acrisure Holiday Classic.

Johnson completed a three-point play with 11:47 remaining to give Colorado the lead for good at 54-51. Sebastian Rancik later added a 3-pointer at 5:24 to give the Buffaloes their first double-digit lead of the game at 71-61. Hargress made a contested shot in the lane while being fouled and added the free throw to extend Colorado’s lead to 74-66 with 2:22 remaining. He then hit a jumper from the free-throw line with 1:19 left and threw a lob to Bangot Dak on Colorado’s next possession, increasing the lead to 78-67.

Elijah Malone and six-foot-eleven Bangot Dak each scored 13 points for Colorado (6-0), which is off to its best start since the 2019-20 squad opened 7-0.

For San Francisco (5-2), Junjie Wang and Ryan Beasley scored 13 points apiece, Tyrone Riley IV added 12, and Guillermo Diaz Graham contributed 10. Wang scored 10 points in the first half to help San Francisco take a 37-35 lead at halftime.

Up Next

• Colorado: Advances to the championship game Friday against the winner of Washington vs. Nevada.

• San Francisco: Faces the loser Friday.