Xavier Johnson chipped in 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting off the bench for Colorado (12-6, 2-4 Pac-12), while Josh Scott scored 11 points. Andre Roberson grabbed seven rebounds as the Buffaloes ended their brief two-game losing streak.

Brock Motum and Mike Ladd tallied 13 points apiece for WSU (10-8, 1-4) as it fell for the fourth time in five games.

It did not take long to figure out it was going to be a defensive minded affair. The Cougars hit just 29.6 percent of their field goal attempts including only 2-of-12 from 3-point range in the first half. Colorado went 0- of-5 from distance, but shot 38.1 percent from the floor to take a 23-19 lead into the intermission.

After the break, WSU made only 38.7 percent of its attempts from the field while going 3-of-7 at the charity stripe. The Buffaloes extended their advantage on the scoreboard by converting 12-of-15 attempts at the free throw line over the final 20 minutes of play.

Colorado outscored the hosts, 32-24, in the paint and held a narrow, 36-32, edge in total rebounds.

01/20 03:36:19 ET