BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado shot .533 (32-of-60) from the field, including a blistering .619 (13-for-21) from the 3-point line on the way to a 90-53 victory over Sacramento State on Friday evening at the Coors Events Center. The game marked the season opener for both teams.

Colorado, which will likely be the toughest opponent the Hornets face during the regular season, is currently receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today top 25 collegiate basketball polls. In fact, the Buffaloes return five starters from a team that went 22-12 last year, 16-1 at home, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Hornets and Buffs were playing each other for the first time since Jan. 26, 1994.

Colorado never trailed, jumping out to a 16-6 lead during the game's first seven and a half minutes, and led by double figures the final 32:26 of the contest. The Buffaloes went 7-for-11 from the 3-point arc in the first half on the way to a 42-19 halftime advantage. Sacramento State did score 34 points in the second half, but the game was already well in hand for a Colorado squad that had 20 assists compared to just 10 turnovers.

The Hornets scored 26 points in the paint, but had trouble from the perimeter, finishing the game shooting .294 (20-of-68) from the field and just 2-for-22 (.091) from distance. Sacramento State attempted three more free throws than Colorado, but the Hornets managed to shoot just .524 (11-of-21) from the charity stripe.

Despite being outrebounded, 47-40, Sacramento State pulled 17 offensive rebounds which resulted in a 16-10 advantage in second chance points. The Hornets were credited for just four assists compared to nine turnovers. All 12 active players on the Hornets' roster played at least four minutes in tonight's game while freshman guard Izaya Mauriohooho-Le'afa missed the game with injury.
 
Fourth year senior Nick Hornsby was a bright spot as the team tri-captain notched his third career double-double with team highs in points (16) and rebounds (11). He shot 7-of-13 from the floor, had a blocked shot and four of his 11 rebounds came on the offensive glass. Hornet junior Justin Strings also had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but the team's leading scorer from a year ago finished just 2-for-17 from the field.

Hornsby and Strings were joined in double-figure points by junior guard Marcus Graves who had 10 points, three rebounds and a steal in 30 minutes. Ninth-year head coach Brian Katz started the same five players that got the nod in the team's lone exhibition game: Hornsby and Strings at forward, Graves and Trevis Jackson at guard, and Eric Stuteville at center. Jackson and Stuteville are the other team captains.

Stuteville had seven rebounds, guard Jeff Wu had five points and fellow guard Jiday Ugbaja pulled three rebounds. Strings, Hornsby, Graves and Wu combined to score 43 of the team's 53 points. True freshman Chibueze Jacobs scored his first Hornet points as he finished with two points, a rebound and a steal in 14 minutes.

Colorado spread the wealth as eight different players finished with at least eight points, and seven of those players knocked down a three ball. The Buffaloes received 47 points of production from their bench, including Dominique Collier who had a team-best 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Starter George King had 10 points and six rebounds and fellow starter Josh Fortune finished with 11 points and four rebounds. The Buffaloes also received seven points and a game-high 12 rebounds from Wesley Gordon.

The schedule doesn't get any easier as the Hornets return on Sunday to play Nebraska of the Big Ten Conference at 5:05 p.m. PST. That game will be aired live on the Big Ten Network. Sacramento State's home opener will take place on Thursday against Antelope Valley at 7:05 p.m.