BOULDER – George King scored 18 points and Tre’shaun Fletcher and Josh Fortune each had 17, leading Colorado past Portland 85-63 on Friday night.
Fortune added 14 rebounds and six assists for Colorado (2-1). Josh Scott had 13 points.
D’Marques Tyson had 12 points, all on 3-pointers, for Portland (1-2). No other Pilots player scored in double figures.
Down by 7 at the half, Portland pulled within 42-37 on a jumper by Alec Wintering. But the Buffaloes then asserted themselves, taking off on a 20-5 run ignited by Dominique Collier’s 3-pointer. Thomas Akyazili added a 3-pointer and Fortune converted a 3-point play during the burst that carried Colorado to a 62-42 lead with 12:54 remaining.
The Buffaloes maintained a double digit lead the rest of the way.
Earlier, Tory Miller’s dunk snapped a 28-all tie. Fortune, who sat out last season after transferring Providence, added successive fast-break layups off a steal and blocked shot to help Colorado pull in front by 6 points en route to a 42-35 halftime lead.
