Tory Miller let his game do the talking.
Playing for the first time since making national headlines after biting an Air Force player during a scramble for a loose ball Wednesday night, Miller responded with his finest game of the young season Sunday against Northern Colorado.
Miller received an official reprimand from the Pac-12 Conference for his actions against the Falcons but avoided any suspension.
“I was really happy for him,” CU coach Tad Boyle said. “Tory has been genuinely hurting. There’s been a lot of remorse in terms of what happened against Air Force.”
By far, it was Miller’s most aggressive effort of the year. The sophomore forward finished with a season-best seven points — a total that would have been better if not for a 3-for-7 struggle at the free throw line — in addition to six rebounds, which matched his season high.
“Tory has handled it like a man. Owned up to it,” Boyle said. “To have a good outing was much-needed for him. He’s a terrific young man and the other night was totally out of character.”
Hometown ties
The memories of Boyle’s time as the head coach at UNC might be growing more distant, but the affection and respect CU’s leader still holds for the institution that gave him his start as a head coach remains strong.
“UNC will always hold a special place in my heart,” said Boyle, a Greeley native. “My father was an English professor there, so I basically grew up on their campus. Going over to his office and playing at Gunter Hall and at Butler-Hancock when I was growing up.
“And then obviously they gave me my first opportunity to be a head coach at the Division I level. I’m forever grateful to that institution. So this will always be a special game for me.”
Block party
Josh Scott set a new career-high with five blocked shots, surpassing his previous best of four blocks he had reached four different times. Scott’s 18 points left the senior forward just three points shy of passing both Pat Frink and Alec Burks for 16th-place on CU’s all-time scoring list.
Scott has shot .763 (29-for-38) during CU’s five-game winning streak.
Notable
The blowout win allowed several players — Eli Stalzer, Mitch Lombard, and Josh Repine — to receive playing time for the first time this season. Repine knocked down a late 3-pointer to post his first points in two seasons as a Buff … CU tallied assists on 17 of 26 field goals, with four players leading the way by recording three apiece — Scott, Dom Collier, Thomas Akyazili, and Xavier Talton … CU has made at least 10 3-pointers in consecutive games for the first time since December of 2010.
Pat Rooney: rooneyp@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/prooney07
