Colorado 82, DePaul 68: Askia Booker tied a career high with 27 points and added six rebounds and six assists as the Buffaloes caught fire in the second half to run away from the Blue Demons in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.

Booker went 6-for-12 from the field and sank all 14 of his free throws for Colorado (7-3), which shot 53.8 percent in the second half and will meet George Washington in Tuesday’s semifinals. Xavier Johnson tallied 20 points and seven boards while Wesley Gordon poured in 11 points and Jaron Hopkins contributed 10 as the Buffaloes’ starters scored all but nine of their team’s points.

Tommy Hamilton IV recorded his second double-double in three games with 16 points and 12 rebounds for DePaul (6-5), which has dropped four in a row and will face Ohio in a consolation game Tuesday. Billy Garrett Jr. typified his team’s performance by hitting all 11 of his free throws, but finished 2-of-11 from the field as the Blue Demons went 20-of-22 from the foul line but shot a season-low 33.3 percent from the field.

All five Colorado starters scored in the first five minutes while DePaul missed 10 of its first 12 shots as the Buffaloes raced out to a 13-point advantage, but the Blue Demons’ pressure defense generated eight steals and shot 14-of-15 from the foul line in the first half to erase most of the deficit. Although DePaul was unable to pull ahead, it closed within one point twice before Josh Scott’s dunk with a minute left sent Colorado into the break with a 36-33 edge.

The beginning of the second half played out much like the opening 20 minutes as the Buffaloes connected on six of their first seven shots while the Blue Demons misfired on nine of their first 10, allowing Colorado to build a 16-point advantage as Booker scored nine points during his team’s 19-6 half-opening run. The Buffaloes stretched the lead to 18 after the first of two dunks from Hopkins with just under eight minutes to go.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Colorado’s 31-for-38 effort from the foul line set season highs in makes and attempts. … The Blue Demons (22.2 percent) and Buffaloes (23.1) struggled mightily beyond the arc, with no player connecting on more than two 3-pointers. … Colorado freshman PG Dominique Collier, who had missed the past two games with a sprained wrist, was held scoreless and missed all four of his shots off the bench in his first action since Dec. 7.