George King scored 12 points and snared nine rebounds as Colorado eked past Northern Colorado 66-51 in the Buffaloes' season opener on Friday night at Coors Event Center in Boulder, Colo.

Three Buffs scored in double digits to fend off their in-state rivals from Greeley. Tory Miller-Stewart tallied 11 points and five rebounds and McKinley Wright added 10 points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Colorado took a 35-24 lead into halftime, but Northern Colorado clawed its way back in the second half, knotting the game at 41 with 13:05 remaining.

The Buffs proved too much, though, going on a 25-10 run to close out the game.

The Bears were able to tie the contest five times, but never took the lead.

Colorado shot 43.9 percent from the field and hit just 5 of 17 attempts from behind the arc. Tad Boyle's club won the game on the boards, outrebounding the Bears 45-38.

Senior Andre Spight led all scorers with 19 points and tied teammate Roberto Vercellino with eight rebounds to pace the Bears. Jonah Radebaugh scored 11 points and Jordan Davis added 10 for Northern Colorado.

The Bears open their home slate on Monday when they play host to UC Davis. Colorado stays in Boulder to welcome the University of Denver to the Coors Event Center on Tuesday.