Colorado 87, Gardner-Webb 78: Josh Scott recorded 23 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Buffaloes past the visiting Runnin' Bulldogs in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational.

Tory Miller contributed 12 points and six rebounds as Colorado (16-17) advances to meet Seattle in Monday's quarterfinals. Eli Stalzer scored 11 points while Xavier Johnson and Tre'Shaun Fletcher added 10 apiece for the Buffaloes, who won the battle on the boards 43-18 - 19-3 on offense.

Sophomore Tyrell Nelson scored a career-high 27 points, Adonis Burbage added 13 and Harold McBride 10 for Big South member Gardner-Webb (20-15). Runnin' Bulldogs' junior forward Jerome Hill (18.9 points, 10.1 rebounds per game) - the only Big South player to average a double-double - and Colorado senior guard Askia Booker, the Pac-12's third-leading scorer at 17.2 points, decided not to participate in the CBI.

Scott scored 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds as the Buffaloes won the battle of the boards 18-7 - 7-0 on the offensive end - en route to a 44-36 lead at the break. The teams shot a combined 57.9 percent in the opening 20 minutes while Gardner-Webb made 7-of-15 from 3-point range.

Colorado's Xavier Talton and Scott scored the first baskets of the second half and Wesley Gordon's bucket stretched the lead to 55-42 in less than two minutes. Scott scored six straight Buffalo points to help Colorado maintain a 15-point advantage and the Runnin' Bulldogs didn't get any closer than the final score.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Colorado was also without sophomore G Dustin Thomas, who announced Monday he was transferring. ... All CBI games will be played with a 30-second shot clock - not the normal 35 seconds - as the NCAA uses the tournament for research to help determine whether scoring and the pace of play increases. ... Scott, who recorded his 22nd career double-double and seventh of the season, is averaging 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in his last six games.