Collier, Fortune help Colorado beat Sacramento St., 90-53

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) Senior Xavier Johnson turned the page on an injury that sidelined him all of last season and helped Colorado get this season off to a good start in the process.

Johnson had six points and seven rebounds in Colorado's 90-53 win over Sacramento State on Friday night, a solid showing in his first game since tearing his left Achilles' tendon in a preseason practice last year.

''Xavier has had a long road, a long recovery,'' Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. ''It was a tough injury, so it was good to have him back. I thought he rebounded the ball well for us defensively. Offensively, I think he's got to get a few more and that's something we continue to encourage and challenge him to do. And I think Xavier is playing really unselfishly.''

The crowd at the Coors Events Center welcomed Johnson back with a pregame standing ovation.

''It was good. It was awesome,'' Johnson said. ''I am blessed to be back on the court. I can't take anything for granted, so this feels awesome.''

Dominique Collier added 12 points, all on 3-pointers, and Josh Fortune scored 11 for Colorado, which has won its last nine openers at home.

Nick Hornsby had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Sacramento State, which has dropped its only two meetings with Colorado. The Hornets lost their first meeting against Colorado 80-56 in 1994.

Sacramento State shot 20.6 percent from the field in the first half and trailed 42-19 at halftime. Colorado built on its lead early in the second, including a stretch of three consecutive 3-pointers - two by Collier - as the Buffaloes opened a 55-28 lead with 14:55 to play.

''We got off to a bad start, couldn't score,'' Sacramento State coach Brian Katz said. ''We played pretty good `D' and made it tough for them. It's almost like when we got down, we couldn't score and we broke down defensively.

''They're easily the best team we'll play all year, not even close. They did a great job here.''

Ten of 12 Colorado players who played scored.

BIG PICTURE:

Sacramento State: The Hornets returned four starters from last season's team but they struggled with their shooting accuracy throughout the night. Center Eric Stuteville epitomized the team's struggles, missing his first five shots before finally hitting a layup with under five minutes remaining. Though the Hornets had won four of their previous five season openers, their long-term history is pretty rough. They dropped to 8-18 in openers since becoming a Division I program in 1991-92.

Colorado: The Buffaloes possess an experienced corps of nine letter winners from last season's 22-win team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The opener also provided an encouraging glimpse of newcomers Derrick White and Deleon Brown, who both could play prominent roles. White, who was in the starting lineup in his Colorado debut, sat out last season after transferring from University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where he was a standout for three seasons. Brown, a 6-foot-4 guard, helped Brewster Academy reach the quarterfinals of the National Prep School Championships last season.

UP NEXT

Sacramento State: Continues its season-opening road trip with a visit to Nebraska on Sunday night.

Colorado: Plays Seattle on Monday as part of the Legends Classic at Barclays Center in New York.