Why the Buffs won: CU won because it hit shots (44.9%), rebounded extremely well and did just enough down the stretch to overcome a plethora of mistakes against the worst team in the conference.

Three stars

1. CU’s Lior Garzon: Overcame a slow start to finish with a game-high 21 points, 18 of those in the second half.

2. CU’s Jade Masogayo: Finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists.

3. Houston’s Eylia Love: Scored 11 points and racked up seven steals, the most ever by a CU opponent in a conference tournament game.

Up next: The Buffs will face Arizona in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday (12:30 p.m., ESPN+).