PROVO, Utah (AP) — Rob Wright III scored a career-high 39 points and No. 22 BYU beat Colorado 90-86 in overtime on Saturday.
It was Wright's second straight 30-point-plus game after scoring 30 at Baylor on Tuesday night. AJ Dybantsa added 20 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists to help the Cougars (19-6, 7-5 Big 12) win without second-leading scorer Richie Saunders.
Saunders exited 45 seconds into the game after suffering an apparent lower leg injury on BYU’s first possession and did not return.
Aleksej Kostic hit an open 3-pointer with 1:21 left in overtime to put BYU up 85-82. Colorado missed six straight shots and scored one basket over the final 3 1/2 minutes, allowing the Cougars to seal the win at the free-throw line.
Isaiah Johnson had 27 points to lead Colorado (14-12, 4-9). Barrington Hargress chipped in 20 and Bangot Dak added 15.
Wright scored three baskets to fuel a 14-4 run that put BYU up 69-62 with 6:20 remaining.
Colorado tied it at 78-78 on Johnson’s layup with 18.4 seconds left in regulation. Dybantsa missed a contested jumper just before the buzzer.
Dybantsa scored three baskets over a four-minute stretch to help the Cougars build a 37-29 lead late in the first half. BYU came out sluggish after halftime, starting 0 of 5 from the field and committing three turnovers. Colorado had 21 points off 13 BYU turnovers.
Colorado surged ahead 45-39 behind a 13-0 run, including three jumpers from Dak.
Former BYU guard Jimmer Fredette’s No. 32 jersey was retired at halftime. Fredette played for the Cougars from 2007 to 2011. He was named AP Player of the Year as a senior after averaging 28.9 points per game and leading BYU to the Sweet 16 in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Up Next
Colorado: hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday.
BYU: is at No. 1 Arizona on Wednesday night.
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