Robert Wright III set a new career high with 39 points to lead No. 22 BYU to a 90-86 overtime win against Colorado in Big 12 Conference play on Saturday in Provo, Utah.
Wright made 12 of 16 field goal attempts and all four 3-point attempts to lead shorthanded BYU (19-6, 7-5 Big 12) to its second straight win.
AJ Dybantsa had a double-double with 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
Isaiah Johnson led Colorado (14-12, 4-9) with 27 points. Barrington Hargress contributed 20 points and Bangot Dak added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Buffaloes, who have lost two straight games.
Cougars’ second-leading scorer Richie Saunders went down 45 seconds into the game, left the court with assistance and did not return. He apparently sustained a leg injury.
Aleksej Kostic hit the go-ahead three as BYU took an 85-82 lead with 1:15 left in overtime.
Sebastian Rancik missed two threes and Dak and Johnson each missed a trey in the final two Colorado possessions. After Wright and Dybantsa split their foul shots, Hargress sank a pair of free throws and Colorado trailed 87-84.
But Wright made two free throws for an 89-84 lead with 15.7 seconds left. Johnson’s quick layup brought the Buffaloes within 89-86. With six seconds left, Wright made 1 of 2 free throws and Dybantsa was whistled for a foul on the miss.
Holland missed two foul shots however and BYU grabbed the rebound to secure the win.
Colorado forced overtime with a 7-2 run. Dak’s jumper pulled Colorado within 78-76 and Johnson’s layup through traffic tied the game with 18 seconds to play. Dybantsa shot an airball as time expired.
The teams traded treys on four straight, first-half possessions. Wright, Hargress, Tyler Mrus and Johnson all connected for a three, but it was BYU that held a 15-12 lead at the 12:50 mark.
Johnson’s step-back three cut the BYU lead to 37-32 at the half.
Early in the second half, Dak’s three-point play was followed by hook shots on the next two Colorado possessions as part of the Buffaloes 13-0 run that gave them a 45-39 lead.
Later, Wright’s trey gave BYU a 65-60 advantage as part of a 10-2 scoring spree.
