The Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team kept it close Saturday afternoon—a rarity for this squad on the road it seems.
BYU outlasted the Buffs in overtime despite losing key contributor Richie Saunders to a non-contact injury in the game's opening minute.
3 takeaways from BYU's overtime win over Colorado
Rob Wright's career-high in points gave BYU life
Losing Richie Saunders was a huge blow for BYU, but Rob Wright stepped up and filled the gap.
Wright delivered a career-best 39 points on an efficient 12-of-16 shooting performance, drilling all four of his three-point attempts while adding five rebounds and four assists in the victory.
AJ Dybantsa struggled with his shot, connecting on just 6-of-20 attempts, but still stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Colorado's guard play kept pace with BYU
This was one of three keys to victory if Colorado wanted to upset #22 BYU on the road in Provo.
Freshman Isaiah Johnson was stellar all game for Colorado, scoring a team-high 27 points on 10-of-23 shooting while adding three rebounds and four assists.
Barrington Hargress was another key reason the Buffs kept this game close. The junior point guard poured in 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, draining 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Colorado's bench didn't produce enough
This game essentially hinged on Tad Boyle's bench failing to contribute.
Colorado's bench unit struggled mightily on Saturday afternoon, mustering only six of the Buffs' 86 points while shooting a dismal 3-for-11 from the field and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc.
BYU's bench outproduced Colorado's, scoring 18 points and hitting six three-pointers.
Not bench related, but Colorado forward Sebastian Rancik continues to struggle from the field as he finished with nine points on just 2-of-9 shooting. He did chip in 10 rebounds and 6 assists, though.