BYU beats Colorado 83-67 behind big second half run

The Cougars picked up their first Big 12 road win of the season on Tuesday evening.

Author Will Olsen
BYU beats Colorado 83-67 behind big second half runBYU beats Colorado 83-67 behind big second half run
Box Score
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BOULDER, Colo. – BYU was able to end its Big 12 road struggles on Tuesday evening as the Cougars beat Colorado 83-67 in Boulder, Colo. 

After a back-and-forth first half that saw both teams go on double digits runs, BYU opened the second half on 23-2 run before Colorado scored its first basket. Richie Saunders scored five of his game-high 25 points during the run as picked up its first road win under first-year head coach Kevin Young. Egor Demin finished with seven assists, all of the coming after halftime.

The Cougars shot a season-high 58.5 percent from the field including 45.8 percent from beyond the arc. Trevin Knell went 4-of-6 from three marking the 31st time the senior has knocked down three or more triples in a game. 

First Half
The game began with tight defensive efforts on both sides. Saunders was the first to get on the board for the Cougars followed quickly by a layup from Demin. 

BYU was held scoreless for the next three minutes. With 15:35 left Colorado picked up a contact technical foul that helped to kickstart a Cougar run. A free throw from Knell, sparked a 6-0 run, with points coming from Demin and capped it off with a three from Knell putting the visitiors up 10-6.

The teams battled back and forth with BYU hanging on to the lead until 7:52 left in the half when the Buffaloes converted a layup to give them a 23-22 lead. They would stretch the lead to 10, 32-22, as part of a 10-0 run. 

Saunders scored seven straight points for the Cougars to spearhead a 11-0 run for the Cougars. Maw Mag finished the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play to help the Cougars retake the lead, 33-32.

Saunders ended the run with a 3-pointer with 5:23 left in the half. With this, Saunders took over and went on a 7-0 run by himself. He also got involved defensively, picking up a block and a steal on back-to-back plays.

BYU scored five of the final seven points of the first half inlcuding a Dawon Baker 3-pointer as they forced seven straight misses from Colorado to lead 38-36. 

Notes&Quotes
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Second Half
The Cougars came out of the locker room and went on a 9-1 run behind two big threes from Knell and Saunders both assisted by Demin. He kept the assists rolling as he assisted on five straight buckets and BYU extended their run to 16-2 taking a 16-point lead 54-38.

BYU got a huge alley-oop from Knell to Keita to continue their run. Demin kept the Cougars rolling as he assisted on another three from Knell. On the ensuing possession, he picked up a steal and got a dunk on the other end. This stretched the run to 14-0 and 22-1 having held Colorado without a field goal for the first seven minutes of the half.

The Buffaloes finally got one to fall and this helped them to get a subsequent three. This didn't do much to cut into BYU’s 23-point lead as Demin scored yet again bringing the score to 63-43.

The Cougars kept Colorado from making a run at the end as the Buffaloes were only able to pull within 14 before BYU won by 16.

Up Next
The Cougar head back home to face Cincinnati on Sat. Jan 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 on ESPN2.