PROVO, Utah — Brigham Young immortalized a program all-timer by retiring the No. 32 jersey of former Cougars sharpshooter Jimmer Fredette.
Colorado shook off its recent road doldrums and did its best to ruin the party for the 22nd-ranked Cougars. But the Buffaloes couldn’t quite finish the job.
A shorthanded BYU squad held off a spirited upset bid by CU, as the Buffs lost a gut-wrenching 90-86 overtime decision at the Marriott Center. Despite the effort, it was CU’s ninth loss in the past 11 games and its 25th consecutive loss in a true road game against a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
The Cougars played most of the game without star Richie Saunders, who went down with a leg injury 45 seconds into the game and didn’t return.
BYU led 37-32 at halftime and added the first basket after the break, but the Buffs answered with 13 consecutive points to take a 45-39 lead at the first media timeout of the second half. CU’s lead still stood at six points, 51-45, when the Cougars scored six straight points to pull even, getting two of those points on free throws off a technical foul from the Buffs’ bench, and netting another two on free throws after a Josiah Sanders flagrant foul.
CU (14-12, 4-9 Big 12) still led 58-55 when BYU put together a 10-2 run to recapture the lead. The Buffs remained within 78-76 after a shot in the lane by Bangot Dak with 1 minute, 45 seconds left in regulation. After CU recorded a pair of defensive stops, a driving bucket by freshman guard Isaiah Johnson tied the game at 78-78, and solid defense by Sebastian Rancik on a final chance by BYU star AJ Dybantsa at the buzzer sent the game into overtime.
The teams traded points in the extra session until BYU’s Mihailo Boskovic broke an 82-82 tie with a 3-pointer with 1:21 remaining. The Buffs had three chances at a tying 3-pointer on one possession but came up short, and BYU iced the win at the free throw line.
Johnson led the Buffs with a season-high 27 points.
This story will be updated.
No. 22 BYU 90, Colorado 86, OT
COLORADO (14-12, 4-9 Big 12)
Dak 7-12 1-1 15, Rancik 2-9 5-6 9, Hargress 7-11 2-3 20, Holland 4-9 0-4 9, Johnson 10-23 3-4 27, Sanders 1-2 0-0 2, Michaeli 1-5 0-0 2, Ifaola 1-1 0-0 2, Inman 0-1 0-0 0, Malone 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 33-75 11-18 86.
BYU (19-6, 7-5)
Dybantsa 6-20 7-10 20, Keita 2-4 0-0 4, Davis 3-7 2-2 9, Saunders 0-0 0-0 0, Wright 12-16 11-13 39, Ahmed 0-1 1-2 1, Mrus 2-3 0-0 6, Boskovic 1-4 0-0 3, Kostic 2-4 0-0 6, Mboup 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 29-62 21-27 90.
Halftime: BYU 37-32. 3-Point Goals: Colorado 9-32 (Hargress 4-6, Johnson 4-12, Holland 1-3, Inman 0-1, Michaeli 0-2, Dak 0-3, Rancik 0-5), BYU 11-22 (Wright 4-4, Mrus 2-3, Kostic 2-4, Boskovic 1-1, Davis 1-3, Dybantsa 1-6, Mboup 0-1). Fouled Out: Rancik, Holland. Rebounds: Colorado 39 (Rancik 10), BYU 46 (Dybantsa 13). Assists: Colorado 18 (Rancik 6), BYU 16 (Dybantsa 8). Total Fouls: Colorado 23, BYU 15.