Richie Saunders puts up 25 as BYU downs Colorado

Richie Saunders scored 25 points and Trevin Knell added 14 to help BYU pull away for a 83-67 victory over Colorado on Tuesday in Boulder, Colo.

Mawot Mag chipped in 11 points and five rebounds for the Cougars, and Egor Demin dished out a team-high seven assists. BYU (12-6, 3-4 Big 12) made 11 3-pointers overall and shot 68 percent from the field in second half.

The Cougars earned their first true road win of the season and ended an 0-13 skid in Boulder that dated back to a victory in 1902.

Julian Hammond III led Colorado with 17 points. The Buffaloes (9-9, 0-7) lost their seventh straight game and remained winless in Big 12 play.

Colorado went ice cold after taking a double-digit lead late in the first half, opening the door for a BYU rally and runaway after halftime. The Buffaloes missed 16 consecutive shots and did not score a field goal over a 13-minute stretch spanning both halves.

The Cougars, up by two at the break, opened the second half with a 23-2 run, going up 61-38. Saunders, Knell and Mag each scored a pair of baskets to spark the run, and BYU made six field-goal attempts in a row.

Colorado did not get its first field goal of the second half until Trevor Baskin's layup with 12:39 left.

The Buffaloes made 11 of their first 15 shots but initially struggled to capitalize on the hot start after also committing seven turnovers through the first 10 minutes. BYU, on the other hand, went 11 1/2 minutes before committing its first turnover.

The Cougars went up 22-18 when Dawson Baker made a 3-pointer off a steal. Colorado answered with a 14-0 run, fueled by seven consecutive points from Hammond, to race out to a 32-22 lead.

Saunders helped BYU erase the deficit before halftime. He scored seven unanswered points to make it a one-possession game again and start an 11-0 run. Mag punctuated the run with a three-point play that put the Cougars up 33-32, and BYU went into halftime ahead 38-36.

--Field Level Media