Wright's career-high 39, Kostic's late 3 helps No. 22 BYU survive Colorado in OT

PROVO — If Robert Wright III peaked in his mid-week return to Baylor, then Saturday afternoon he may have set a new standard.

The Baylor transfer scored a career-high 39 points with five rebounds and four assists to help No. 22 BYU hold off Colorado, 90-86 in front of a capacity crowd at the Marriott Center.

AJ Dybantsa added 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Cougars (19-6, 7-5 Big 12), who outrebounded the Buffaloes 45-38 in a game without the other member of the "Big 3," Richie Saunders, for all but 45 seconds.

"Honestly, it just felt good to get the win," said Wright, the former All-Big 12 freshman. "They were doubling AJ, so I was just playing off him.

"And when Richie went down, we needed somebody to step up. I guess it was me today."

Isaiah Johnson scored 27 points with four assists, including a layup with seven seconds left that forced overtime with a 78-78 tie.

Wright and Dybantsa combined to shoot 5-of-10 as BYU shot 50% from 3-point range. But the biggest triple of the night may have come from Aleksej Kostic.

The freshman who last made a 3-pointer on Jan. 26 in a loss to Arizona connected from deep with 1:21 left in overtime to give the Cougars an 85-82 edge, and BYU held the Buffs without a field goal for more than three minutes in overtime to secure the win.

"When I went to make my move, I felt like the paint was too congested and I saw Aleksej out on the 3-point line — with a shot that he makes all the time," Wright recalled of Kostic's second triple.

Kostic finished with 6 points, and Kennard Davis Jr. added 9 points, three rebounds and three assists for BYU.

Barrington Hargress had 20 points, five rebounds and four assists for Colorado, and Bangor Dak supplied 15 points and seven rebounds for the Buffs (14-12, 4-9 Big 12) in their third loss in the last four games.

Saunders exited the game with an apparent lower leg/ankle injury near his left foot just 45 seconds into the game. But Wright scored 10 points, Dybantsa added 9 points and five assists, and the Cougars connected on 7 3-point attempts to cling to a 37-32 lead at halftime.

Maybe just as importantly, Tyler Mrus hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first half while BYU was still shaking off a stunned silence from the 18,163 fans in attendance.

"You don't know what happened or the severity of it," said BYU coach Kevin Young, who was waiting on an injury update from the team's medical staff after the game. "But I think it sucked the life out of the gym, if I'm being honest. You never want to see an injury to any player, but definitely not to someone who is the heart and soul of our team. Didn't like seeing it.

"But unfortunately you've got to move on. You've got to find a way to come in and channel that emotion," he added. "I thought Tyler came in and hit a few shots, and Aleks hit a huge one at the end there. … I was proud of those guys who came in and were ready to contribute to the win."

Dak scored 7 points out of the break, and the Buffs used a 13-2 run to take a 45-39 lead less than five minutes after an emotional halftime that saw the Cougars raise former BYU great Jimmer Fredette's No. 32 jersey into the rafters.

Wright, who dropped a career-high 30 points four days ago in a win over Baylor, wasn't done.

The sophomore from Wilmington, Delaware, scored 23 points in the second half, including a 3-pointer with 8:28 remaining that brought the Cougars back up 65-60.

Johnson drained a kick-out three with 3:14 remaining to pull the Buffs within two, 76-74. The freshman from Los Angeles drove to the rim to tie the game at 78-all to force the extra session.

BYU hits the road next Wednesday to face No. 1 Arizona (7 p.m. MST, ESPN) before returning home Saturday to host No. 5 Iowa State.

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