Field Level Media
Jan 30, 2021
Alfonso Plummer scored a season-best 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 61 seconds left, and Utah rallied from 19 down in the final 8:46 to beat Colorado 77-74 in Pac-12 play at Boulder, Colo., on Saturday.
Plummer scored all of his points in the second half and Timmy Allen had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Utah (7-7, 4-6 Pac-12).
McKinley Wright IV had 15 points and Jeriah Horne scored 10 for Colorado (13-5, 7-4).
The Buffaloes led 65-46 after Wright hit two technical free throws but the Utes came storming back.
Plummer drained a pair of 3-pointers that got Utah back within 67-54 and prompted a timeout by Colorado, but the Utes kept coming. Riley Battin hit another 3-pointer, Plummer made two free throws after a Buffaloes turnover and then drained a long 3-pointer to make it 67-62.
The teams traded baskets and Plummer was fouled on a made 3-pointer and hit the free throw to give Utah a 70-69 lead with 3:24 left, its first advantage since early in the first half.
Wright missed a jumper and Plummer hit a layup to make it a three-point game. Wright tied it with a 3-pointer from the top with 1:24 left.
Plummer's layup with 1:01 left put the Utes back in front, and after Wright missed a 3-pointer, Plummer hit a turnaround jumper with 13.4 seconds left to make it 76-72.
Wright drove in for a layup with nine seconds left and Colorado had one last chance when Allen split a pair of free throws with six seconds left but Utah blocked Wright's desperation 3-pointer to end the game.
The Utes scored the first six points of the game but the Buffaloes responded with 11 straight to take the lead. Wright's 3-pointer with 5:36 left in the first half gave Colorado a 10-point advantage but Utah went on a 10-2 run to get within 32-30.
The Buffaloes stretched the lead to nine again and went into halftime ahead 43-36.
--Field Level Media