MBB Defeats Baylor, 91-84 in Double Overtime

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Richard Roby scored eight of his 32 points in the second overtime and Colorado put a dent in Baylor's NCAA tournament hopes with a 91-84 win Thursday in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.

The Buffs will face fourth-seeded Oklahoma in the second round on Friday. The win is Colorado's first conference tournament win since 2006, when they beat No. 12 seeded Baylor.

"You know, the team has always battled," said CU head coach Jeff Bzdelik. "I know that they will give it their very best and we've come up short but this team, they have a big heart. They're great young men. I'm proud to be coaching them. I enjoy these kinds of games. I think that's what you get into coaching for."

Colorado (12-19) jumped out to a big early lead and withstood a furious Baylor rally in the second half, then made enough shots in both overtimes to become the first No. 12 seed to beat a No. 5 seed in the 12-year history of the Big 12 tournament. The Buffs were also the first No. 11 to beat a No. 6 earlier this decade.

It was also the first double-overtime game in the history of the Big 12 conference tournament.

Marcus Hall had 25 points and recorded his second career double-double. Roby also had 12 rebounds and Dwight Thorne scored 12 of his career-high 14 points in the first half and scored a career-high three 3-pointers for Colorado.

Baylor (21-10) let Colorado control the tempo and had all kinds of trouble defensively, particularly on backdoor cuts in the first half. The Bears missed key free throws down the stretch and were just 8-for-28 from 3-point range.

Curtis Jerrells and LaceDarius Dunn each had 20 points and Henry Dugat had 19 for Baylor.

Colorado shot a season-high 72 percent in the first half and led by as many as 15 in the second half.

Baylor held the Buffaloes without a field goal for nearly six minutes and went on a 14-1 run, capped by Dugat's two free throws that tied it at 61-61 with just under 3 minutes left in regulation.

Baylor had a chance at the lead with 1:15 left, but Kevin Rogers missed two free throws. Colorado botched its final possession of regulation, waiting too long to get the play started, then settling for a turnaround 3-point attempt by Hall at the buzzer.

The first overtime came down to another final possession for Colorado after Dunn tied it at 74-all on a rebound slam with 15 seconds left. Hall had the ball again and got off a better shot, but his runner caromed high off the glass with 2 seconds left.

Colorado tried to run away with it at the start of the second overtime, scoring the first seven points, but Jerrells followed with a three-point play. Baylor got within 83-81, but Rogers missed two more free throws and Hall scored on a runner with 25 seconds left.

Hall followed with two free throws, then Roby hit two more to extend his career at least one more game. Roby scored his 10th career double-double. Colorado is 8-2 when Roby accomplishes that feat.

Colorado will face the fourth-seeded Oklahoma on Friday, Mar. 14 at 1 p.m.(MDT) The game will be broadcast on Altitude Sports and Entertainment (Ch. 25 on Comcast; Ch. 55 on Boulder Campus Television), ESPNU, ESPN Full Court, and ESPN360.com

Game Notes:

-- Colorado is the first 12 seed to beat a 5 seed in the history of the Big 12 tournament.

-- The win is Colorado's first conference tournament win since 2006, when they beat the No. 12 seeded Baylor.

-- Marcus Hall set a school record for most minutes in a season with 1,162.

-- Hall recorded his second career double-double.

-- Dwight Thorne hit a career-high three 3-pointers and a career-high 14 points.

-- CU's 44 points in the first half is a season-high.

-- Richard Roby scored over 30 points for the seventh time in his career and the first time this season.

-- Roby has accumulated 1,983 career points ans is now 12 shy of tying the school mark of 1,995 set by Donnie Boyce between 1991-95. His 11 field goals against Baylor are a season-high.

-- Marcus King-Stockton had a career-high 5 blocked shots.

-- Roby (50 minutes), Hall (48 minutes) and Cory Higgins (46) each had career-highs for minutes during a game.

-- The Buffs shot 54% from the field; CU is now 7-1 for the season when they shoot between 50 and 55%.

-- Colorado recorded a season-high 22 assists.