BOULDER, Colo. (AP) D’Shawn Schwartz had a season-high 16 points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer late, and No. 20 Colorado withstood an upset scare in a 76-64 win over Loyola Marymount on Wednesday night.
McKinley Wright IV also scored 16 points and Tyler Bey had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Buffaloes (7-0), who overcame 18 turnovers and a big performance from Lions junior Eli Scott to remain unbeaten.
Scott finished with a career-high 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
The Lions came close to pulling off a surprise but went cold down the stretch. Scott’s layup with 4:17 left tied it at 61, but Loyola Marymount didn’t make another field goal until Scott’s dunk with eight seconds left. They missed nine straight shots from the field and three of four free throws.
Loyola Marymount led by four at halftime and built a 43-34 advantage on a 3 by Scott early in the second half. Colorado rallied to get to 49-47 behind a trio of 3-pointers.
The Buffaloes took the lead on a 3, and the teams were tied at 59 when Wright hit a jumper from the wing. Scott tied it on a layup with 4:17 to go.
Schwartz hit his 3-pointer from the corner with 2:41 left and the Buffaloes used strong defense and hit 16 of their last 18 free throws to seal it.
BIG PICTURE
Loyola Marymount: Finished 1-2 against teams from Colorado, including a win at Air Force and a home loss to Colorado State. The Lions get five of their next six games at home before starting conference play against San Diego on Jan. 2.
Colorado: The 37 turnovers in the last two games is not a good sign heading into a showdown at second-ranked Kansas on Saturday. The Buffaloes have solid wins against Clemson, Arizona State and Wyoming, but need to clean up their ball security if they hope to pull an upset at Allen Fieldhouse.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Colorado scraped by an inferior opponent for the second straight game before its daunting trip to Kansas. But even a close loss to the Jayhawks could keep the Buffaloes in the rankings.
UP NEXT
Loyola Marymount: Hosts Grambling State on Saturday night.
Colorado: Plays at No. 2 Kansas on Saturday.
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