Scott with 17 points, 11 boards; Colorado beats Oregon 91-87
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) The Colorado bench paved most of the way, and the Buffaloes didn't let another conference home game get away on Sunday night.
Josh Scott scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, the bench added 45 points, and Colorado held on to beat Oregon 91-87.
The Buffaloes (14-4, 3-2 Pac-12) blew a nine-point lead in the second half in a 56-54 loss to Utah on Jan. 9.
''The Utah loss probably hurts more now than it did a week ago,'' Colorado coach Tab Boyle said. You've got to win those close ones and tonight we did.''
Tre'Shaun Fletcher came off the bench and added 14 points for the Buffaloes, who have won three of their last four games. George King chipped in 13 points.
''We don't want to lose at home,'' Scott said. ''Our goal is to win championships. To do that, you can't drop them at home.''
Dillon Brooks scored 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting with five assists for Oregon (14-4, 3-2). Tyler Dorsey made 4 of 8 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.
Dwayne Benjamin made a 3-pointer to pull the Ducks to a 78-all tie with four minutes left. Fletcher scored four points, Scott converted a 3-point play and blocked Elgin Cook's layup attempt as part of a 7-1 spurt, and the Buffaloes led 85-79 with 1:35 remaining.
Dorsey made a 3 to pull the Ducks to 85-82 with 42 seconds left. Dominique Collier split a pair of free throws, Xavier Talton then forced a turnover, and Fletcher made just one of two from the line to stretch the Buffaloes lead to 87-82 with 27 seconds to go.
The Ducks' Casey Benson made two free throws, and Fletcher made both free throws on the ensuing possession and the Buffaloes led 89-84. Dorey made another 3 with five seconds left, but Talton made two free throws to seal it for Colorado.
''We scored enough points (to win)'', Oregon coach Dana Altman said. ''We just didn't guard anybody.''
Both teams shot 57 percent from 3-point range. Oregon made 12 of 21 and Colorado 8 of 14.
''We weren't focused. We knew the tendencies, and we knew what they wanted to do,'' Brooks said. ''We never stopped them. We gave them what they wanted.''
Early in the second half, Chris Boucher and Brooks hit successive 3s as part of an 11-2 run to put the Ducks up 55-50 with 16:11 remaining.
Benjamin made back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Ducks their last lead, 74-73 with six minutes to play.
Talton scored 13 points, and Tory Miller had 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Buffaloes.
''The bench was the difference in the game,'' Boyle said. ''Our guys were gritty enough to win this game, but the bench was the key.''
Colorado used a 14-6 run to jump out to a 26-17 lead midway through the first half. Talton scored eight points during the burst, and Thomas Akyazili capped it with a fast break layup.
Oregon closed the gap to 35-34, but the Buffaloes went on an 8-0 run to push ahead 43-34.
The Ducks came back with a 7-3 run to cut the deficit to 46-41 at halftime.
TIP-INS
Oregon: The Ducks are 12-0 when they hold their opponent to less than 70 points this season, and 2-4 when not. ... Colorado's 91 points was a season-high against the Ducks.
Colorado: The return of senior guard Xavier Johnson is still questionable. Johnson, who averaged 10.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in his first three seasons before tearing his Achilles tendon during the summer, returned to team drills as a full participant on Friday, but it's unclear if he will be able to return this season.
GETTING TECHNICAL
Dillon Brooks blamed the loss on his technical foul. After the sophomore forward was called for the foul under Colorado's hoop midway through the first half, Xavier Talton hit a pair of free throws and sank a jumper to give Colorado four quick points. Four points proved to be the difference. ... ''It came down to the wire and I got a technical in the beginning of the game and they hit two free throws,'' he said. ''We could have won by two or it could have been a closer game.''
UP NEXT
Oregon hosts Southern California on Thursday.
Colorado visits Washington on Wednesday.
