3 keys in the Utah Utes’ 77-74 comeback win over the Colorado Buffaloes

Utah forward Mikael Jantunen, left, drives the lane as Colorado forward Jeriah Horne defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. | (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Often this season the Utah Utes have built first-half leads only to see them evaporate in the second. On Saturday, it was the opposite against the Colorado Buffaloes on the road, as the Utes overcame a huge deficit in the second half to get the 77-74 victory.

Here are three keys from the game.

• Down by 19 at 65-46 with 8:22 to play, the Utes closed by outscoring the Buffaloes 31-9 as they asserted themselves on both ends of the floor.
• Alfonso Plummer went scoreless in the first half and had just two points until 7:49 remained. He wound up scoring 21 of Utah’s last 26 points, however, to finish with a game-high 23. Plummer tied the contest at 69 with 3:24 to play, and then scored the Utes’ next seven points after that as they seized control (Timmy Allen made one of two free throws to put Utah up by three with six seconds left, and Colorado couldn’t tie things up).
• Beside Plummer’s 23 points, Allen finished with 17. The Buffaloes had two players finish in double figures, with McKinley Wright IV scoring 15 and Jeriah Horne 10.

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