Colorado 61, Arizona State 52

[February 20, 2014]  BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado 61, Arizona State 52: Askia Booker scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half as the host Buffaloes moved into third place in the Pac-12 with their fifth victory in six games.

Josh Scott recorded 13 points and 13 rebounds for Colorado (20-7, 9-5), which improved to 16-1 at home while setting a school record with its fourth consecutive 20-win season. Xavier Johnson added 11 points and six rebounds as the Buffaloes dominated the boards 48-27 overall and 15-5 on the offensive glass.

Jahii Carson registered 18 points and seven rebounds but was 5-of-15 from the field as the Sun Devils (19-7, 8-5) had their three-game winning streak snapped. Jermaine Marshall, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week after scoring 29 points in a victory over Arizona on Friday, was held to seven on 3-of-13 shooting in this one.

Neither team led by more than three in the first half as Colorado — led by Scott's eight points and six rebounds — enjoyed a 27-26 lead at the break. Arizona State scored the first six points of the second half before an 11-2 run — ignited by three straight baskets by Booker — put the Buffaloes on top 38-34 with 12:30 remaining.

Colorado extended the lead to 45-36 on Wesley Gordon's bucket with 6:55 left. The Sun Devils cut the deficit to three on three occasions — the last when Carson made two free throws with 1:26 to play — before Johnson scored down low with 59 seconds left and Booker sealed it by going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the last 39 seconds.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Arizona State's 7-2 C Jordan Bachynski, the all-time Pac-12 leader in blocked shots with 297 and leading the nation with 4.5 per game, recorded only one while being held to four points and three rebounds. ... The Buffaloes, who avenged a 72-51 loss to the Sun Devils in the season's first meeting, improved to 7-0 in Pac-12 games decided by less than 10 points. ... The Sun Devils fell into a fourth-place tie with California in the conference.

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