CHICAGO — D’shawn Schwartz nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, McKinley Wright IV scored a season-high 29 points and Colorado beat No. 13 Dayton 78-76 in overtime Saturday.
The Buffaloes (10-2) trailed by 14 in the first half, led by eight in the second and came away with the win after Obi Toppin hit a tying 3 in the final seconds of regulation for Dayton (9-2).
The Flyers led 74-71 in overtime after a 6-0 run, but Schwartz drove past Toppin to put the Buffaloes back on top with 27 seconds left. After Jalen Crutcher’s layup gave Dayton a 76-75 lead with 10 seconds remaining, Schwartz buried a 3 from the right side as time expired and got mobbed by his teammates.
Schwartz scored 20 points. Wright finished one point shy of his career high and grabbed 10 rebounds, helping the Buffaloes win their third in a row.
Jalen Crutcher led Dayton with 19 points. Toppin scored 17, but the Flyers came up short after winning four straight.
Colorado was leading 64-61 when Toppin threw down a one-handed rebound dunk off his own miss with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. The Flyers had a chance to take the lead after Wright missed a driving layup and 3-pointer.
Rodney Chatman banged his head on the floor as he missed a driving layup in the closing minutes, but no foul was called.
Instead, Dayton’s Ryan Mikesell got called for one going for the rebound with 35 seconds left and Evan Battey hit one of two free throws. Another foul shot by Wright made it 66-63 with 13 seconds remaining. Toppin then popped to the top of the key for the tying 3 with six seconds remaining, and Wright missed a long heave, sending the game to overtime.
BIG PICTURE
Colorado: The Buffaloes expect to contend for the Pac-12 championship, and they showed why.
Dayton: The Flyers have their highest ranking since they made it to No. 6 in December 1967. They figure to drop a few spots after this loss.
UP NEXT
Colorado: Hosts Iona on Dec. 29.
Dayton: Hosts Grambling on Monday.
