PROVO, Utah (Interstat) — In a game defined by a singular, spectacular performance, Robert Wright Jr. willed BYU to a 90-86 overtime victory over Colorado in a wild Big 12 men’s basketball game Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Marriott Center.

Wright, the sophomore guard from Wilmington, Delaware, poured in a career-high 39 points, including 12 in the decisive overtime period, to overcome a resilient Colorado squad and lift the Cougars before a crowd of 18,163. His effort was the centerpiece of a game that saw 14 lead changes and eight ties, with neither team leading by more than seven points.

The most critical sequence unfolded in the final minute of regulation and throughout the extra session. With the score tied at 78 and 18 seconds left in the second half, Colorado’s Isaiah Johnson drove for a layup to give the Buffaloes a two-point lead. BYU, without a timeout, rushed the ball upcourt. AJ Dybantsa’s potential game-tying jumper from the elbow missed as time expired, seemingly sealing a road win for Colorado.

However, a review determined that Dybantsa was fouled on the play by Colorado’s Jalin Holland with 0.5 seconds remaining. The call sent Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 freshman, to the line for two shots with the Cougars trailing by two. He calmly sank both free throws to force overtime, completing a BYU comeback from a five-point deficit with under three minutes to play in regulation.

The overtime period belonged entirely to Wright. He scored BYU’s first eight points, including a pair of difficult jumpers and four free throws, to stake the Cougars to an 86-82 lead they would not relinquish. Colorado, which scored only eight points in the extra period, could not find an answer. Wright sealed the game by making four more free throws in the final 16 seconds, finishing 11 of 12 from the line overall and adding five rebounds and four assists.

BYU improved to 18-6 overall and 7-4 in the Big 12, while Colorado fell to 14-12 and 4-8. The game was a statistical oddity, as BYU committed 16 turnovers to Colorado’s seven and tallied only five assists as a team. The Cougars offset those issues with superior efficiency, shooting 50% from 3-point range (11 of 22) and 77.8% from the free-throw line (21 of 27). Colorado shot just 28.1% from beyond the arc (9 of 32) and 61.1% from the line (11 of 18).

Dybantsa complemented Wright with a formidable all-around performance of 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Kennard Davis added nine points for BYU.

Colorado was led by Johnson’s 27 points and four assists. Barrington Hargress scored 20 points, and Bangot Dak added 15 points and seven rebounds. Sebastian Rancik contributed nine points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Buffaloes, who dominated points in the paint, 40-30, and scored 21 points off BYU’s turnovers.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with BYU taking a 37-32 lead into the break behind 15 points from Wright. Colorado surged in the second half, shooting 46% from the field after halftime to repeatedly answer BYU’s runs and set the stage for the dramatic finish.

The win allowed BYU to avoid a damaging home loss after being installed as a 14-point pregame favorite. Colorado, coming off a 34-point loss at Texas Tech earlier in the week, showed significant fight but ultimately fell short against one of the nation’s premier guards in Wright, who has now scored 30 or more points in two of his last three games.

BYU next travels to face Arizona on Wednesday. Colorado returns home to host Oklahoma State next Saturday.