Arizona outscored Colorado 53-41 in the second half to pull away for a 89-79 victory on Saturday night in Boulder. After falling behind 36-25, Arizona closed the first half with an 11-2 run. Koa Peat had his best game since scoring 30 in the season-opening win with 25 against Colorado.
Peat kept Arizona in the game in the first half with 19 points. Brayden Burries sparked Arizona in the second half with 22 of his career-high 31 points. Arizona shot 55.9 percent from the field and held Colorado to 40.6 percent. Colorado led 38-36 at halftime.
Arizona was significantly more productive in the second half. After Colorado made six of its 15 three-point attempts in the first half, the Buffaloes converted one of seven from beyond the arc in the second half. Arizona turned a 22-18 rebounding deficit in the first half into a 19-10 advantage in the second half.
The Wildcats outscored Colorado 54-26 on points in the paint. Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas each had 10 points and seven rebounds and Ivan Kharchenkov scored 10 with three rebounds and four assists. Isaiah Johnson led Colorado with 28 points, Barrington Hargress had 13 and Jalin Holland had 12.
Colorado had its last lead at 62-61 when Arizona flipped the game with a 12-2 run to take a 73-64 lead. The Buffaloes were only able to get within six twice in the remainder of the game. Arizona pulled away by shooting 70.4 percent from the field and made four of its five three-point attempts in the second half.
Arizona finished the regular season with 29 wins and two losses. That set the program record for victories in the regular season. The Wildcats are the number one seed in the Big XII Tournament and will play their first game on Thursday at noon Mountain Standard Time against either Cincinnati, Utah or Central Florida.