Sooners Fall to Buffs, 84-75

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Richard Roby scored 28 points and Chris Copeland added 18 to lead Colorado to its first victory this season over a ranked opponent, 84-75 over No. 19 Oklahoma on Wednesday night.

The Buffaloes (17-5, 7-4) moved into a tie with the Sooners for third place in the Big 12 and bolstered their argument that they deserve a spot in the NCAA tournament with the win over the ranked team.

Michael Neal, who started in place of injured guard Austin Johnson, scored 28 points on 7-of-14 shooting from 3-point range to lead Oklahoma (16-6, 7-4). Johnson sprained his right ankle in Saturday's 80-52 win over Baylor and did not play.

Stats | Gameday Central

Terrell Everett added 16 points for the Sooners.

The Buffaloes managed to beat Oklahoma's stifling defense by forcing the Sooners into their faster pace from the start. Oklahoma had been holding opponents to an average of 59.6 points per game, while Colorado led the Big 12 with an 80.4 scoring average.

Colorado trailed 57-53 with 11:59 remaining when it went on a 10-1 run to take a 63-58 lead with 7:19 remaining. The run was capped by a basket by Marcus Hall and the Buffaloes would never trail again.

Oklahoma pulled to 69-67 on a basket from Neal, but Roby scored eight points, including two 3-pointers, and Hall added another 3 to give the Buffaloes an 80-71 lead with 2:26 remaining.

The Buffaloes have struggled at the free throw line this season, but they made 19 of 22 in the game.

Oklahoma had held its last two opponents to just four first-half field goals, but couldn't dominate Colorado early. The Sooners led 40-35 at halftime thanks to Neal's 18 points on six straight 3-pointers, which tied a school record.

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