Colorado off to best start in history with a big rally

McKinley Wright IV scored 21 points, D’Shawn Schwartz added 20 and 24th-ranked Colorado overcame a cold start and a 16point second-half deficit to beat Stanford 81-74 Saturday at Boulder, Colo.

All of Tyler Bey’s 11 points and nine of his dozen boards came in the second half when the Buffaloes shot 70% from the field, 100% from behind the arc and 85% from the foul line. That followed an awful first half (28%/ 23%/ 54%).

At 19-5 overall and atop the Pac-12 at 8-3, the Buffaloes are off to the best start in their history, topping the 1954-55 and 1968-69 squads that started out 18-6.

Stanford (16-7, 5-5), which led 39-23 early in the second half, lost its leading scorer, Oscar da Silva, to a head laceration on a scary collision early in the second half when he fouled 262pound Evan Battey on a breakaway.

A body board was brought out, but eventually Da Silva sat up on his own and was helped off to the locker room. He didn’t return and finished with three three points, 13 below his average.

at Oregon State 63, No. 14 Oregon 53: Zach Reichle made a key three-pointer down the stretch and the Beavers (14-9, 4-7 Pac-12) overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half for their third consecutive win in the rivalry.

Oregon State hit six consecutive free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

Ethan Thompson, whose dunk with three seconds left punctuated the victory before a sellout crowd at Gill Coliseum, led the Beavers with 15 points.

Payton Pritchard led the Ducks (18-6, 7-4) with 16 points, but the Pac-12’s leading scorer was only seven for 21 from the field.

at Utah 60, California 45: Timmy Allen scored 21 points and the Utes (14-9, 5-6) defeated the Golden Bears for the third straight time. Cal (10-13, 4-6) remains winless in seven true road games this season.

Utah built a double-digit lead multiple times in the first half after taking advantage of a pair of prolonged shooting droughts by the Bears.