SMU Wins Las Vegas Classic
No. 18 SMU overcame an eight-point deficit in the second half to post a 70-66 win over Colorado on Wednesday in the championship game of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Guard Nic Moore led SMU, one of five remaining unbeaten teams, with 16 points. Guard Josh Fortune led Colorado, which snapped an 11-game win streak, with 15 points.
Colorado (11-2) went on a 14-0 run to grab a 54-46 lead with 8:30 left. SMU (11-0) pulled even, 58-58, on a Moore jumper with 3:57 to play.
SMU took the lead on a jumper by freshman guard Shake Milton and completed its run for a 64-58 advantage with under two minutes remaining.
Colorado led most of the first half after starting 5-for-5 from 3-point range. The Buffaloes were 6-for-12 on 3-pointers in the half, but SMU never trailed by more than seven and took a 20-19 lead with 8:42 left before the break.
SMU outshot Colorado, 47 percent to 36 percent, from the field to take a 35-30 lead at halftime.
Overall, Colorado made 12 of 27 shots from 3-point range while SMU was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc in coach Larry Brown’s second game back from an NCAA suspension. The Mustangs shot 48.3 percent from the floor for the game, while the Buffaloes hit 39.7 percent of their field-goal attempts.
