BOULDER, Colo. — George King scored 21 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first overtime, and grabbed a pivotal rebound late in the second OT to help Colorado hold off Washington State 88-81 on Thursday night.
Xavier Talton sealed the win with four straight free throws over the last 30 seconds, sending the Cougars to their 10th straight loss.
The Buffaloes (18-7, 7-5 Pac-12) were without big man Josh Scott, who sprained his ankle last weekend. With Scott went a team-leading 16.7 points and opened up things for Washington State (9-15, 1-11) in the paint.
Que Johnson scored a career-high 25 points and had the Cougars on the verge of their first road win of the season, hitting a go-ahead 3-point play with 22.4 seconds left in the first OT. But King’s shot spoiled the moment.
King’s fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer electrified the crowd. The officials reviewed the play and upheld the shot.
Wesley Gordon had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Josh Hawkinson finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season. That ties Jim McKean (1967) for second-most in Washington State history for a season. The record belongs to Hawkinson, who had 20 last season.
In the second overtime, Miller hit a layup with 2:05 remaining and the Buffaloes never trailed again. Washington State had a chance to tie the game late, but Ike Iroegbu missed a jumper and King grabbed the rebound. Colorado outscored Washington State 10-3 in the second OT.
With no Scott in the middle, the Cougars weren’t afraid to go into the paint. That’s how they worked their way back into the game after trailing by 10 early in the second half. They took their first lead since the opening minute on a 3-pointer by Brett Boese with 6:29 left. Hawkinson extended the lead to three with a layup.
It was back and forth over the 5 minutes, with King hitting a driving a layup to give Colorado a 67-65. NY Redding answered with another layup to tie the game at 67.
Josh Fortune’s floating jumper in the waning seconds of regulation came up short.
Hawkinson scored the game’s first bucket on a jumper — the Cougars’ only lead of the half. Colorado led by as many as 13 in the first half, only to see it whittle away to a basket. But the Buffaloes closed on a 10-3 run to take a 41-32 lead at halftime.
All this with Scott sitting near the end of the bench in street clothes. He’s been highly durable this season after a sore back slowed him at times last season. He missed eight games in 2014-15.
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