Pac-12 basketball: Tyler Bey, McKinley Wright drive Colorado past Arizona State 77-73

McKinley Wright IV scored 24 points with six rebounds and eight assists, Tyler Bey had 22 points and 17 rebounds and Colorado got past Arizona State 77-73 on Wednesday night.

The duo dominated inside as Colorado (15-9, 6-6 in Pac-12) scored 38 points in the paint.

“Tyler Bey and McKinley Wright were warriors,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “Those two kids are special. They are really separating themselves in terms of what they can do to help this team win.”

Wright set his season high for scoring and did so shooting effectively from the field at 9 of 13. Bey recorded his ninth double-double of the year and set a personal best on the boards against the fourth-best rebounding team in the nation.

The Sun Devils (16-8, 7-5) were led by Luguentz Dort’s 21 points on 13 shots. Taeshon Cherry, who returned from a concussion, was limited to eight points due to foul trouble.

“We were in really good shape at the under 16 then they got in the lane, especially McKinley Wright,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “They made some tough shots too, late clock down the stretch.”

The game featured nine ties and seven lead changes. An extended Colorado run of 29-16 in the second half finally created separation. The run was capped by a 3-pointer by Wright to put Colorado up eight with a little less than three minutes left.

“It was crazy. I don’t know how to describe it. When I hit that shot and saw buff nation go crazy it was exciting,” Wright said. “I was excited to see it go through that was a big-time shot for us and it kind of killed them.