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Burks, Colorado edge No. 5 Texas

Feb 27, 2011 - 2:16 AM Boulder, CO (Sports Network) - Alec Burks scored 24 of his game-high 33 points in the second half, and the Colorado Buffaloes overcame a 22-point first-half deficit to top the fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns, 91-89, at Coors Events Center.

"We knew we would have to play really well to beat these guys," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. "And in the second half we sure did. I think that says something about our character and toughness, both mentally and physically."

Burks shot 10-of-21 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds for Colorado (18-11, 7-7 Big 12), which has won three of four. Levi Knutson scored 21 points while Cory Higgins added 11 for the victors.

Jordan Hamilton and J'Covan Brown both finished with 21 points to lead the Longhorns (24-5, 12-2), who have dropped two of three. Gary Johnson added 17 points while Tristan Thompson scored 16 and added eight boards in the loss.

"It's pretty simple," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "The team that played for 40 minutes won the game. I didn't think we had a real sense of urgency defensively from the get-go."

Texas shot 56 percent in the first half, but a paltry 29.4 percent in the final 20 minutes to drop its second consecutive road game. The Longhorns lost at Nebraska last Saturday.

Texas took a 48-33 lead into the locker room, and after the teams traded baskets to open the second half Burks' jumper at 15:54 started a 14-0 Buffaloes run to begin the comeback. Burks ended the run with a full court driving layup at 13:03, making it a one-possession game, 58-55.

Burks scored 11 in the run, and after a Knutson three-pointer at 9:46 the Buffaloes took a 62-61 lead. Colorado widened their lead to 65-61 with another Knutson three at 9:06. The basket capped an even longer 21-3 run that eclipsed most of the second half.

Texas ended the bleeding with a Hamilton three at 7:49, but another Knutson triple just inside seven minutes gave Colorado a 70-65 advantage. The Buffaloes lead reached 78-67 with a Higgins three-point conversion at 4:06.

The Longhorns attempted a late comeback, and after Knutson fouled Brown in the act of shooting on a three with 38 seconds remaining, he made all three to cut the deficit to 85-80.

Hamilton made a three-pointer with 18 ticks remaining to cut the deficit to two, however Burks made a pair from the line with 14 seconds remaining and Higgins made 1-of-2 from the line in the final three seconds to secure the victory.

The game remained close in the first half, with the teams trading the lead in the opening minutes. However, Hamilton tied the game at 11-11 with a jumper at 15:19, the basket started a 20-2 Texas run, capped by a 1-of-2 effort the line from Thompson, to give the Longhorns a 29-13 advantage.

The Longhorns continued to pull away, and after Johnson's layup and three- pointer conversion at 4:39 the Texas advantage reached 43-21.

Brown and Johnson paced the Longhorns with 14 and 13 points, respectively, in the first half. The Buffaloes ended the opening 20 minutes on a 12-5 run, cutting their deficit to 48-33 entering the locker room.

Game Notes

Texas leads the all-time series 14-9...Cory Joseph finished with 12 points and five assists for Texas...Andre Roberson scored nine points and grabbed a game- high 11 rebounds for Colorado...The Buffaloes shot 58.1 percent from the field in the second half.