Bryce Wills stalled a Colorado rally with a jumper with 2:41 remaining Sunday afternoon, allowing Stanford to hold off the 21st-ranked Buffaloes 72-64 in a Pacific-12 Conference men's basketball game.
With the win, Stanford (20-9, 9-7) reached 20 wins for the first time since going 24-13 in 2014-15.
Meanwhile, the loss formally eliminated Colorado (21-9, 10-7) from the conference regular-season title race with just one week remaining.
Playing its final regular-season home game of the season, Stanford held the visitors without a field goal for almost six minutes in the middle of the first half, during which the Cardinal turned a 13-all tie into a 27-15 advantage.
Jaiden Delaire got the run going with a pair of hoops, including a 3-pointer.
The Stanford lead reached 15 before the Buffaloes got back into the game by closing the first half with an eight-point flurry. Eli Parquet and McKinley Wright IV buried 3-pointers, helping Colorado go into the break down just 35-28.
The Cardinal rebuilt the lead to 15 at 63-48 on a 3-pointer by Wills with 9:17 to play, but Colorado wasn't done.
A hoop by Tyler Bey got the Buffaloes within 65-62 with still 3:52 to play, capping a 10-0 run.
Colorado had a chance to get closer, but a steal by Spencer Jones led to Wills' momentum-stopping basket, after which the Buffaloes got no closer than seven.
Wills had 19 points to pace Stanford, which won its fourth straight.
Oscar da Silva added 16 points, and Daejon Davis and Tyrell Terry 12 apiece for the Cardinal, who outshot Colorado 52.5 percent to 42.6. Davis also found time for a game-high five assists.
The Cardinal, who can still catch Colorado in the final Pac-12 regular-season standings, wrap up conference play at Oregon State and Oregon.
Bey totaled 17 points, D'Shawn Schwartz 14 and Wright 13 as part of a double-double with 11 rebounds for Colorado, which dropped its third straight, including both on its trip to the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Buffaloes conclude Pac-12 play at Utah on Saturday.
--Field Level Media
Colorado | Stanford | |
Tyler Bey 17 | Scoring | Bryce Wills 19 |
Tyler Bey 2 | Assists | Daejon Davis 5 |
McKinley Wright IV 11 | Rebounds | Oscar Da Silva 5 |
Tyler Bey 5 | Free Throws Made | Tyrell Terry 5 |
McKinley Wright IV 3 | Steals | Spencer Jones 3 |
Evan Battey 1 | Blocks | Spencer Jones 2 |