Illinois 57, Colorado 49: Brandon Paul scored 10 of his 17 points over the final 6:06 as the Fighting Illini dispatched the Buffaloes in the NCAA Tournament at Austin, Texas.

D.J. Richardson scored 14 points and Tracy Abrams added 13 for Illinois (23-12), which let a 16-point halftime lead slip away before closing the game with an 18-5 run. The Illini face second-seeded Miami on Sunday in the East Regional for a berth in the Sweet 16.

Askia Booker scored 14 points and freshman Josh Scott had eight points and 14 rebounds for the Buffaloes (21-12), who opened the second half with a 23-2 burst to hold a five-point lead just past the midway point of the second half.

The Illini moved ahead to stay as Richardson and Paul hit 3-pointers to cap a 9-0 run for a 48-44 lead with 6:06 to play. Illinois didn’t make another field goal and Paul hit six consecutive free throws and Nnanna Egwu hit one during a 7-0 surge that gave the Illini a 55-46 edge with 24.6 seconds left.

Richardson hit two 3-pointers as Illinois scored the final 13 points of the first half for a 37-21 lead. The Buffaloes missed their last 11 shots of the half and then erupted in the second half as Illinois missed 14 consecutive shots.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Illini scored 15 points off Colorado turnovers in the first half and finished with a 21-8 edge. … Buffaloes G Spencer Dinwiddie scored just six points on 1-of-8 shooting while battling foul trouble. … Illinois was 8-of-31 from 3-point range with Richardson making four. Booker had four for Colorado, which went 5-of-19.