KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Elijah Malone scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, helping No. 16 seed Colorado defeat No. 8 seed West Virginia with a 67-60 victory in the second round of the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Wednesday.

RJ Smith added 13 points for the Buffaloes (14-19), who beat TCU in the opening round and now get a shot at second-ranked Houston — the top seed in the Championship— in the quarterfinal round on Thursday.

The Mountaineers (19-13) were leading 46-37 with under 10 minutes to go when they turned it over on seven straight possessions. Colorado seized the momentum and ran off 15 points to take a 52-46 lead with 5 1/2 minutes left.

West Virginia fought back to within 56-53 with 2:13 left, but Malone scored again in the paint and Smith buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key, giving the Buffaloes a cushion they were able to hold until the finish.

Javon Small had 23 points to lead the Mountaineers, who began the day No. 41 in the NET rankings, thanks in large part to their strong schedule. They have six Quad 1 wins, which is an important factor considered by the NCAA selection committee.

Key Stats
The Buffaloes were 18 of 22 from the foul line, including Andrej Jakimovski’s clinchers with 10 seconds to go.

Houston
The Buffaloes play UH on Thursday.