It won’t be remembered as one of the more picturesque victories of the Tad Boyle era. Yet the Colorado men’s basketball team managed to battle its way into a little history.

New center Elijah Malone came through in the clutch, and the Buffaloes managed to hold off state rival Northern Colorado for a 90-88 double-overtime victory at the CU Events Center on Friday night.

The victory was No. 300 for Boyle at CU, as he became the first Colorado men’s basketball coach to reach that mark.

Only Sox Walseth, who won a combined 338 games as the coach of the CU men’s and women’s team, and legendary former CU women’s coach Ceal Barry (427 wins) have earned more coaching wins at CU than Boyle.

It also was CU’s 13th consecutive win against the Bears.

The game was tied 52-52 when Malone scored the next eight CU points, a run that included a midcourt steal that the 6-foot-10 center turned into a breakaway layup and a three-point play. In just his second game at the Division I level after earning NAIA All-American honors last season, Malone finished with 27 points, going 8-for-12 from the field and 10-for-12 at the free throw line.

The Buffs led by six after a pair of free throws by Julian Hammond III with 24.6 seconds left in overtime, but UNC’s Isaiah Hawthorne converted a three-point play and CU committed a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play.

The Bears’ Marcell McCreary then sent the game into overtime with a deep 3-pointer from the corner just before the buzzer.

The game was tied 76-76 at the end of the first overtime, but Trevor Baskin and Hammond combined to hit three free throws in the final 61 seconds to help the Buffs prevail.

Malone’s huge night included five rebounds.