Why the Buffs won: CU shot .609 in the second half and forced 11 second-half turnovers out of the Mountaineers.

Three stars

1. CU’s Elijah Malone. The fifth-year center had his biggest game as a Buff, going 7-for-10 and scoring 12 of his 14 points after halftime.

2. CU’s RJ Smith. Went 3-for-5 on 3-pointers, including a dagger-like bomb on a wide-open look at the top of the arc with 57 seconds left, before finishing with 13 points and five rebounds.

3. WVU’s Javon Small. Scored a game-high 23 points, but between his 13 points in the first 11-plus minutes and a pair of last-minute, desperation 3s, Small was held to four points while the Buffs took control.

Up next: The 16th-seeded Buffs face a huge challenge in keeping their season alive when they take on top-seeded, third-ranked Houston in the quarterfinals on Thursday (1 p.m., ESPN2).