McKinley Wright IV scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half and dished out six assists, Jeriah Horne added 11 points off the bench, all in the second half, and Colorado defeated South Dakota 84-61 in the Little Apple Classic at Manhattan, Kan., on Wednesday night.

Keeshawn Barthelemy had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Bufaloes (1-0), while Jabari Walker added 10 points to help Colorado win its opener after losing five straight to end last season.

Colorado had seven players score eight or more points and outscored the Coyotes 32-11 off the bench.

Stanley Umude scored a game-high 24 points and blocked three shots for South Dakota (0-1) and Ty Chisom had 12 points and nine rebounds as the Coyotes were just 3 of 20 (15 percent) from 3-point range.

Both teams will finish tournament play Friday, with South Dakota facing Drake and Colorado taking on host Kansas State.

Wright got off to a strong start after missing his first attempt, hitting six straight shots and giving Colorado an early lead.

With the Buffaloes leading 26-20 Wright converted a three-point play then fed Eli Parquet for a layup before hitting a 3-pointer to provide the bulk of an 11-2 run. Colorado scored eight straight to increase the lead to 45-25 but six straight by the Coyotes cut into the deficit before the half. Umude scored 14 points in the opening 20 minutes.

The Buffaloes extended the lead to open the second half. After Chisom hit a 3-pointer to get South Dakota within 14, Parquet banked in a shot from behind the arc to start a 13-3 run for Colorado.

Maddox Daniels made a 3-pointer and Walker converted a three-point play to make it 60-36 with 14:38 to play.

Horne's third 3-pointer gave the Buffaloes a 73-48 lead with 8:51 remaining, their biggest of lead of the game.

Umude's dunk, mid-range jumper and two free throws sparked an 11-4 run for the Coyotes that cut the deficit to 77-59 but Colorado's lead was never threatened in the second half.

-Field Level Media