By PETE IACOBELLI
AP Sports Writer

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Things couldn't be better at the
Charleston Classic for Colorado coach Tad Boyle. While down
South, Boyle received a contract extension from his board of
regents, then watched his Buffaloes pull off a gritty win over
Dayton to start the eight-team tournament on Thursday.



Askia Booker scored 16 points, freshman Xavier Johnson had 15
and Colorado (2-0) rallied from seven points down in the second
half to defeat the Flyers, 67-57.



"We didn't play perfect," Boyle said. "But if the rest the
tournament is like this, people will get their money's worth."



Boyle's certainly done that in his three seasons at Colorado.
The Buffaloes won the Pac 12 Conference tournament in their
first year in the league and gave Baylor problems in the NCAA
tournament before the Bears pulled away for an 80-63 third-round
win.



His one-year extension was announced Wednesday, a day after the
team arrived in Charleston. It locks him up through 2017. Boyle
said he's grateful for the trust the school's leadership showed
him.



Boyle and the Buffaloes could pay back that faith later in the
tournament because Baylor is also in the field. Boyle and his
players would love nothing more than a rematch with the
16th-ranked Bears.



"I'm rooting for them," Booker said, with a laugh.



Any team would have their hands full with Colorado, especially
with their play down the stretch.



Josh Scott, a freshman like Johnson, had 13 points and Spencer
Dinwiddie added 12. Andre Roberson, third nationally last year
in rebounding, had 14 boards to go along with six points, four
steals and two blocks.



Booker and Johnson had the biggest shots. They had back-to-back
threes when Dayton led 35-27. Johnson's long-range shot started
a 13-0 surge that gave the Buffaloes the lead.



"We knew we needed to get going," Booker said. "We were looking
to make those shots."



Vee Sanford led Dayton (1-1) with 13 points. Last year's leading
scorer for the Flyers, Kevin Dillard, scored all of his 10
points in the second half.



Dayton rallied one final time, tying it 47-all on Dillard's
driving bucket. Colorado used its long-range shooting touch to
respond. Booker hit his second of three 3-pointers to regain the
lead and Scott followed with a pair of foul shots.



The Flyers closed to 52-50 on Dyshawn Pierre's free throw with
4:59 remaining, but that was as close as they would come down
the stretch. Booker's final 3-pointer with 1:25 remaining gave
Colorado a 62-54 lead.



Dayton coach Archie Miller said his team played well until
Colorado's pace and execution in the last 10 minutes proved too
much.



"Our team's going to find that out the hard way a couple of
times early until we learn it's a 40 minute game and not a
30-minute game," Miller said.



The teams hadn't played each other since 1987.



Dayton was looking to show off its early season form. The Flyers
won the Old Spice Classic in 2011 and Chicago Invitational
Challenge in 2008. Dayton defeated Wake Forest, Fairfield and
Minnesota on the way to last year's Old Spice title and was
seeking to knock off another BCS conference program in the
Buffaloes.



Dayton led 27-23 at the half, and Khari Price hit both his
first-half 3s to lead the Flyers' scoring in the period.