Colorado
15-15,7-12Pac-12
UCLA
25-4,16-2Pac-12
Buffs Come Up Just Short Vs. No. 4 Bruins
February 26, 2023 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER — Colorado took No. 4 UCLA down to the wire Sunday but the Buffaloes came up just short in the end, dropping a 60-56 decision at the CU Events Center.
Tad Boyle's Buffs fell to 15-15 overall and 7-12 in Pac-12 play while the Bruins won their eighth in a row to improve to 25-4, 16-2.
The Buffs led for almost the entire first half and took a two-point edge into the break, 30-28. But UCLA opened the second half with a 7-0 run and kept the lead until the midway point of the period.
But the Buffs didn't quit. CU finally regained the lead with eight minutes to play, setting the stage for a see-saw affair over the final minutes that featured six more lead changes.
The Bruins finally took the lead for good with two minutes to play and held the Buffs off down the stretch.
KJ Simpson led Colorado with 14 points, Luke O'Brien recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Tristan da Silva also scored 13. Da Silva, though, left the game with an injury with five minutes left to play, leaving the Buffs short handed over the final crucial minutes.
Jaime Jaquez led UCLA with 17 points and Tyger Campbell added 14.
The Buffs struggled on the offensive end throughout the game, hitting just 33 percent of their shots (18-for-54). Colorado held UCLA to 40 percent shooting (22-for-54), including 1-for-14 from beyond the arc, and CU held a 40-35 edge on the boards.
But the Buffs also left too many points on the free throw line, hitting only 13 of their 23 attempts from the stripe.
Still, Colorado's effort from beginning to end was much different than that in their 84-65 loss to USC on Thursday.
"I told the guys, 'You are silent today because you are disappointed. You fought your tails off, gave it everything you had and came up short,'" Boyle said. "That's the way it's supposed to feel because you invested something in the game. I don't want anybody to take this the wrong way. There's no moral victories in the Colorado basketball program, but I can live with the fight that our guys showed tonight. I can live with that."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado led by as much as 10 in the first half and still had a two-point edge at the break, 30-28. But the Bruins opened the second half with a 7-0 run and built their lead to six, 38-32, less than six minutes in.
Colorado, however, answered. CU slowly chipped away at the lead and finally knotted the score at 42-42 after a Simpson drive to the basket and an O'Brien 3-pointer with 9:29 to play.
Following a timeout, Colorado then regained the lead on a long da Silva 3-pointer to give CU a 45-44 edge.
The two teams then traded the lead five times over the next four minutes, and the Buffs' hopes took a big hit when da Silva limped to the locker room with a leg injury with 5:15 to play.
The Buffs, though, responded again with 3-pointers from O'Brien and Nique Clifford, with Clifford's trey giving Colorado a 52-50 edge with 4:11 to play.
"Our guys battled," Boyle said. "When Tristan went out with five minutes to go, we could have folded our tents. But we didn't do it. I'm proud of them. Everybody that played battled their tails off."
But in the end, UCLA's all-conference players made the plays that made the difference. The Bruins regained the lead with 2:17 to play on a Jaquez free throw, then pushed the margin to three, 56-53, on a Campbell floater with 1:23 on the clock.
Colorado did manage to trim the deficit to two on a Simpson free throw, then had a chance to tie the game when the Buffs took possession after a UCLA miss.
But Simpson's drive to the lane was blocked, creating a transition dunk for the Bruins and giving UCLA a four-point lead with 16 seconds remaining, 58-54.
Both teams then added two free throws in the final seconds to complete the scoring.
"UCLA is a hell of a team," Boyle said. "I told both Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez that I can't wait for them to graduate. They made every play for UCLA down the stretch. Our guys fought and we battled but we just took too many ill-advised shots."
After UCLA opened the game with a basket, Colorado responded with an 11-0 run. Simpson had five points in the surge and the Buffaloes led for the rest of the half.
Colorado's defense was rock solid early, holding UCLA to 1-for-11 shooting over the first six minutes.
The Buffs extended their lead to as much as 10, taking a 21-11 lead on a Quincy Allen 3-pointer with 7:55 left in the half.
But the Bruins slowly chipped away at the lead and a Jaylen Clark basket at the buzzer cut Colorado's lead to 30-28 at intermission.
CU finished the half shooting 11-for-29 while the Bruins recovered from their slow start to finish 12-for-30 from the field, hitting 11 of 19 after their 1-for-11 start.
Simpson led the Buffs with 9 points in the opening half, da Silva added six and O'Brien had five points and seven rebounds. Ethan Wright delivered three big assists in the first 20 minutes.
TURNING POINT: The Buffs were in this one until the end but the Bruins scored four unanswered points in a two-minute stretch while CU came up empty on two straight possessions, giving the Bruins a two-point lead with less than a minute to play. Colorado had a chance to tie the game but a shot at the rim ended up being blocked and led to a UCLA transition dunk with 16 seconds remaining to virtually seal the win for the Bruins.
WHAT IT MEANS: The loss makes it likely the Buffs will finish in either eighth or ninth in the Pac-12 standings, with Washington in the other spot.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs hit just 33 percent of their shots (18-for-54) … Colorado held UCLA to 40 percent shooting (22-for-54), including 1-for-14 from beyond the arc … CU held a 40-35 edge on the boards … The Buffs left too many points on the free throw line, hitting 13 of their 23 attempts from the stripe.
NEXT UP: The Buffs wrap up the regular season next Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. game at home against Utah. CU then heads to Las Vegas for the March 8-11 Pac-12 tournament at T-Mobile Arena. If the current standings hold the Buffs will face Washington in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game at 1 p.m. (MT) on March 8. Colorado lost both of its regular season matchups with the Huskies this season.
The winner then faces UCLA the next day.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
