Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
16-9,7-7Pac-12
UCLA
14-11,9-5Pac-12
Buffs Rally Falls Short At UCLA
February 15, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
LOS ANGELES — Colorado fought back from a 14-point deficit to tie the game in the final minutes Thursday, but the Buffaloes could never take the lead and dropped a 64-60 decision to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.
Tad Boyle's Buffs fell to 16-9 overall and 7-7 in Pac-12 play while the Bruins won their sixth in a row to improve to 14-11, 9-5.
Colorado trailed by nine at intermission and by 14 just minutes into the second half.
But the Buffs slowly chipped away at the lead, finally tying the game at 51-51 with 6:50 to play and again at 54-54 with less than five minutes to play.
That, though, was as close as Colorado could come. CU did have a chance to tie the game again in the final seconds but a drive to the rim came up empty and the Buffs lost to the Bruins for the sixth straight time.
Cody Williams led the Buffs with 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting. Tristan da Silva added 16 points and Eddie Lampkin Jr. chipped in 12. KJ Simpson finished with a season-low four points — just his second game this year in single digits — but he also led the Buffs with seven rebounds and five assists.
Sebastian Mack led UCLA with 19.
Colorado shot 52 percent from the floor (24-for-46) while holding the Bruins to 44 percent shooting (24-for-54). The Buffs also fought the Bruins to a 29-29 tie on the boards.
But the difference came in the turnover department. CU committed 14 miscues that the Bruins converted into 19 points, including nine in the first half that resulted in 15 UCLA points.
"Our guys fought their tails off," Boyle said. "They battled, they competed. There's nothing to hang our heads about after a game like this and that's all I can ask of our team. I don't say this very often after losses but I'm proud of the way this team competed, fought back and got back in the game. The one thing we have to do is take better care of the basketball."
Colorado, now 1-7 on the road, will have another chance for a road win Saturday when the Buffs travel across town to face USC in an 8 p.m. game on the Trojans' home court.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs trailed by nine at the half, 38-29, and the Bruins quickly bumped their cushion to 14 with a quick 5-0 run to start the second half.
But Colorado didn't quit. The Buffs slowly chipped away at the lead, putting together a 9-1 run to pull within 46-41 with 12 minutes to play. J'Vonne Hadley had five points in the surge and Williams and Lampkin each added buckets.
The Bruins then pushed their lead back to seven before Colorado crafted a 10-3 run to tie the game at 51-51 with 6:50 to play. Williams had five points in the burst, including a 3-pointer, and a da Silva dunk off a nice feed from Simpson tied the game.
Colorado shot just 10 free throws in the game — tying a season low — and made six. The Bruins hit 12 of their 18 opportunities from the line.
"We talked about it with our team — they're going to foul you and it's not going to get called," Boyle said. "That's what happened. It's just the way it is. When you play these guys you just have to prepare yourself for that."
The Buffs then tied the game again at 54-54 on a da Silva 3-pointer and were still within two, 58-56, when Lampkin hit a pair of free throws with 3:19 remaining.
But the Bruins responded with five in a row before CU got a Lampkin bucket inside, then a defensive stop. That gave Colorado possession with 1:16 to play and a five point deficit, 63-58.
Williams then banked his eighth basket of the night off the glass to cut UCLA's lead to 63-60 and the Buffs recorded another defensive stop on the opposite end to take possession.
CU then called timeout with 17 seconds remaining.
But the Buffs couldn't get a clean shot out of the break. A late da Silva drive at the bucket came up short and a scramble for the ball after the shot resulted in a held ball, giving UCLA possession with just 3 seconds remaining.
The Bruins then hit a free throw with 2 seconds left to clinch the win.
"Sometimes basketball is simplistic as it sounds," Boyle said. "You have to make baskets and take advantage of your opportunities when they present themselves down the stretch. We just came up short."
Colorado jumped out to an early 8-5 lead on a pair of baskets from da Silva.
But the Bruins answered with a 7-0 run, thanks to a pair of CU turnovers, and the Buffs never led again.
Turnovers continued to plague the Buffs the rest of the period, and they finished the half with nine, leading to 15 UCLA points.
Colorado did manage to close UCLA's cushion to two when a Williams bucket pulled CU to within 18-16, only to see the Bruins deliver another 7-0 run two minutes later to stretch their edge to 30-20.
The Buffs then cut the gap to five on a da Silva 3-pointer with 4:04 left in the half, but UCLA responded again and took a 38-29 edge into the break.
DECISIVE MOMENT: Colorado trailed by just two with more than 3 minutes to play, but the Bruins put together a quick 5-0 burst to regain control and hold the Buffs off down the stretch.
WHAT IT MEANS: With most bracket experts having the Buffs sitting on the outside of the 68-team NCAA Tournament draw, CU has just six regular season games remaining — three at home and three on the road. The Buffs need to put together a strong finish, then a good showing in the Pac-12 tournament to put themselves back in contention for a NCAA bid.
KEY STATISTICS: Colorado outshot the Bruins but the difference was turnovers. CU committed 14 miscues that led to 19 UCLA points while the Bruins finished with just five turnovers.
NEXT UP: Colorado heads to USC on Saturday for an 8 p.m. matchup with the Trojans (ESPN).
