UCLA Men's Basketball Storms Back With Big Run to Defeat Colorado
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The Bruins couldn't buy a make, and time was starting to run out on their winning streak.
They were 0-for-15 from beyond the arc on the night and had missed 14 shots in a row early in the second half. The Buffaloes weren't doing much better, but they were doing just enough to slowly build on their halftime advantage.
The blue and gold put that all behind them, though, feeding off their home crowd to run away with the victory.
No. 7 UCLA men's basketball (16-2, 7-0 Pac-12) stormed back from down nine to beat Colorado (11-8, 3-5) Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion, avoiding the upset with a 68-54 win. The Bruins won the game thanks to a 17-0 run midway through the second half, hitting their final four looks from deep and last nine attempts from the free throw line to power that surge.
UCLA did all of that without a single point from their bench, leaving it up to the usual suspects to power their comeback. Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the way with 23 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, while guard Jaylen Clark scored 18 and point guard Tyger Campbell dropped 11.
The Buffaloes, meanwhile, hit just one field goal in the final 10 minutes, and they committed 23 turnovers on the night.
The Bruins forced plenty of those turnovers and converted them into points early on, but four different Buffaloes hit 3-pointers to keep pace. Besides brief one-point lead for Colorado, UCLA led for most of the opening 12 minutes of action.
The Buffaloes came through with a big 16-4 run to take control, and two buckets by Jaquez represented the only point from the Bruins in that stretch. A paint jumper by Campbell held UCLA close the gap to 31-28 heading into the break, only for Colorado to open up the second half with a 3-pointer from forward Tristan da Silva.
Jaquez once again did his best to stem the bleeding with a layup, but the Bruins missed their next 14 shots from the field as they failed to chip away at the deficit. Even sharpshooting guard David Singleton missed three 3-pointers on one possession alone before ending the game 0-for-6 from deep.
Naturally, it was Jaquez who ended the cold streak, although Colorado still managed to extend its lead to nine from there.
A second-chance and-1 from center Adem Bona gave UCLA a hint of energy from its crowd, which was only accentuated when the freshman blocked a shot against the backboard at the other end. Bona went 2-for-2 from the free throw line, then rejected another Buffalo shot against the backboard.
Clark caught the ball in transition and hoisted up a quick 3-pointer. The shot rattled in and out before falling back through the cylinder, giving the Bruins their first make from beyond the arc all night.
Immediately following that triple, Jaquez picked off a pass in the backcourt and found Singleton – who hit the game-tying and go-ahead free throws – then Jaquez drained a 3-pointer to quadruple the lead.
A few possessions later, Jaquez watched his turnaround jumper take a few bounces off the rim before eventually going down, and he backpedaled down the court having capped off a 17-0 run.
Clark fouled a 3-point shooter, who hit all three of his attempts to end the decisive run, but he came back down the other end and hit a triple of his own. The two-way star hit a pair of free throws to put UCLA up by double digits for the first time all night, and it was Campbell who hit a transition layup to make it a 12-point game.
Bona wasn't done blocking shots off the backboard, either, as he came through with his third such rejection right after Clark hit a big floater. The Bruins did their job running the clock, and Jaquez's turnaround jumper with 1:11 left iced the victory – if it hadn't been already.
Colorado ran ahead for a fast break dunk with 45 seconds left for their first field goal since the 10:21 mark, only for Campbell to sink a wide open corner 3 in response.
UCLA ended the night with a 25-6 advantage in points off turnovers, as well as a 30-16 advantage in points in the paint and a 14-1 advantage in second-chance points. The Bruins also recorded 26 blocks and steals to the Buffaloes' 10, which created many of their transition opportunities down the stretch.
Riding the 33-10 run to victory, UCLA moved further into first place in the Pac-12, and they extended their winning streak to 13 games in the process.
UCLA will get back on the court Thursday for a road game against Arizona State. That showdown will tip off in Tempe at 7:30 p.m.
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