LOS ANGELES — The Pauley Pavilion magic is no more for the Colorado Buffaloes.
After winning at UCLA’s historic venue in each of the past two seasons, Thursday’s Pac-12 Conference battle once again saw the 20th-ranked Buffaloes get outclassed on the glass away from home, leading to a 72-68 victory for the Bruins.
UCLA outrebounded the Buffs 39-29, the third straight road game in which CU has been beaten on the glass. More damaging than the final margin was the Bruins’ 13 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 18 second-chance points.
The Buffs trailed 39-27 at halftime and watched the deficit grow to 15 points on a 3-point play by UCLA’s Chris Smith just 14 seconds into the second half. From there the Buffs began battling back, reeling off a 10-0 run and eventually cutting the Bruins’ lead to three points with about 10 minutes remaining.
CU eventually got within two points on a Lucas Siewert free throw with 7 minutes, 22 seconds remaining, but UCLA answered with a 12-2 run that gave the Bruins an 11-point lead with 3:26 remaining.
Junior Chris Smith poured in a career-high 30 points for the Bruins. Smith went 13-for-15 at the free throw line to lead UCLA’s 25-for-29 showing on free throws.
Evan Battey went 4-for-6 with 14 points for the Buffs, while McKinley Wright IV recorded 14 points and five assists.
UCLA 72, No. 20 Colorado 68
COLORADO (16-5, 5-3 Pac-12)Wright 3-9 6-6 14, Bey 4-7 4-4 12, Schwartz 2-5 5-8 9, Battey 4-6 5-8 14, Gatling 1-3 2-2 5, Siewert 4-9 1-2 11, Daniels 1-3 0-0 3, Kountz 0-3 0-1 0, Walton 0-0 0-0 0, Parquet 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-45 23-31 68.UCLA (11-10, 4-4)Smith 8-16 13-15 30, Singleton 2-6 0-0 5, Campbell 1-5 1-2 3, Jaquez 3-7 7-8 13, Ali 3-7 2-2 11, Riley 2-4 0-0 4, Hill 1-5 2-2 4, Bernard 0-1 0-0 0, Kyman 1-3 0-0 2, Olesinski 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-54 25-29 72.Halftime – UCLA 39-27. 3-Point Goals – Colorado 7-20 (Wright 2-5, Siewert 2-7, Battey 1-1, Gatling 1-1, Daniels 1-3, Schwartz 0-1, Kountz 0-2), UCLA 5-15 (Ali 3-3, Singleton 1-3, Smith 1-5, Kyman 0-1, Campbell 0-3). Fouled Out – Riley, Hill. Rebounds – Colorado 28 (Bey 8), UCLA 36 (Smith 9). Assists – Colorado 8 (Wright 5), UCLA 8 (Singleton, Campbell 2). Total Fouls – Colorado 23, UCLA 24.
