Field Level Media
Feb 25, 2018
Colorado responded to a UCLA rally with a 17-1 flurry of its own Sunday, pulling away for an 80-76 Pacific-12 Conference win in Boulder, Colo.
The Buffaloes (16-13, 8-9) moved into eighth place in the Pac-12 standings with one game remaining by snapping a three-game losing streak.
Colorado finishes the conference regular season next Saturday at Utah.
The Bruins (19-10, 10-7) failed to win their 20th game for the second time in five days, dropping into a fourth-place tie with just a trip across town to second-place USC left on the schedule.
Kris Wilkes had a three-point play and a 3-pointer in a 12-2 burst that allowed UCLA to erase all of a 50-40 deficit midway through the second half.
After Alex Olesinski converted a layup to put the Bruins up 56-54 with 8:41 to go, Colorado's Lazar Nikolic connected on a 3-pointer to put the Buffaloes back on top and trigger the decisive 17-1 run.
Dominique Collier and George King contributed 3-pointers to the flurry, which produced a 71-57 lead with just 4:49 to play.
UCLA made a late push on the strength of 3-pointers from Wilkes and Jaylen Hands, getting as close as 77-73 with 39 seconds remaining.
Colorado was able to hold on despite missing three of its last six free throws.
Collier finished with a team-high 19 points for the Buffaloes, whose eighth win equaled last season's total.
King had 16 points, Lucas Siewert 15 and Namon Wright 11 for Colorado, while McKinley Wright IV contributed 10 points and a game-high eight assists.
Aaron Holiday led all scorers with 21 points for the Bruins, who have won 20 or more games in four of the last five seasons. He also had six rebounds and a team-high six assists.
Wilkes chipped in with 20 points, while Thomas Welsh grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to complement five points.
Colorado rallied from an early six-point deficit to take a 45-36 lead into halftime. The Buffaloes' lead topped out at 50-40 on a dunk by Dallas Walton with 16:07 to go before UCLA rallied.
--Field Level Media