Fifth-ranked UCLA lost Jaime Jaquez Jr. in the first half and nearly gave up a large lead before holding off Colorado 73-61 on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
UCLA (7-1, 1-0 Pac-12) built a 17-point advantage before halftime, despite Jaquez playing just seven minutes. He took a hard fall early in the game and was held out as a precautionary measure.
Johnny Juzang, Tyger Campbell and Myles Johnson picked up the scoring load in Jaquez's absence, each scoring eight points in the first half.
Campbell finished with a season-high 21 points, including a step-back 3-pointer with 2:43 remaining that dealt Colorado a critical blow after a furious comeback effort.
The Bruins went ice cold after the first media timeout of the second half, going almost four minutes without a point and 7:09 without a field goal.
Colorado (6-2, 1-1) went on a 12-1 run to pull within four points with 9:34 to go.
UCLA answered when Juzang made a pair of free throws, then Campbell and Jules Bernard scored on layups in succession to push the lead back to double digits.
The Bruins maintained an advantage of at least 10 points for much of the rest of the game.
Johnson finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor while adding 10 rebounds. Juzang amassed 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Bernard added 10 points.
Campbell capped his big night with seven rebounds and five assists. He shot 4 of 7 from behind the 3-point arc, pacing UCLA to a collective 7 of 16 from outside.
Colorado's Jabari Walker led all scorers with 22 points, and he grabbed 11 boards. Elijah Parquet added 11 points, and Nique Clifford shot 2 of 4 from 3-point range for nine points off the bench on what was an otherwise dismal night for the Buffaloes shooting from outside. They finished 5 of 21 from beyond the arc.
UCLA held Evan Battey, who came in averaging a team-leading 14.9 points per game, to just four points before he fouled out.
--Field Level Media
Colorado | UCLA | |
Jabari Walker 22 | Scoring | Tyger Campbell 21 |
Keeshawn Barthelemy 4 | Assists | Johnny Juzang 6 |
Jabari Walker 11 | Rebounds | Myles Johnson 10 |
Jabari Walker 6 | Free Throws Made | Peyton Watson 3 |
KJ Simpson 1 | Steals | Jules Bernard 1 |
Evan Battey 1 | Blocks | Jules Bernard 1 |