UCLA
14-11,9-5Pac-12
Colorado
16-9,7-7Pac-12
Mack Leads UCLA Men's Basketball Past Colorado, 64-60
February 15, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Sebastian Mack scored a team-leading 19 points to lead the UCLA men's basketball team past Colorado, 64-60, in a Pac-12 showdown on Thursday evening in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
Mack scored 11 of his team-best 19 points in the first half. He finished the game having made 7 of 11 shots and was 5-for-7 at the free throw line.
Adem Bona (14 points, seven rebounds) and Dylan Andrews (13 points, four rebounds) rounded out UCLA's list of double-figure scorers against Colorado (16-9, 7-7 Pac-12). Bona finished with two steals and one block as UCLA (14-11, 9-5 Pac-12) logged its eighth win in its last nine games.
Colorado's Cody Williams scored a team-best 18 points for the visiting Buffaloes. Tristan da Silva finished with 16 points, sinking 3 of 6 attempts from 3-point range, and Eddie Lampkin totaled 12 points and six rebounds.
"At the end of the day we got the job done," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "Obviously, this team has grown up a lot. They [Colorado] have got kids on the team who are going to be a top-five pick in the NBA Draft [Cody Williams]. Da Silva is a four-year starter. KJ is a three-year starter. Lampkin, I remember seeing him against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. They have a veteran group, a good team. It's a great win. I thought we had too many defensive breakdowns, three backdoor layups in the second half."
UCLA led by a 38-29 margin at halftime and pushed ahead by 14 points early in the second half. The Bruins claimed a 43-29 advantage with 18:30 to play in the second half.
From that point, Colorado steadily chipped away and reduced the Bruins' cushion. Colorado cut UCLA's lead to five points, with 12 minutes to play, before Andrews nailed a jump shot to put the Bruins on top, 48-41, at the 11:51 mark.
UCLA led 51-46 with 7:59 left in the game when Williams buried a 3-pointer, trimming the Bruins' lead to two points. Colorado never took the lead in the second half, but the Buffaloes did tie the contest. An ensuing basket by Tristan da Silva knotted the score, 51-51, with 6:52 left.
UCLA's Lazar Stefanovic provided a critical 3-pointer with just 3:01 left in regulation. The Bruins led 58-56 before Andrews found Stefanovic open on the wing. Stefanovic drilled the open look to put UCLA on top by five points.
The Bruins led 63-56 at the 1:53 mark, and Colorado pulled to within three points with 53 seconds left. A layup by Williams reduced UCLA's cushion to 63-60. UCLA got one defensive stop in the final 17 seconds and Stefanovic made one of two free throws with three seconds to play, helping to ice the game.
UCLA finished with just five turnovers on offense, as the Bruins forced 14 turnovers by Colorado.
Colorado shot 52.2 percent from the field and was 6-for-15 from beyond the 3-point arc. UCLA shot 44.4 percent overall and connected on 4 of 12 attempts from 3-point territory.
The Bruins will host Utah on Sunday, Feb. 18, in Pauley Pavilion. Game time is set for 4 p.m. (PT). UCLA's contest against the Runnin' Utes will be nationally televised on FS1.
