boulder, Colo. (AP) — Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 17 points and Tyger Campbell had 13 of his 14 points in the second half as the No. 4 UCLA defeated Colorado 60-56 on Sunday.
Amari Bailey added 11 points for UCLA (25-4, 16-2 Pac-12), who won their eighth straight win to cap an unbeaten February and lift the regular-season title.
“It doesn't change anything,” said UCLA coach Mick Cronin. “Our goal along the way had to be to win the Pac-12 to try and stay in the west (for the NCAA tournament). So we need to win more games to reach that goal. We also have the longest home win streak (23 games) in the country, which we are very proud of. That's why we're focusing on the state of Arizona.”
With the Pac-12 and NCAA on the horizon, Jaquez agreed with his coach that now is not the time to rest on their regular-season title.
“That was one of the goals we had at the beginning of the year. And we did it,” he said. “And now we have two more goals that we want to achieve as well. And we will just keep working hard.”
KJ Simpson had 14 points to lead Colorado (15-15, 7-12). Tristan da Silva, who left the game with just over five minutes remaining with an apparent lower leg injury, and Luke O'Brien each scored 13 points. Colorado almost ended the excitement against UCLA after suffering a one-sided loss to USC.
“There's a different feeling after the loss today than after the loss on Thursday night and something I talk to the players about is that the reason they're down and disappointed tonight is because they knocked their teeth off have,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “They tore their tails off and came up short.”
The Buffaloes fought back to take a 45-44 lead on da Silva's 3-pointer at 8:13, capping an 8-2 Buffaloes run. The match remained exciting throughout the stretch, with a double tie in the final of 3:41.
Jaquez made one of two free throws with 2:17 left to put UCLA a point ahead, and Campbell added another basket for the Bruins. The Buffaloes came back to two points with seven seconds left after two Lawson Lovering free throws. Amari Bailey was fouled in the ensuing inbounds play and made both free throws to secure the win over Colorado, who didn't fire in the final seconds.
A goal behind at the break, UCLA scored the first seven points of the second half and took a 35-30 lead. It was the Bruins' first lead since Jaquez scored with a dunk in the first minute of the game. Tyger Campbell capped the burst with a 3-pointer, the first make from beyond the arc for the Bruins, who went 0-for-6 in the first half.
UCLA missed 10 of their first 11 shots and fell 11-2 before gradually moving into deficit and approaching 30-28 on a layup by Jaylen Clark just before the halftime buzzer. Colorado couldn't extend its early lead due to offensive problems of its own and actually finished the first half at 37.9%, about two percent behind UCLA over the same period.
3-POINT STRIP
The Bruins made one of their 14 3-point attempts, but that was enough to extend a 23-year streak. Tyger Campbell's 3-pointers early in the second half extended UCLA's streak to 782 games with at least one 3-pointer. The Bruins have not gone without a 3-pointer in a game since going 0-14 from beyond the arc in a 78-63 loss to then-No. 2 at Stanford on Feb. 3, 2000.
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: The Bruins pulled off a tough win that will serve them well as they turn their attention to the postseason tournament. They overcame a slow start and a bumpy offensive game, maintaining their composure against an underdog but determined opponent and leaning on their defensive intensity to lead the game to a win.
Colorado: The Buffaloes put on a strong performance against a strong UCLA team and held their opposition to the final moments. They have shown they can compete with the best in the conference and with a young roster have the potential to improve in the near future.
NEXT
UCLA: Opens final home stand of the regular season against Arizona State on Thursday ahead of Saturday's final against No. 7 Arizona. The Bruins are on a 23-game home winning streak stretching back to last season, the nation's longest active streak.
Colorado: host Utah in a regular season finale on Saturday.
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