BOULDER, Colo. — It was snowballing inside the old basketball barn, a once-quiet arena rocking. With one empty possession after another for UCLA, the decibel level soared. Students behind one basket furiously waved white towels.
Only minutes earlier, it had appeared white flags were in order for Colorado while being run off its own court.
The ninth-ranked Bruins led by 17 points early in the second half and appeared on the verge of a rare breather in Pac-12 play. Instead, with just 36 seconds left, they were practically breathless.
Down by just two, Colorado had the ball with a chance to tie the score or take the lead. Freshman guard K.J. Simpson drove toward the basket. UCLA’s Jules Bernard extended his arm to contest the shot.
The ball bounced off the rim and UCLA’s Johnny Juzang was there to grab the rebound with 17 seconds left, the pivotal sequence in the Bruins’ 71-65 victory.
With students in his view behind the backboard chanting “F--- you, Johnny,” Juzang made sure UCLA held on by making two free throws after being fouled. Colorado’s Jabari Walker then lost his grip on the ball on a drive toward the basket and the Bruins (13-2 overall, 5-1 Pac-12) made a few more free throws over the final seconds.
Tyger Campbell shook off a shooting slump to make a three-pointer with 11/2 minutes left after the Buffaloes 12-6, 4-4) had momentarily closed to within one point. Juzang finished with 23 points on nine-for-18 shooting to help the Bruins win despite an extended cold spell in which they opened the second half making only five of their first 17 shots.
The Bruins surged into a 43-28 halftime lead after capitalizing on a flurry of Colorado errors, many unforced. The Buffaloes committed 14 turnovers, coming on bad passes and shot-clock violations and balls that were bobbled, allowing UCLA to outscore them 18-0 in points off turnovers.
Colorado had been within 21-20 when the Bruins went on a 12-0 push highlighted by a Jaylen Clark steal that led to his own breakaway dunk, earning him a leaping body bump from David Singleton as the Buffaloes were forced to burn a timeout.
The Bruins were essentially back to full strength with the return of Singleton from concussion protocol and Clark from the illness that had sidelined him against Utah on Thursday. Singleton provided a three-pointer soon after entering the game in the first half, helping the Bruins make four of six shots from long distance in the first half.
Colorado was missing senior guard Elijah Parquet, who was second on the team in steals and blocks, because of an unspecified foot injury and could have used his steadying presence with the Buffaloes unraveling late in the first half.
Juzang was a factor in a variety of ways. He made a great pass over the top of the defense to Myles Johnson for a layup, buried a three-pointer thanks to his teammates’ ball movement and made a putback of his own miss at the halftime buzzer, leading to an impromptu huddle on the court in which the Bruins slapped hands in celebration before bounding off the court.
It was quite the contrast from the game’s opening sequence. UCLA forward Cody Riley missed a layup and committed a foul going for the rebound after only 23 seconds. Enter Johnson, the backup big man who had recently been a 6-foot-10 nonentity.
Johnson scored the game’s first four points on a jump hook and a layup while also blocking two shots in the game’s early going. By halftime, he had tallied eight points, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
UCLA also got an energetic boost from guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., who made a corner three-pointer to snap an 0-for-7 streak from beyond the arc this month. When Bernard drained another three-pointer, the Bruins held a 17-7 lead and the arena was mostly silent.
The quiet would return after the game’s final sequence.
