Buffs beat UCLA, 70-61, send seniors off with a bang

Tad Boyle and Colorado's seven seniors made it a point to note during their postgame remarks that the team still has a ton of basketball left to play. With one more regular season game left, a Pac-12 title race and the postseason coming up, that statement rings true.

While there's work left to be done, Colorado (19-7, 13-6 Pac-12) chalked up a solid win over top league foe UCLA, 70-61, and in doing so, ensured the team's senior night was a smile-filled affair.

It was a postgame atmosphere to remember at the CU Events Center.

Despite the ongoing no-fans-allowed stipulation at CU hoops games, players' parents and family members were allowed to take the stands on Saturday night.

Thus, when it came time for Colorado to honor its outgoing seven seniors — McKinley Wright IV, D'Shawn Schwartz, Dallas Walton, Jeriah Horne, Alex Strating, Maddox Daniels and Aiden McQuade — there was some noticeable cheering and celebrating.

Boyle addressed the crowd after the win as did all of the seniors, who briefly offered their thanks to parents, teammates, coaches and support staff alike.

Wright IV gave a particularly heartfelt farewell address, reflecting on his college career and looking ahead to the team's remaining goals.

Of course, there was a basketball game that preceded all of the good vibes after the fact. For the Buffs, things went according to plan and then some.

Colorado locked in down the stretch, holding the Bruins to just seven points in the final 8:05 of the game.

The Buffs, who trailed UCLA at halftime, 35-34, outscored the opposition by 10 points in the second half en route to their second straight win over a top three Pac-12 opponent.

"Our guys played with great toughness, great belief and great heart," Boyle said. "That's what you have to do against UCLA, a good basketball team. You have to beat them. They don't beat themselves. We were dialed in there down the stretch."

Wright IV was undoubtedly the star of the show, finishing the game with 26 points (four shy of his career-high of 30) on 10-of-16 shooting.

In the first half, Wright IV scored 17 of Colorado's 34 points, and his 7-of-10 shooting during that time was a big part of why CU as a team posted a 41% make rate; minus Wright IV, the rest of the team shot a meager 23%.

Aside from Wright IV, Evan Battey was next in scoring for Colorado, contributing 12 points during the game, eight of which came from the charity stripe.

As the game got underway, Wright IV drilled a three-pointer and hit a second chance jumper to give CU a quick 5-0 lead.

The two teams stayed neck and neck throughout the first 10 minutes of the first half but UCLA took a six-point lead at the 5:26 mark on a Jules Bernard three-pointer.

That lead later extended to eight points about two minutes later but the half ended on a 10-3 run for Colorado, making the game a one-point affair leading into the final 20 minutes.

Colorado and UCLA traded baskets and stayed within close range of one another as the second half got underway and with 6:20 to play, the game was tied at 57.

From there, Schwartz drove through traffic and finished a layup and Horne drilled a three-pointer, forcing a UCLA timeout and giving the Buffs a five-point lead, 62-57, with 5:12 to go.

Battey hit a pair of free throws after that, putting the Buffaloes up be seven, and after that point, Colorado's lead never fell to less than six.

"Ultimately, what won us this one was our defense, especially in the second half down the stretch," Wright IV said.

The Bruins, in addition to going cold offensively in the most critical stretch of the game, also coughed the ball up four times in the final four minutes, further adding to their late-game woes.

Conversely, Colorado had zero turnovers in the first half and just six in total.

With two straight wins over top dog Pac-12 competition under their belts, Colorado will look to end the regular season this upcoming Thursday against Arizona State, in a rescheduled game that was initially slated for Feb. 4 before COVID issues within the Sun Devils program forced a postponement of that game.

The Buffs and Sun Devils tipoff from the CU Events Center Thursday, March 4 at a time to be determined.