LOS ANGELES β Chris Smith scored a career-high 30 points and UCLA defeated No. 20 Colorado 72-68 on Thursday night to get back to .500 in Pac-12 play.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Prince Ali had 11 points for the Bruins (11-10, 4-4). They led by 15 points early in the second half and held off Colorado's repeated runs that cut the Bruins' lead to two points.
McKinley Wright IV scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half and Evan Battey added 14 points for the Buffaloes (16-5, 5-3), whose two-game winning streak ended. Wright scored seven of their final 11 points.
Colorado ran off 12 straight points early in the second half to close to 42-39. Smith came up with crucial baskets when the Buffs twice got within three points.
The Buffs used full-court pressure in the last couple minutes when they were down 11. Wright got fouled on two straight possessions and made four free throws to leave Colorado trailing by five. With 50 seconds left, Wright stepped out of bounds on the baseline, turning the ball over.
After making their first 20 free throws, the Bruins missed 4 of their next 5 in the game's final minute. Wright's 3-pointer cut UCLA's lead to four points.
But Smith restored order, making two free throws with 14 seconds to go that kept the Bruins ahead 70-64. Smith's nine rebounds helped the Bruins own a 39-29 edge on the boards.
The Bruins controlled the first half when they shot 45% from the floor and led 39-27. They were better on the boards, in the paint and off the bench in putting together runs of 14-0 and 9-0. The Buffs were held without a field goal over the final 4 1/2 minutes when they made just four free throws.
No. 11 OREGON 77, CALIFORNIA 72
BERKELEY, Calif. β Payton Pritchard scored 21 points and broke Oregonβs all-time assists record in leading the Ducks to a victory over California on Thursday night.
Chris Duarte added 19 points as Oregon (18-4, 7-2 Pac-12) remained on top of the conference standings with the victory.
Matt Bradley scored a season-high 27 points to lead Cal (9-11, 3-4).
Pritchard was held to just two points in the first half and scored 19 in the second. The senior guard immediately made his presence felt when he returned from the intermission.
Oregon's Payton Pritchard, second from right, shoots past California's Lars Thiemann (21) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
With the score tied at 32 at the half, Pritchard made a 3-pointer and followed up by converting a three-point play with a reverse layup.
Cal (9-11, 3-4) took a 54-47 lead midway through the second half, but the Ducks went ahead for good on Anthony Mathisβ 3-pointer that snapped a 58-58 tie with 6:53 remaining.
That basket was set up by Pritchardβs 615th career assist, setting a new career mark for the Ducks. Kenya Wilkins, who played for Oregon from 1993-97, held the previous record.
The Bears got off to a fast start in the game, hitting six of their first nine shots, but the Ducks shifted momentum their way in the first half with full-court pressure that Cal had trouble handling.
Duarte had 13 in the half to lead Oregon while Grant Anticevich scored 10 for Cal.
USC 56, UTAH 52
LOS ANGELES β Nick Rakocevic scored 16 points with 15 rebounds, Elijah Weaver added 14 points and Southern California rallied for a victory over Utah on Thursday night to win for the fourth time in the past five games.
Onyeka Okongwu added 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Jonah Mathews had 13 points, as the Trojans (17-4, 6-2) used a 12-0 run midway through the second half to erase a nine-point deficit.
USC trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and rallied from a double-digit deficit for a victory in consecutive home games. They erased a 21-point second-half deficit on Jan. 18 to earn an overtime victory over Stanford.
Timmy Allen scored 13 points and Branden Carlson added 11 for the Utes (12-8, 3-5), who were coming off a home sweep of Washington and Washington State last week. But Carlson missed two free throws with 42 seconds remaining that would have given the Utes the lead.
Rakocevicβs tip in off an Okongwu miss with 18 seconds remaining put USC into the lead for good at 54-52. Okongwu sealed the victory on two free throws with five seconds remaining.
USC trailed 16-6 just over 11 minutes into the game during a rough shooting first half for both teams. Utah shot 38.5% from the field over the opening 20 minutes, while the Trojans shot 35%. Utah had a 29-23 lead at halftime.
The Utes appeared in control when an Allen layup with 12:34 remaining gave them a 40-31 advantage. The Trojans picked up the intensity by going on a 12-0 run, with seven of the points scored by Weaver.
Southern California forward Max Agbonkpolo, left, fouls Utah forward Timmy Allen, center, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Weaver pumped his fist when his fastbreak layup gave USC a 41-40 lead with 7:21 remaining for the Trojansβ first advantage of the game. The Utes went scoreless over a 6:08 stretch as USC rallied.
Utah moved back on top 52-50 on a layup from Allen with 1:04 remaining but Mathews made two free throws with 55 seconds remaining to tie the game again at 52-52.
OREGON STATE 68, STANFORD 63
STANFORD, Calif. β Jarod Lucas scored a season-high 21 points, Kylor Kelly matched his season-high with seven blocks and Oregon State ended a four-game losing streak to Stanford with a victory Thursday night.
Tres Tinkle added 15 points and Ethan Thompson had 14 for the Beavers (13-8, 3-6 Pac-12), who also ended a four-game slide.
Oscar da Silva scored 22 points and had eight rebounds to lead Stanford (15-5, 4-3), which has lost three straight. Tyrell Terry added 13 points and Daejon Davis had 12.
Kelly, who also scored 10 points, moved into first place all-time with 185 career blocks. He ranks second in the nation in blocked shots.
An offensive rebound and layup by da Silva brought the Cardinal within 65-63 with 20 seconds left but Oregon State made its free throws.
Isaac Whiteβs putback with 12:48 remaining to play brought Stanford within 46-44 but Lucas answered, converting a three-point play.
Oregon State guard Jarod Lucas (2) shoots as Stanford forward James Keefe (22) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Stanford, Calif. Oregon State won 68-63. (AP Photo/John Hefti)
Terry hit a layup to make it a one-point game, but the Beavers scored 12 unanswered points to open a 13-point edge with 8:35 to play. Tinkle scored the final two points of the rally on a pair of technical fouls shots
Oregon State outscored the Cardinal 15-3 over the final 4:05 and the Beavers took a 31-22 lead into halftime. Lucas, whose previous best was 12 points, scored 11 of his points during that span.
