Wednesday’s first half went better for the Bruins than their last.
Despite having only nine turnovers compared to the 18 it had in the first half against Washington on Saturday, UCLA men’s basketball (12-10, 5-4 Pac-12) trails Colorado (12-9, 3-6) 38-37 at the half.
The Buffaloes opened the contest by jumping out to a 20-8 lead behind a red hot start from the floor. Colorado knocked down eight of its first 11 shots, including four 3s in five attempts.
Forward D’Shawn Schwartz led the Buffaloes in scoring with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and connected on a pair of 3s.
The Bruins, however, stopped the early bleeding and pulled within six after a quick 6-0 run of their own. UCLA also ended the half with a 9-0 run capped off by a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Jaylen Hands.
The Bruins had five different players score at least five points in the opening half, including Hands, who leads UCLA in scoring with eight points.
The Bruins also shot 50 percent from the floor, but missed three of their six attempts at the free throw line and seven of their eleven attempts from beyond the arc.
UCLA has not beaten Colorado since January 2017.
