LOS ANGELES – Shane Gatling had career highs of 28 points and seven 3-pointers, helping Colorado beat UCLA 84-73 on Wednesday night and sending the Bruins to their fifth loss in seven games.
Tyler Bey added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and D’Shawn Schwartz had 15 points for the Buffaloes (13-9, 4-6).
The Bruins (12-11, 5-5) led just once on a jumper by Cody Riley early in the second half.
Gatling immediately took over and hit three straight 3-pointers to put Colorado back in front 52-47.
UCLA closed to 60-59 on a 3-pointer by Jaylen Hands before the Buffs controlled the game’s final nine minutes when they outscored the Bruins 26-15.
Colorado hit 13 3-pointers in the game, made 15 of 16 free throws and had 22 assists on 28 made field goals.
Moses Brown led UCLA with 17 points, going 8 of 10 from the floor. Chris Smith added 14 points and Hands added 13. Leading scorer Kris Wilkes was held to eight points on 3 of 11 shooting. He averages 17.8 points.
The Buffs raced to a 20-8 lead to open the game, making four 3-pointers during the stretch in which UCLA trailed by 13.
The Bruins eventually recovered, ending the half on a 9-0 run to trail 38-37. Hands stole the ball and fed Smith for a basket. Brown blocked Schwartz, grabbed the rebound and fed Hands for a 3-pointer.
Colorado: Halfway through Pac-12 play, the second-through-10th-place teams are tightly bunched. The Buffs have an advantage with five of their final nine regular-season games at home, where they are 8-2 overall.
UCLA: The Bruins’ funk continues. Their second straight loss dropped them to .500 in league play as they fell to 5-5 under interim coach Murry Bartow.
Colorado: At Southern California on Saturday.
UCLA: Hosts Utah on Saturday.
