Isaac Hamilton knows that for the UCLA Bruins and their postseason aspirations there’s no time left for slip-ups.
“We just have to fight, and continue fighting,” said Hamilton, who scored 22 points as the Bruins ran away from a cold-shooting Colorado 77-53 on Saturday night. “We have to play like we’re paranoid.
“When we play like that we’re a different ball club, offensively and defensively.”
The Bruins won for only the third time in eight games. They shot 50 percent, making 11 of 20 3-pointers.
“From here on out we have to play with urgency, with pace, and muster up some wins,” Hamilton said.
Tony Parker scored 16 points and Bryce Alford added 13 for UCLA (15-12, 6-8 Pac-12), which moved into a tie for eighth place with four league games remaining.
“It’s all about playing with passion,” said Parker. “I got off slow, missed a few shots early, but I just had to keep playing hard.”
Xavier Talton scored 12 points and Josh Fortune added 10 for Colorado (19-9, 8-7), which lost its fourth straight road game and tied Washington for sixth place with three league games to play.
“We just didn’t make jump shots, and that doesn’t help,” said Talton. “We have to get the ball into Josh (Scott), Wesley (Gordon) and Tory (Miller). They have to touch the ball more. We have to play inside-out if we want to beat a team like UCLA.”
Playing predominantly zone defense and packing the paint, the Bruins took away Colorado’s inside game, holding the Buffaloes to a season-low 31-percent shooting. Colorado was 3 of 17 from inside the arc in the first half and 10 of 36 for the game.
The Bruins outscored Colorado 24-14 in the paint.
UCLA took control 11 minutes into the game, outscoring the Buffaloes 20-8 over a 7:18 span, taking a 44-28 halftime lead on a 3-pointer by Bryce Alford with 39 seconds left. Colorado got no closer than 48-32 in the second half.
“We were battling. It was a five-point game with 4 ½ minutes to go (in the first half),” said Colorado Coach Tad Boyle. “That last 4 ½ minutes is important. They go on a 14-3 run and that’s the ballgame.
“We just broke down with defensive assignments, and it wasn’t just one guy. It was a multitude of guys.”
The Bruins, who had lost three of their previous four home games, beat Colorado for the seventh time in eight games since the Buffaloes joined the Pac-12.
“We tried pressure. We tried trapping. Nothing worked,” said Boyle. “Our execution level right now on both ends of the floor is not very good.”
___
TIP-INS
Colorado: The Buffaloes came into the game having committed 20 or more turnovers in three of their previous four games. … Prior to their loss on Saturday night, the Buffaloes were 11-0 this season when they have notched more assists than turnovers. They had 15 assists, 11 turnovers against the Bruins. … Josh Scott, Colorado’s leading scorer, was held to nine points, the first full game this season he failed to reach double figures. He scored just one point against Oregon State, but was forced out after 16 minutes due to an ankle injury.
UCLA: Isaac Hamilton extended his double-digit scoring streak to 23 games, the longest Bruins streak since 2007-08 when Kevin Love scored at least 10 points in all 39 games. … Tony Parker and Thomas Walsh entered the game ranked first and second in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds but managed only two against the Buffaloes, who ranked second in conference in defensive rebound percentage. … Parker returned to the Bruins’ starting lineup after five games coming off the bench.
UP NEXT
Colorado hosts Arizona on Wednesday night.
UCLA visits California on Thursday night.