Postgame Tad Boyle called UCLA “the best offensive team in the country.” That’s hard to debate after the Bruins came into Coors Event Center and scored a school-record 19 3-pointers and senior guard Bryce Alford scored a career-high 37 points in a 104-89 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes.
The Buffs kept pace with the Bruins through the game’s first 20 minutes, even holding a 21-20 lead, but the hot-shooting Alford, who had nine of UCLA’s 3-pointers, were too much down the stretch. The Bruins shot a blistering 56.5 percent from the field, 61.3 percent from 3-point range and went 15-of-16 from the line.
Colorado’s offense couldn’t keep pace, despite 21 points from Xavier Johnson and 20 points from Derrick White. The Buffs earned 38 shots from the free-throw line, but converted only 27. They shot just 8-for-19 from distance in the loss.
The loss runs Colorado’s Pac-12 record to 0-4 ahead of a Sunday contest with No. 25 USC. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. in Boulder. The game will be televised on ESPNU.