Smith’s career-high 30 points led UCLA to a 72-68 upset of No.20 Colorado on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion as the Bruins (11-10, 4-4 Pac-12) ended a four-game losing streak in the series. The victory is UCLA’s first over a ranked opponent since Feb. 8, 2018, when the Bruins knocked off No.13 Arizona. UCLA had lost six straight against ranked teams, but earned a morale-boosting win after getting crushed by No.8 Oregon last week. But with an inexperienced UCLA team against a veteran Colorado squad, it seemed possible that the Bruins would collapse. “You try to send a message about guys doing two things: they’re going to play really hard and they’re going to play together,” Cronin said.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 31, 2020 06:25 UTC