Utah Utes vs UCLA Bruins Box Score on Dec 31, 2020

Chris Smith led four UCLA double-figure scorers with 16 points, and the Bruins survived for a back-and-forth, 72-70 win over Utah on Thursday in Los Angeles.

UCLA (6-2, 2-0 Pac-12) overcame a 12-point, first-half deficit, gave up a 10-point lead in the second and ultimately escaped thanks to a pair of late-game steals by Tyger Campbell and Jules Bernard.

Campbell's theft with 31 seconds remaining led to a pair of critical Jalen Hill free throws that gave UCLA a 70-66 lead. With the Bruins holding a two-point lead in the final seconds, Bernard denied Utah a look at a shot when he picked off a Pelle Larsson pass.

The tumultuous closing minutes capped an up-and-down game and extended Utah's losing streak in Pac-12 road games to 11 contests, dating back to February 2019.

Utah (4-2, 1-1) raced out to a 16-4 lead in the first 4:19 on the strength of four made Alfonso Plummer 3-pointers. Plummer finished with a game-high 22 points.

UCLA responded quickly to the initial deluge with a 14-0 run, and the Bruins outscored the Utes for the rest of the half 37-16 to take a nine-point halftime lead.

UCLA's advantage evaporated over the course of the second half. Utah cut the deficit to two points midway through the half, then took the lead with 7:17 remaining on a pair of Riley Battin fouls shots. Mikael Jantunen's baby hook on the low block extended the advantage to three and capped a 12-2 run.

The Bruins answered with back-to-back and-one plays to recapture a lead they did not relinquish the rest of the way -- though they never pushed it beyond four points.

The Utes shot 9 of 22 from behind the 3-point arc, but Plummer cooled after his early onslaught to go 0-for-7 the rest of the way.

With Utah trailing by three points and five seconds remaining, Plummer drew a foul on Bernard while looking for the would-be game-tying 3-pointer. Plummer missed the first of three free throws but sank the other two.

Timmy Allen scored 18 points for the Utes.

UCLA shot 10-for-20 from long distance. Bernard and Johnny Juzang both finished with 13 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 10. Campbell dished 10 assists to go with his nine points.

--Field Level Media