Branden Carlson’s put-back bucket with less than a second on the clock against UCLA snapped the Runnin’ Utes three-game losing skid and gave them their first conference road win of the season.
Carlson’s basket with 0.2 seconds remaining lifted Utah to a 70-69 win at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday night.
Carlson finished tied for a team-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. His final additions to those tallies saved the day for the Utes.
Trailing by one, Utah guard Deivon Smith raced the length of the floor, splitting defenders and then attempting a layup that hit the top of the backboard. That’s when Carlson flew in for the rebound and game-winning bucket.
“We know he’s really fast,” UCLA’s Will McClendon said of Smith. “We should have done a better job of staying in front of him. But things are going so fast. You don’t want to get a foul.”
Smith had 17 points and 10 assists.
Utah’s Gabe Madsen and Cole Bajema each had 11 points in the win.
Former Ute Lazar Stefanovic had 19 points for the Bruins.
“It feels horrible,” he said of the loss. “We had the game in our hands.”
The Utes improved to 16-10 with the victory.
For Carlson, it was a night to remember on multiple levels. The senior passed Andre Miller and Drew Hansen to become the Utes’ all-time leader in games played at 135. He also continued to climb up Utah’s scoring leaders’ list, tying Danny Vranes for eighth with 1,701.
Up next, Utah travels to Colorado for a game against the Buffaloes on Saturday.