BOULDER, Colo. — Leading scorer and team leader Spencer Dinwiddie might not be in the lineup for the Buffaloes, but Colorado fans aren’t willing to concede anything yet. Neither is its basketball team.
In the opening minutes of Thursday night’s contest, thousands at the Coors Events Center stood on their feet while a new lineup featuring freshman guard Jaron Hopkins hung with the UCLA Bruins. Twenty minutes into the Thursday Pac-12 matchup, No. 25 UCLA leads No. 21 Colorado 36-29.
Both teams opened methodically, playing to a 9-9 tie with just over 15 minutes remaining in the half. The Bruins then embarked on their first scoring run of the half, an 11-4 tally highlighted by a straight-on three-pointer from sophomore guard Jordan Adams, the Bruins’ first of the game. Colorado countered with a 7-0 run in less than three minutes, bringing the score to a 20-20 tie with 9:56 to play.
After scoring 11 points on Sunday against Arizona State, Norman Powell took off in the first half of Thursday’s game, finishing the first 20 minutes with a team-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He also broke away for a forceful dunk with just over 14 minutes to play that the crowd didn’t particularly care for.
Adams has five points at the break, while sophomore forward/center Tony Parker and redshirt senior forward Travis Wear have chipped in four apiece.
The Buffaloes are led in scoring by junior guard and Los Angeles native Askia Booker, who has 13 points. UCLA is shooting an even 50 percent from the floor, while Colorado is shooting 44.4 percent.
Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports senior staff.