A season-worst 22 turnovers, combined with poor execution late, spelled doom for the Colorado men’s basketball team in Wednesday night’s 75-74 loss to UCF.
The Buffs led by as many as 10 points in the second half before letting UCF get back into the game via turnovers. With guards RJ Smith and Julian Hammond III responsible for a combined 11 giveaways, UCF scored 24 points off Colorado turnovers.
Despite his rough ball-handling night, Hammond shot quite well, finishing with a career-high 26 points. Andrej Jakimovski added 16 points and Bangot Dak had 10 off the bench at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando.
Colorado led 74-71 with three minutes left in regulation before going cold. With the Buffs trailing 75-74, UCF put the final nail in the coffin by blocking Elijah Malone’s game-winning layup attempt just before the buzzer sounded.
Colorado fell to 9-5 (0-3 Big 12) while UCF improved to 11-3 (2-1 Big 12).
The No. 21 West Virginia Mountaineers are next on Colorado’s schedule. Tip-off from the CU Events Center is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. MT (ESPN+).
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This article was originally published on Buffaloes Wire: CU Buffs men’s basketball falters late in loss to UCF
