Tyger Campbell swatted away the full-court inbounds pass in the final second to preserve the victory, and Chris Smith, wearing a yellow T-shirt and long black pants, pumped his first from the bench in celebration.
Smith had been relegated to cheerleader before UCLA’s 65-62 victory over Colorado on Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion after it was announced he had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee two days earlier and would be lost for the season.
The Bruins (7-2 overall, 3-0 Pac-12 Conference) persevered in their first game without their second-leading scorer, holding on after building a five-point lead in the final seconds and then making enough free throws.