A wretched year tried to deal UCLA one last blow late in the first half Thursday.
Chris Smith sat clutching his left knee behind the baseline inside Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins’ top scorer going down after his best shooting display of the season.
The senior guard had made all six of his shots before limping toward the locker room, sparking concerns that a season heavy with uncertainty and setbacks could somehow get worse.
But in a harbinger of possible better days ahead, Smith returned, buried a big corner three-pointer and the Bruins pulled out a 72-70 victory over Utah in their first game in nearly two weeks.