LOS ANGELES — 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.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 14 points to lead five UCLA players in double figures after the Bruins divvied up Smith’s minutes by committee among their wing players and moved freshman guard Jaylen Clark into the rotation.
Smith, the Pac-12 Conference’s most improved player last season, was injured in the final minute of the first half against Utah on Thursday, going down hard behind the baseline after committing a foul. He immediately clutched his knee but returned after halftime and made a three-pointer to help his team hold on for the triumph.
“After speaking with our team doctors and medical staff, I’m confident that Chris will make a quick and full recovery,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said in a statement. “Obviously, he is very disappointed and his teammates feel for him. Everyone at UCLA will help Chris through this, and I know that he will work relentlessly to be back to 100 percent.”
Smith had returned for one final college season to boost his stock in anticipation of a move to the NBA, and it was not immediately known whether he would consider returning in 2021-22 as part of extra eligibility granted to all players this season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was averaging 12.6 points per game, trailing only Jaquez on UCLA’s roster, and had put together his finest performance of the season in the early going against Utah, making all six of his shots in the first half. He finished the game with 16 points.
For the season, Smith also averaged 6.4 rebounds and made 43.8% of his field-goal attempts, 50% of his three-point tries and 79.4% of his free throws.
Smith participated in warmups, standing behind the baseline and feeding teammates passes before moving onto the court and grabbing rebounds and even making a couple of corner three-pointers. Highlights of his performance against Utah were shown on the video board.
Jules Bernard took Smith’s spot in the starting lineup and got off to a slow start, throwing his first pass for a turnover and airballing his first three-pointer. A highlight came later in the first half when Cody Riley found Bernard cutting toward the basket for a layup.
Bernard finished with 12 points, making four of seven shots, and Campbell added 11 points and seven assists to go with two turnovers.
But there was no replacing Smith’s production and presence as the team’s go-to scorer. He had been huge against the Buffaloes last season, scoring a career-high 30 points in the first meeting and making a career-best four three-pointers in the second as the Bruins swept the two games.
McKinley Wright IV and Maddox Daniels scored 12 points apiece to lead the Buffaloes (7-3, 1-2).
