LAS VEGAS (AP) — KJ Simpson scored 18 points and tied his career high with 10 rebounds, Eddie Lampkin added 17 points and 12 boards and No. 3 seed Colorado beat Utah 72-58 Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.
Colorado (23-9), which has won seven in a row since losing four of five to close January and open February, plays second-seeded Washington State in the semifinals on Friday. The Buffaloes and the No. 22 Cougars split the regular season series with each team winning on its home court.
Simpson hit 4 of 6 from 3-point range and had six assists and Tristan da Silva scored 14 points for the Buffaloes.
Cody Williams, who hadn’t played since injuring his ankle in a win over Utah on Feb. 24, returned from a four-game absence and finished with six points on 3-of-9 shooting and three rebounds in 24 minutes. The 6-foot-8 freshman — a projected lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft and the younger brother of Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder — has missed 13 games due to multiple injuries this season.
Branden Carlson and Hunter Erickson scored 13 points apiece and Cole Bajema added 10 for No. 6 seed Utah (19-14).
Carlson made two free throws and followed with a basket in the paint to cut the deficit to five points with 9 minutes to play. Simpson sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a layup by Utah’s Deivon Smith to spark a 16-5 run that gave the Buffaloes a 68-52 lead when J’Vonne Hadley converted a three-point play to cap the spurt with 3:48 to play.
The Utes shot 33% (21 of 64) from the field, 27% (8 of 30) from 3-point range and 57% (8 of 14) from the free-throw line.
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