Running out on a fast break, Tyger Campbell pulled up from several feet beyond the 3-point line. 

After the redshirt senior guard nailed the long-distance try, freshman forward Adem Bona followed it up by finishing an alley-oop from freshman guard Amari Bailey.

And following another flush from Bona on the following possession, Campbell connected on another 3 to cap off a 10-0 run by the pair alone to balloon the Bruins’ lead to 12 in the middle of the opening half. Boos rained from the crowd as the home team called timeout, seeing its deficit expand to double digits in the span of less than two minutes.

No. 4 UCLA men’s basketball (24-4, 15-2 Pac-12) used the burst to gain separation and didn’t look back en route to a 78-71 victory over Utah (17-12, 10-8) in Salt Lake City on Thursday night. Senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. helped the blue and gold survive a late comeback attempt from the Utes with a team-high 23 points and eight rebounds on the night, while Campbell and freshman guard Dylan Andrews put up 18 and 10, respectively.

Utah center Branden Carlson – who sat out the two teams’ last meeting Jan. 12 – put in a turnaround jumper to get the Utes on the board first, but an 8-0 run by the Bruins gave them early control. The home team wouldn’t let the contest get out of hand that early, though, as it trimmed its deficit to 14-12 by attacking inside.

Though Utah once again clawed back following the ensuing 10-0 run from the visitors, Andrews helped UCLA maintain its advantage with a couple of jumpers to add to his nine-point first-half total. Bailey knocked in his first 3 with just under a minute remaining in the opening frame as the blue and gold headed into halftime leading 43-31.

The second-best rebounding team in the conference, Utah led the battle on the boards 20-16 through 20 minutes of play, including nine offensive rebounds leading to nine second-chance points in the period. Despite being held to 11-of-33 shooting from the field, including 0-of-10 from deep, the Utes routinely got to the line and sank nine free throws to stay in the game.

Utah connected on its first 3-pointer of the night minutes into the second period, but Jaquez answered with one of his own as part of seven straight points from the senior. Jaquez scored 17 of his points in the second half, while Campbell followed up a 10-point first half with eight in the second.

Turnover woes for Utah kept it from shrinking the gap, but it was the first-half crux – the 3-point line – that helped it finally spark a chance to come back. 

Seven straight points capped by a 3 from guard Mike Saunders Jr. brought the score to 61-52 with just under 10 minutes to play. Another long-range make for the Utes was followed by another jumper for Sanders off a turnover, quickly cutting their deficit to 62-57.

After over two scoreless minutes from both sides, Utah made it a one-possession game with five minutes remaining for the first time since early in the matchup with a driving layup, igniting the home crowd with a 14-1 run.

Taking it upon himself to help his team regain composure, Jaquez found Clark inside to quiet the crowd before sinking a stepback jumper. Saunders – who finished with a career-high 25 points on the night, including 19 in the closing frame – responded with his third 3 of the half and the team’s fifth, but it was again Jaquez who drove in for a layup to keep Utah at bay.

A quick four points from the blue and gold proved just enough to avoid collapsing, as Campbell and Jaquez piled on another 3 each to bring UCLA’s advantage back to double digits.

Jaquez catalyzed an offensive burst for the Bruins to survive the late-game scare, as the team was able to maintain its two-game lead at the top of the Pac-12 with its seventh straight win.