Colorado snaps 13-game losing streak, adds to UCF's skid

Andrej Jakimovski scored 15 points and Colorado broke a 13-game losing streak with a 76-63 Big 12 Conference win over visiting Central Florida on Saturday in Boulder.

The Buffaloes (10-15, 1-13 Big 12) won for the first time since a 79-55 rout of Bellarmine on Dec. 21. It wasn't close down the stretch on Saturday as they led by as many as 16 points in the final two minutes.

Julian Hammond III added 11 and Sebastian Rancik chipped in 10 points for Colorado, which overcame 42.4 percent shooting from the field and 19 turnovers with a monster effort on the glass. It dominated the Knights 52-29, allowing only eight offensive boards.

Keyshawn Hall scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds for UCF (13-12, 4-10), while Darius Johnson added 15 points. Nils Machowski came off the bench to net 13, but it wasn't enough as the Knights hit only 21 of 61 shots from the field (34.4 percent), including 6 of 23 from the 3-point line (26.1 percent).

Colorado led 38-36 at halftime and took control with solid defense, allowing just five points in the first 7:54 of the second half and establishing a 51-41 advantage. The lead never dipped below five after that.

The storyline coming into the game was which team could snap a frustrating skid. The Buffaloes hadn't won in 2025, while the Knights entered on a five-game losing streak.

Colorado used a 10-2 run for a 16-11 lead at the 11:08 mark via Javon Ruffin's 3-pointer. But Machowski, who was averaging only 1.3 points prior to tip-off, scored seven straight points to give the Knights a 31-27 edge with 2:49 left.

The Buffaloes had the last word, going on a 9-3 run for a two-point lead at halftime thanks to Bangot Dak's layup with one second left.

--Field Level Media