3 keys in Utah’s loss to Colorado in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals

LAS VEGAS — Utah’s run at the Pac-12 tournament came to an end late Thursday night, as the No. 6 seed Runnin’ Utes fell to No. 3 seed Colorado 72-58 in the quarterfinals at T-Mobile Arena.

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3 takeaways

Top performers: KJ Simpson scored 18 points and made four 3-pointers while adding 10 rebounds and six assists to lead three Colorado players in double-figures. Eddie Lampkin added a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Branden Carlson and Hunter Erickson paced the Utes with 13 points apiece, and Carlson added six rebounds. Cole Bajema scored 10 points, all in the first half.

Key stretch: Utah had a chance to make it a one-possession game with nine minutes to play, but a 3-point miss for the Utes led to a 3-pointer from Simpson that made it an eight-point game at 55-47.

The Buffaloes built off that and went on a 15-5 run to put the game away.

Key stats: Utah couldn’t overcome its cold shooting, as it made just 3 of 17 field goals to start the game and shot 32.8% on the night. Colorado, meanwhile, shot 44.4% from the field and made 7 of 14 3-pointers, including several critical second-half ones.

The Buffaloes also held a 14-6 edge in second-chance points, including 7-0 after halftime.

One positive for the Utes was they turned the ball over just four times and converted seven Colorado turnovers into 13 points.

What’s next?

Utah (19-14) now must wait to find out its postseason fate, with the NIT the most likely possibility.