Andrej Jakimovski hit a layup with 8 seconds left and Colorado beat No. 2 UConn 73-72 in the consolation round of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday in Lahaina, Hawaii.

Colorado (5-1) rallied from a first-half deficit of 11 to take the win over the two-time defending champion Huskies.

Jakimovski finished the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Julian Hammond III and Elijah Malone each scored 16 for the Buffaloes, who advanced to the fifth-place game in Maui on Wednesday.

With the score trailing 72-71, Jakimovski drove to the right side of the lane and threw a ball when he fell to the ground. UConn called a timeout to set up the final play, but Hassan Diarra missed a 3-pointer with two seconds left.

Liam McNeeley led UConn with 20 points, Solo Ball scored 16 and Diarra finished with 11. The Huskies (4-2) lost two in a row for the first time since three straight losses from Jan. 11-18, 2023.

Colorado trailed by eight points at halftime and Diarra hit two three-pointers early in the second half to make it 46-37. The Buffaloes scored the next 11 points and took the lead for the first time in the game, 48-46. Hammond finished that run with two triples.

UConn regained the lead at 55-52 after a layup by Tarris Reed Jr., but Malone’s shot with 8:34 left tied the score at 59.

McNeeley’s hook shot gave the Huskies a 63-60 lead before Jakimovski drained a 3-pointer to tie the score with 5:16 left.

Ball hit a 3-pointer and a layup to give UConn a five-point lead, but Colorado got within 70-69 with two free throws from Malone with 2:04 left. A putback by Jaylin Stewart made it a three-point game with 1:29 left.

Malone responded with a layup, Javon Ruffin blocked Diarra’s shot and Colorado scored an offensive rebound with 24 seconds left to set up the winning basket.

McNeeley made his first four shots from deep and had 16 points by halftime to lead the Huskies. Colorado had a chance to make it a close game heading into halftime, but went just 12-for-19 from the foul line and trailed 40-32.

UConn attempted just four free throws in the first half and had five players with two or more fouls, including Reed, who had three.

–Field level media