Branden Carlson gets revenge against UCLA, makes game-winner after Sebastian Mack incident

Utah was able to escape Westwood with a last-second game-winning shot

Revenge is a dish best served with a devastating put back to beat a team that earlier in the game elbowed you in the throat.

That is exactly what Utah big man Branden Carlson did Sunday evening, as he was able to send the Bruins home with a sour taste in his mouth. If you aren't quite sure about what happened between him and UCLA earlier in the game, UCLA guard Sebastian Mack intentionally elbowed Carlson in the throat when he was attempting to set a routine screen on Mack.

Was the ejection warranted here? Has to be right? https://t.co/F8UuiZx40m

— AllUtes (@FN_AllUtes) February 19, 2024

Mack went on to be ejected from the game, while Carlson was able to return not long after. However, while he scored 17 points on the day, it was his final two that were the most important of the game. After a Dylan Andrews jumper gave UCLA a 69-68 lead with six seconds remaining, Deivon Smith flew down the court to attempt the game-winning layup. While he flew by the initial defenders and appeared to have an open shot, his layup was blocked off the top of the backboard. 

Trailing right behind him to put it back in was Carlson, whose tip-in fell through the bottom of the net by the time the clock hit zero. 

The win pushed Utah's record to 16-10 on the year, and should give them some much-needed momentum heading into Saturday's matchup against Colorado (17-9).