After a game full of some highs and a majority of lows, the Utah Utes (16-8, 7-5 Pac-12) came out on top of the Washington State Cougars (11-13, 4-8 PAC-12) Thursday night, 74-70.
By Scott Funk
SALT LAKE CITY—After a game full of some highs and a majority of lows, the Utah Utes (16-8, 7-5 Pac-12) came out on top of the Washington State Cougars (11-13, 4-8 PAC-12) Thursday night, 74-70.
The first ten minutes of the game looked similar to the previous two in a frustrating trip to California last week— turning the ball over and a slow start.
“It wasn’t a communication issue to start the game today, it was some crappy basketball,” said head coach Larry Krystkowiak. “Forcing some shots, some turnovers, and we couldn’t guard them in transition, and then turnovers and bad shots.”
It wasn’t until after the halfway mark in the first half that the Utes got it together.
After trailing 19-9, the Utes cracked down on defense and found a rhythm on offense to close the half on a 26-10 run, despite going 0-8 from behind the arc.
Kyle Kuzma, the leading scorer for the Utes, went 0-3 in the first half. It wasn‘t until the 16:41 mark of the second half that he found the bottom of the net for the first time.
With ten minutes to play, the Cougars went on a 15-3 run to take the lead 60-59 with 4:32 to play. From then on, it was a back-and-forth game until the final buzzer.
A Parker Van Dyke three with 2:47 to play gave the Utes a 67-65 lead; finally getting the crowd involved in the game. After offensive fouls on both ends of the court, Kuzma hit two free throws to give the Utes a 69-65 lead with 1:50 to play.
After Malachi Flynn went 1-2 from the line for WSU, Collette hit another turn-around to give the Utes a 71-68 lead with :38 to play. A pump-fake and finish by Ike Iroegbu would pull WSU within one on the next possession.
Following a missed three by Flynn, free-throws by Lorenzo Bonam and Van Dyke at the end were the deciding factor of the game as the Utes closed out the win. The Utes finished 22-of-31 from the free-throw line.
“What we have in our practice arena is playing hard, playing smart, and playing together,” said Krystkowiak. “That was exposed in the Bay Area. It was an interesting week for us. I think we grew, we had great practices and I’m just happy we got the win.”
After the game, Kuzma expressed his frustration about his game and the way he played. “I just didn’t have the right mindset and didn’t play well,” he said. “I just had a bad game. I can’t wait until Saturday.”
When all was said and done, all who were left in the Huntsman Center were the arena workers and Kuzma, who was alone on the court working on all the aspects of his shot: lay-ups and free throws, mid-range jumpers and three-pointers.
David Collette led the way for the Utes with 22 points. Kuzma ended up finishing with ten.
Up next for the Utes is a home game against the Washington Huskies (9-14, 2-9 Pac-12) on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 MDT.
Larry Krystkowiak Postgame Press Conference:
Kyle Kuzma, David Collette Postgame Press Conference:
