The Delta Devils’ only lead of the game came just fifty seconds in as the Runnin’ Utes went nearly wire-to-wire against an outmatched Mississippi Valley squad on Thursday.
Starting five for @UtahMBB tonight:
Sedrick Barefield, G
Charles Jones Jr., G
Timmy Allen, F
Donnie Tillman, F
Novak Topalovic, C pic.twitter.com/MUv8BSTv5c— ESPN 700 (@ESPN700) November 16, 2018
Utah’s blowout win came on the heels of a 78-69 loss to Minnesota this Monday. The Runnin’ Utes got back on track to the tune of nearly a hundred points Thursday night at the Huntsman Center. The 98-63 W gets Utah to 2-1 before they head coast side next week for the Wooden Classic.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Utes as MVSU rode the hot hand of Dante Scott to stay within striking distance of the Utes for the first 15 minutes. Utah used a 17-5 run to take control going into halftime and they carried that momentum into the final stanza.
The Runnin’ Utes knocked down 17 shots from distance to tie a school record and they did so efficiently, going 17-of-36 from three point land. Senior guard Parker Van Dyke paced the Utes from downtown, hitting on four of his seven attempts en route to 16 points.
Donnie Tillman carried Utah early on as he neared a triple-double in just 17 minutes on the floor. The sophomore forward tallied 12 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in his limited action.
— Porter Larsen (@Larsen_ESPN) November 16, 2018
After struggling early on, we saw glimpses of what reigning NJCAA National Player of the Year Charles Jones Jr. can do. The transfer guard out of College of Southern Idaho knocked down four of his five 3FGA’s and finished with 12 points, a season-high.
Timmy Allen continued his trend of stuffing the stat sheet with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists and freshman Riley Battin added 12 points off the bench.
Utah head coach Larry Krystowiak liked the way the Utes played after going small, thought that was the turning point in the ball game in the latter minutes of the second half:
Next up for the Runnin’ Utes is the University of Hawaii, as the teams tip-off the Wooden Legacy Tournament in Fullerton, CA. That one gets going Thursday at 9:30pm on ESPN700 and ESPN2.
