Utah Hang On to Beat Washington State 92-79
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) -- Sedrick Barefield has scored 33 points to lead Utah to a 92-79 victory over Washington State.
Donnie Tillman added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Utah (15-12, 9-6 Pac-12). Parker Van Dyke had 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.
Robert Franks scored 29 points with seven rebounds for Washington State (11-16, 4-10). CJ Elleby added 16 points and seven rebounds.
Utah led 45-43 at halftime, but broke things open early in the second half with a 6-0 run after Van Dyke knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers within 40 seconds of each other, giving Utah a 64-50 advantage with 13:04 remaining.
Utah led by double digits for most of the second half. The Cougars were able to get within eight points in the last two minutes but were denied by clutch free-throw shooting from the Utes.
Barefield, Van Dyke and Both Gach made 10 of 12 free throws for the Utes in the last 2:35. Gach caught a long pass down court from Charles Jones, and finished with a big dunk to seal the victory with 52 seconds remaining.
Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak considered tonight's game a must win after losing two in a row and being in the middle of a jumbled Pac-12 race for seeding. Before tonight's game the Utes sat at No. 5 in the conference standings.
In the first three minutes, Utah found themselves down 10-2 after WSU completed a 7-0 run over 1:11. The Cougars' Marvin Cannon threw down a wide open dunk that energized the crowd to cap the run and forced the Utes to call a time out.
Down 31-26 with six minutes remaining in the first half, Utah would go on a 14-2 run over 2:25. The run featured a 3-pointer from Van Dyke that quieted the crowd and forced WSU to take a time out.
The run was capped by Barefield, who was fouled by Franks on a 3-point attempt. Barefield knocked down the 3-pointer and made the free throw to complete the 4-point play. Utah would not trail the rest of the contest.
Donnie Tillman added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Utah (15-12, 9-6 Pac-12). Parker Van Dyke had 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.
Robert Franks scored 29 points with seven rebounds for Washington State (11-16, 4-10). CJ Elleby added 16 points and seven rebounds.
Utah led 45-43 at halftime, but broke things open early in the second half with a 6-0 run after Van Dyke knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers within 40 seconds of each other, giving Utah a 64-50 advantage with 13:04 remaining.
Utah led by double digits for most of the second half. The Cougars were able to get within eight points in the last two minutes but were denied by clutch free-throw shooting from the Utes.
Barefield, Van Dyke and Both Gach made 10 of 12 free throws for the Utes in the last 2:35. Gach caught a long pass down court from Charles Jones, and finished with a big dunk to seal the victory with 52 seconds remaining.
Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak considered tonight's game a must win after losing two in a row and being in the middle of a jumbled Pac-12 race for seeding. Before tonight's game the Utes sat at No. 5 in the conference standings.
In the first three minutes, Utah found themselves down 10-2 after WSU completed a 7-0 run over 1:11. The Cougars' Marvin Cannon threw down a wide open dunk that energized the crowd to cap the run and forced the Utes to call a time out.
Down 31-26 with six minutes remaining in the first half, Utah would go on a 14-2 run over 2:25. The run featured a 3-pointer from Van Dyke that quieted the crowd and forced WSU to take a time out.
The run was capped by Barefield, who was fouled by Franks on a 3-point attempt. Barefield knocked down the 3-pointer and made the free throw to complete the 4-point play. Utah would not trail the rest of the contest.