Utah led UCLA by one with 5:39 left, but couldn’t close it out, falling at Pauley Pavilion, 72-70 on Thursday evening. Here are some quick thoughts.
1. Road woes continue: Utah has lost 11 straight Pac-12 road games dating back to a win at Washington State on Feb. 23, 2019. Most of those losses last season were one-sided, but Utah was in a position to steal this one, which could be construed as progress. Ultimately, the Bruins had an answer seemingly every time the Utes appeared ready to break out and assume some control in the second half.
2. Timmy Allen looked like himself in the second half: After scoring just two points in the first half, the All-Pac-12 junior wing broke out to score 16 of his 18 points after halftime. He was aggressive, he got to the rim, he absorbed contact, he even knocked down a perimeter shot or two, which is not his forte. Alfonso Plummer got hot early in this game, but Allen carried the load late for Utah.
3. Utah’s rebounding trouble is not an anomaly: Statistically, Utah is one of the worst rebounding teams in the Pac-12, let alone the country, with a rebounding margin entering the night sitting at minus-5.4. Dealing with UCLA’s frontcourt did not help the cause as the Utes were out-rebounded, 20-12, in the first half, and 32-27 for the night. Within that stat is the fact that Utan yielded 11 offensive rebounds to the Bruins.
This story will be updated.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/381YcRi
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