One day, maybe the University of Utah will solve the University of Oregon, but that day was not Saturday.
The Utes, too often anemic against long, athletic defenses, ran into one at the Huntsman Center as the Ducks took control early in the first half, then held the Utes at arm’s length for the remainder of the night in downing Utah, 70-60, in front of a better-than-average crowd at the Huntsman Center.
Utah (12-5, 5-1 Pac-12) is now 2-22 against Oregon as a member of the Pac-12, including 10 straight losses dating back to its last win on Dec. 29, 2017.
The Utes cobbled together enough shot-making early in the second half to shave what was a 14-point first-half deficit to two with 13:10 to play, but Oregon, which got blown off the floor at Colorado on Thursday, had answers.
Off a Utah turnover, Jermaine Cousinard’s 3-pointer from the left wing, in which his defender failed to close out fast enough, began stemming the tide, extending the Ducks to a 47-41 lead.
Rivaldo Soares hit two free throws off a second-chance opportunity a short time later, before Will Richardson’s triple, again from the left wing, gave Oregon a 53-43 lead with 10:36 left.
Utah got back to within five with 2:07 to go, but got no closer. After Will Richardson corralled a loose ball off a missed free throw, Quincy Guerrier’s 3-pointer from the right wing finally shut the door, giving Oregon a 66-58 lead with 58.8 seconds left.
Among the top-rated defensive teams in the country, Utah did enough on that end to keep contact deep into the second half, but offensively, it needed more. The Utes shot 35.7% for the night, including 14.3% from deep. Leading scorer Branden Carlson finished with just 10 points, while Gabe Madsen had five on just 1-for-8 shooting.
The Tribune will update this story.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/by4qDZ5
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