Colorado looked like it was going to snap Utah’s six-game winning streak on Senior Night after going on a 16-0 run in the second half to take a 14-point lead. But the Utes fought back and went on a 19-0 run of their own to take a five-point lead with over two minutes left to play, holding on for the 57-55 win in the final game of the regular season.
Playing at home for the last time this season, head coach Larry Krystkowiak was glad his team stepped up late in the game.
“Just really proud,” Krystkowiak said. “It looked like a football score for quite a long time. I give Colorado a heck of a lot of credit. The came in and guarded us real well. It was pretty neat. We went small at the end and got the stops we needed.”
Lorenzo Bonam and Jakob Poeltl each finished with 16 points, while the Austrian center added 13 rebounds and five blocks. Brandon Taylor followed with 11 points, four steals and four assists, with fellow senior Jordan Loveridge finishing with 10 points.
Utah finished shooting 31 percent from the field and just 19 percent from three-point range. Colorado finished shooting 30.5 percent overall and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Outside shooting was a problem all night long for the Utes as nothing seemed to fall. But thanks to Bonam and Poeltl finding success in the paint early on, Utah held an early 8-4 advantage. Bonam extended the lead for the Utes when he drove to the basket for a layup, then got another to one to fall shortly after, putting the Utes up 13-9.
Both teams fell into a scoring drought for about three minutes in the first half, until Dakarai Tucker nailed a three-pointer for the Utes, the first in 11 attempts. Colorado responded with its own three, and then Colorado got one more to fall, but the Utes still lead 19-16
By the end of the half, the Utes were just 2-of-14 from three-point range and were shooting 27.6 percent from the field overall, but Colorado wasn’t doing any better. The Buffs were shooting 21.9 percent from the floor, but they had a 21-20 lead over the Utes heading into the locker room.
Poeltl eventually got the Utes up 31-29 out of the second half, but he committed a foul on the other end of the court, which flipped a switch for the Buffs. Colorado would then work its way to a 45-31 lead. Utah, on the other hand, was held scoreless for nearly seven minutes and couldn’t buy a single bucket.
“We had a bunch of body language that said, ‘We’re defeated,’” Krystkowiak said. “I let them know that I’m okay with losing. I’m not fearing losing and you shouldn’t be fearing losing, but we’re going to go down swinging.”
Utah started to show some life, and after a made free throw, the Utes got the offensive rebound off the next missed one and Loveridge made a three, to make it a four-point play. Colorado fouled Taylor shortly after, and he knocked down both free throws to make the score 45-39 in Colorado’s favor. Bonam soon made it a four-point game, though, as the Utes were making a run of their own.
Loveridge soon drained a three-pointer from way beyond the arc to close in on Colorado, 45-44. The Utes then stole the ball, and Colorado committed a foul. Taylor, once again, hit both free throws to give Utah the 50-45 lead after going on a 19-0 run.
“I think the fans gave us a big boost during that stretch,” Poeltl said. “We hit a couple of shots, got a couple of stops and the arena woke up. It gives you that extra energy that you need and then 50-50 balls go your way.”
Both teams battled from there on out, and Colorado made it a one-point game at 53-52 late in the contest. After a miss, though, Poeltl grabbed a crucial offensive rebound, and subsequently, Taylor went to the line to give the Utes a three-point lead.
Colorado tried to edge into this but came up empty-handed and was forced to foul with under 30 seconds left to play as Utah went on to win.
“I feel like throughout that stretch, those last seven games, we came together as a team,” Poeltl said. “We’ve improved in playing together and improved in just getting out there and playing our hardest. Even when we’re going through a tough stretch, we always find a way to come back.”
Utah finished the regular season with an overall record of 24-7, 13-5 in conference play. The Utes will play the winner of the USC-UCLA game Thursday night at 6 p.m. PT in Las Vegas in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament.
@kbrenneisen