The U men’s basketball team mounted a furious comeback in the fifth place game of the Maui Classic Nov. 27 against Arizona State, rallying from a nine-point deficit with 4:00 left to go up 71-69 after Nick Jacobson’s third straight three.
However, a putback by ASU’s Jason Braxton forced overtime, in which the Sun Devils outscored the Utes 12-8 for the 83-79 win.
The loss dropped Utah to 2-2, while the Sun Devils improved to 3-1. This week, Utah faces Winthrop on Tuesday before hosting the Sun Devils again, this time in Salt Lake City on Dec. 7.
The Devils benefitted from the return of senior guard Curtis Millage, who averaged 13.5 points per game last season. Millage, who sat out ASU’s first three games over questions of academic ineligibility, scored a game-high 26 points on 8-14 shooting from the field, though his 8-20 from the free throw line nearly handed the Utes a victory.
To begin with, it didn’t look like the Utes would give much of a fight. After consecutive treys by Millage and Jamal Hill, ASU led 14-4 with 13:15 to go in the first half. Coach Rick Majerus cursed himself at halftime for coming out in a zone to start the game instead of the Utes’ trademark man-to-man.
The lead was 11 with just more than eight minutes to go, but the Utes staged a run. Utah went on a 10-2 advantage to cut the lead to three, highlighted by Bryant Markson’s going glass on a three-ball and Richard Chaney’s three-point play on a hoop and the harm.
The Utes would gain the lead, and increase it to four points at 33-29 after a Tim Frost basket. However, ASU knotted it up at 33-33 as the teams went into the half.
The second half was pretty even keel before Utah hit a scoreless streak. The Utes went more than six minutes without a field goal late in the second half, before a Frost lay-up cut the ASU lead to 65-58.
Frost hit another basket, then Jacobson hit three straight trifectas to give Utah the lead with 0:24.2 left, as ASU fell victim to horrible free throw shooting, including four straight misses by Millage. However, Braxton picked up the o-rebound and putback after a Millage miss to force overtime.
In the extra stanza, ASU scored the first seven points to take a 78-71 lead. The Utah rally fell short this time, as the Sun Devils held on for the 83-79 win to claim fifth place.
Britton Johnsen led all Utes with 23 points and seven rebounds. Frost added 17 points on 6-13 shooting and Jacobson added 15 points, all from beyond the three-point arc.
Freshman Ike Diogu complemented Millage with 22 points, and Tommy Smith had 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks.