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The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
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Team effort

During a three-minute stretch midway through the first half, the Runnin’ Utes took control of the ballgame.

Turning a four-point deficit into an eight-point lead was one thing, but it was the way they did so that epitomized how they were able to make such painless work of the rival Cougars.

Tim Drisdom got things started with a three-point bucket to cut the Utes’ deficit to one. One possession later, Shaun Green tied it up at 15 apiece with a longball of his own, and just seconds later, Johnnie Bryant followed with yet another jumper from downtown.

Just when BYU thought they had the Utes’ strategy figured out, Utah went inside, as forwards Chris Jackson and Jonas Langvad sank consecutive layups as Utah opened up a 23-15 advantage.

In a span of 3:03, the Utes got 14 points from five different players, and that would be the theme of the night, and probably the primary reason the Utes were able to dispatch the Cougars by such a considerable sum.

“We need to be balanced,” U head coach Ray Giacoletti said. “We don’t have just one guy who can score. That was about as balanced as we’ve been.”

For the majority of the season, the Ute offense has benefited from the scoring of only a few. Sometimes, it has been Bryant Markson, others it has been Luke Nevill or Johnnie Bryant. Wednesday night, it was everyone, and that offensive approach kept the Cougar defense off-balance all night.

“Offensively, they were really good,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “We had a game plan to try to take their inside game away, and they did a great job of sharing the ball and hit a lot of big shots.”

That’s not to say that the inside game wasn’t there for the Utes. Luke Nevill picked up a double-double, scoring 14 teams and snagging 10 rebounds. But he was only part of the equation. Nevill was just one of four Utes in double-figures, as Bryant added 14, while Markson and Green chipped in with 13 apiece.

Of the nine Utes who got on the scoreboard, not a single player attempted more than 10 shots, as the team spread the ball around and kept its offense as unpredictable as it has been all season.

It’s no surprise, then, that Wednesday’s victory was also one of the most efficient performances of the season for the Runnin’ Utes, who connected on 25-of-48 from the floor and dished out 15 assists.

“Nobody’s thinking about getting double-figure points before the game,” U guard Chris Grant said.

Grant was one of many contributors to the Utes’ attack. The sophomore averages 2.6 points per game but came through in a few big spots against the Cougars, tying a career-high with eight points while also snagging seven boards.

When the Cougars pulled to within nine late in the second half, the Utes got a contribution from another role player, as Lawrence Borha hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back up to double-digits. Less than a minute later, Green effectively iced the victory with his second three-point bucket.

“We really focused hard on just guarding these guys and getting stops,” Grant said. “And when we got stops, just get out and go. I think our defense led to a lot of good offense. We took advantage of all the opportunities.”

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