Although the score took away any suspense about the outcome of the game, Utah fans still got their money’s worth Saturday night, as they saw the men’s basketball team make a little bit of history.
The Utes held Southern University to just 13.3 percent shooting from the field in the first half, which qualified as the second-lowest mark by any Utah opponent in school history.
Southern did not hit a field goal until almost nine minutes into the game, and had another five-minute drought before its second. The Jaguars made just four field goals in the first half and scored only 17 points.
Perhaps contributing to the effort is the fact that the Utes have made a point of focusing on defense in practice.
“We’ve been working on defense a lot,” said head coach Jim Boylen. “At times I thought our defense was very good. At times I thought our rebounding was very good.”
However, Boylen said the gaudy defensive numbers were a product of not only good defense, but also Southern’s trouble shooting the ball.
“Watching them on film, some of the shots they had tonight against our defense, they’ve made,” Boylen said. “Tonight they didn’t make them. But I did think at times we shrunk our gaps and we supported. For a six-minute stretch, we communicated really well and got stops, but I’m not ready to say we’re a dominant defensive team. I’m not ready to say that yet. We have to get better.”
A main reason for Southern’s low offensive output was its inability to score in the paint. The undersized Jaguars had just two points in the paint in the first half. The Utes’ domination down low forced the Jaguars to take more shots around the perimeter, where they had trouble making baskets. Center David Foster, who blocked two shots, said his defense down low was an improvement from the Utes’ last game against Utah State.
“I think it was something mental for me,” Foster said. “In our last game against Utah State, I really struggled getting to the help side and stopping any scoring in the paint. This time, it was just a matter of doing it. That’s really something that helped me out, was just my mentality this game.”
Also a factor, Foster said, was Utah’s ability to outrebound its opponent for the first time this season. The Utes collected 53 rebounds, compared to Southern’s 27.
The Utes were unable to stop the Jaguars with as much consistency in the second half, as they nearly doubled their first-half output, though several starters did not play many minutes in the period.
Utah’s scoring defense improved for the second straight game. After giving up 94 points to Idaho in the season opener, the Utes limited Utah State to 67 points and Southern to 48.
Mike Mangum/The Daily Utah ChronicleDavid Foster blocked two shots in the Utes? win over Southern University. Fosters also pulled down nine rebounds, helping Utah dominate the paint.