Young players stole the show in the Utes’ win over Idaho State that put the men’s basketball team back at .500.
Jay Watkins scored 15 points, and David Foster recorded his first career double-double as the Runnin’ Utes put together a convincing 68-56 victory over the Idaho State Bengals on Saturday night.
The Utes jumped on the Bengals early with tough defense and built up a 17-point lead at 25-8 with just more than eight minutes left in the first half.
“I thought defensively we set the tone to start the game,” said head coach Jim Boylen. “The way we played defense the first 10 minutes was as good as it’s been.”
The Bengals struggled to get any inside shots, thanks in large part to Foster’s presence in the paint. Having to rely mostly on their perimeter game, the Bengals shot just 25 percent from the field in the first half and went 0-5 from 3-point range.
Going into halftime, Utah was firing on all cylinders and had built up a comfortable 25-point lead at 40-15.
Although the Utes were able to defend their lead, the second half saw a drop in defensive intensity for the Utes. Even with the convincing victory, Boylen said there’s still room to improve.
“I thought we got a little selfish on the offensive end and then in the defensive end,” Boylen said. “Young teams do that, and I don’t like it. We have to work on that, playing the 40 full minutes.”
The final difference of the game, 12 points, was as close as the Bengals got in the second half, but it did represent the Utes getting outscored 41-28.
Idaho State center Demetrius Monroe, who had a double-double of his own with 19 points and 11 rebounds, dropped 17 points on the Utes in the second half.
As a team, the Bengals jumped to shooting almost 55 percent in the second, but the Utes fell to about 31 percent combined.
“I’ll give them credit, they made a few more hard shots in the second half,” said guard Luka Drca. “We’ve got to play for a full 40 minutes.”
Although the Bengals were able to make more shots, the Utes’ lead was never seriously threatened. Even with some sloppier play in the second half, Utah was able to cruise to the victory.
After the game, Boylen said he is thankful to have Watkins back from injury and praised Foster for his efforts. After setting a school record with 10 blocks against Weber State on Wednesday, Foster had three against the Bengals along with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Utes picked up some much-needed momentum, as they will face two of the nation’s top programs this week. Michigan will visit Salt Lake City on Wednesday, followed by the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday.
“We needed the win, we got the win, now we’re going to take it and go forward and get better,” Boylen said.
Thien Sok/The Daily Utah ChronicleDavid Foster goes for a layup past Idaho State defenders during Saturday?s game. Foster had a double-double with 10 rebounds and 12 points.
Thien Sok/The Daily Utah ChronicleJay Watkins takes the ball to the basket during Saturday?s game against Idaho State. Watkins had a high score of 15 for Utah, helping Utah win 68-56.