In the first half Friday night against UC Davis at the Huntsman Center, two of Utah’s offensive leaders, Jordan Loveridge and Delon Wright, struggled to produce and had to sit out the final minutes of the first frame with foul trouble. That’s when Utah got to showcase its depth. Up 34-29 at the 3:57 mark, the Utes went on an 11-0 run to close the half and then used a strong second half to take the game 94-60.
“I was wondering where [Loveridge and Wright] went. I was like, ‘Where y’all go?’” said Utah guard Brandon Taylor. “Coach [Krystkowiak] always talks about the bomb squad. Ahmad [Fields] and Parker [Van Dyke] came in, I feel like they came in and gave us the energy and the boost that we needed.”
Though that duo didn’t score during the run, they did provide toughness and rebounding. As for the offensive production, Taylor finished the half with 14 points and Renan Lenz added 12 as the Utes went into the locker room with a 45-29 lead.
The Utes came out in the second half and picked apart the Aggie defense possession after possession. Though Utah’s offense was impressive and its transition game continues to improve, Krystkowiak was most pleased with his team’s defense.
“Our defense was really good,” he said. “We had a pretty intense week. Our guys really locked in on a lot of the coverages that we had.”
Over the last two years, the Utes have been known for their defense. Even with the new high-powered offenses turning heads in college basketball, Krystkowiak wants that to remain Utah’s calling card.
“We want to be known as a good defensive team,” he said. “We need to have the five guys that are out there to be locked in when it comes time to play defense.”
The Utes were at their best Friday when they were able to get out and run. Loveridge illustrated that in the second half with a bounce pass from half court that went through the defense to a streaking Wright near the basket. Wright finished off the play with an easy layup.
That play was part of Wright and Loveridge’s restoring order. After being held scoreless in the first half, Loveridge looked dominant at times in the second and finished the game with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Wright wound up with his usual stat-sheet stuffing line of 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists, including some elite level drives and passes. Wright has displayed excellent court vision in the early season and has helped his big men really thrive down low.
“I told Jeremy Olsen he should probably take Delon out for lunch this weekend because he makes things easy in the pick and roll game,” Krystkowiak said.
The Utes will return to action next weekend when they host the Global Sports Hoops Showcase.
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“I was wondering where [Loveridge and Wright] went. I was like, ‘Where y’all go?’” said Utah guard Brandon Taylor. “Coach [Krystkowiak] always talks about the bomb squad. Ahmad [Fields] and Parker [Van Dyke] came in, I feel like they came in and gave us the energy and the boost that we needed.”
Though that duo didn’t score during the run, they did provide toughness and rebounding. As for the offensive production, Taylor finished the half with 14 points and Renan Lenz added 12 as the Utes went into the locker room with a 45-29 lead.
The Utes came out in the second half and picked apart the Aggie defense possession after possession. Though Utah’s offense was impressive and its transition game continues to improve, Krystkowiak was most pleased with his team’s defense.
“Our defense was really good,” he said. “We had a pretty intense week. Our guys really locked in on a lot of the coverages that we had.”
Over the last two years, the Utes have been known for their defense. Even with the new high-powered offenses turning heads in college basketball, Krystkowiak wants that to remain Utah’s calling card.
“We want to be known as a good defensive team,” he said. “We need to have the five guys that are out there to be locked in when it comes time to play defense.”
The Utes were at their best Friday when they were able to get out and run. Loveridge illustrated that in the second half with a bounce pass from half court that went through the defense to a streaking Wright near the basket. Wright finished off the play with an easy layup.
That play was part of Wright and Loveridge’s restoring order. After being held scoreless in the first half, Loveridge looked dominant at times in the second and finished the game with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Wright wound up with his usual stat-sheet stuffing line of 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists, including some elite level drives and passes. Wright has displayed excellent court vision in the early season and has helped his big men really thrive down low.
“I told Jeremy Olsen he should probably take Delon out for lunch this weekend because he makes things easy in the pick and roll game,” Krystkowiak said.
The Utes will return to action next weekend when they host the Global Sports Hoops Showcase.
[email protected]