Sometimes things work out better the second time around.
Following a sloppy first half that saw the Utes commit 10 turnovers, Utah came out and made a statement in the second session Thursday night at the Huntsman Center. Led by junior Delon Wright, the Utes were able to pull away late and defeat Washington 78-69 to avenge last month’s loss to the Huskies in Seattle.
Playing its first home game in nearly three weeks, Utah looked like it was in unfamiliar territory early in the contest. In the first 15 minutes, the Utes committed uncharacteristic turnover after uncharacteristic turnover, allowing Washington to jump out to an early lead. Down 20-13 with 7:35 remaining in the opening half, Utah went on a 6-0 run to pull itself back into the game. Even after some of the worst basketball they have played all year at home, the Utes somehow went into halftime with a 31-30 advantage.
“We just needed to weather the storm,” sophomore Brandon Taylor said. “Because when the storm goes, it’s a bright sunny day.”
If the first half was the storm, the sun started to shine in the second. On Utah’s opening possession of the frame, Wright broke down the Husky defense with a baseline drive and dished the ball to Jeremy Olsen for an easy two. From there, the offense started clicking as Wright regularly used a variety of moves to get into the paint to score and set up his teammates. The junior finished with 19 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Early in the half, Washington guard and Utah native C.J. Wilcox had an answer for Wright. The senior had hit three triples in the first session, and early in the second it looked like it was going to be Wilcox vs. Wright for the rest of the night. Wilcox hit his first two shots of the final 20 minutes, a contested mid-range jumper and a long-range three, as he and Wright traded blows.
Wilcox’s fast start in the second half forced Ute head coach Larry Krystkowiak’s hand and he quickly subbed junior Princeton Onwas in to try to prevent Wilcox from having a homecoming to remember. From the time Onwas checked in, Wilcox was a non-factor.
“Princeton fought his tail off defensively,” Krystkowiak said. “He wanted to come here to play against the best and that’s who C.J. Wilcox is. Princeton grabbed some big offensive rebounds. I think it’s a little hyperbolic to say it was his best game, but he gave us a good boost. He’s been working hard.”
With the Huskies up 51-49 with 11:25 remaining, Utah finally tightened up defensively as an entire unit and held Washington scoreless for 10 consecutive possessions. On the 10th, Wright intercepted a ball and raced down the court for an emphatic two-hand dunk that put the exclamation point on a 13-0 Ute run, putting Krystkowiak’s crew up 62-51 with 5:53 to go.
Washington had one more offensive flurry in them and cut the lead to 67-63 after a Desmond Williams layup with 1:56 to play, but Taylor took all hope of a comeback away from the visitors when he connected on a corner three on Utah’s next possession.
“The kids are working their butts off,” Krystkowiak said. “I like where we are going. In the first half, the game could’ve gone either way, but we stuck to it and got over the hump. The win relieves a little stress and helps us feel better about ourselves.”
The Utes will return to action on Saturday when they host Washington State at 6:00 p.m.