After Tuesday afternoon’s 53-49 loss at No. 16 San Diego State, the Runnin’ Utes are figuring out early that this season’s out-of-conference schedule will be much different than the last. With the loss, Utah feels the pain of defeat in just the second game of the season, a feeling it didn’t deal with until game seven in 2013.
Despite the loss, Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak still praised his team for their effort.
“We did a good job tonight,” he said. “They really pressured us, and they’re a long, active team. There could be a lot of built-in excuses, but I’ll take the hit. Our defense is definitely ahead of our offense. In the first half, despite the negative plays and turnovers, we still found a way to be up one at halftime.”
Leading the way in scoring was guard Brandon Taylor, who finished with nine points on the afternoon. Unfortunately for Utah, it was a quiet night from the rest of the veterans, and the scoring duties were put onto the shoulders of the newcomers. Freshman Brekkott Chapman and JUCO transfer Chris Reyes each registered eight points, showing Krystkowiak the new players are ready to contribute.
“I thought the young kids played great with so much energy in the building,” Krystkowiak said. “The challenge as a coaching staff is trying to find things that we can do to implement them in the game plan.”
The other freshmen who performed well were point guard Isaiah Wright and big man Jakob Poeltl. Wright finished the game with two three-pointers and contributed solid defense, and Poeltl was all over the glass, registering 12 boards and seven blocks.
One veteran who had trouble throughout the game was preseason All-American selection Delon Wright. With his brother — NBA wing man Dorrell Wright — watching from the crowd, the Utah point guard struggled with his shot and didn’t notch his first field goal until there was just over a minute left in the game. He was able to muster up seven points in the closing seconds to go along with his eight rebounds and five assists, but Wright was just off the mark for most of the afternoon.
“Delon was just a little off today and had some shots that rimmed out on him,” Krystkowiak said. “Then he had five of our assists, and we only had nine. That’s not saying much for our offense, but it shows how vital he is and how big an impact he has even when his shot isn’t necessarily falling.”
All game long, the Aztec student section was a loud bunch that wouldn’t quit in its mission to disrupt Utah. The Utes knew going into this game the environment would be something they have not experienced before, and according to Reyes, it was just that and then some.
“I thought we played well in such a tough atmosphere,” Reyes said. “Their physicality was something we knew to expect, and they really fed off the energy in the building. We all heard some crazy stories about this place, and it really rang true in the end.”
Utah will return to the court on Friday evening when it travels back to Salt Lake City to take on UC Riverside in the Huntsman Center.
 
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