After defeating Montana State last week, the Utah men’s basketball took on Utah Valley on Tuesday, Dec. 6. After a close game against their in-state opponents, the Runnin’ Utes managed to snag a 87-80 win.
“We haven’t had a game like that all year,” said head coach Larry Krystkowiak. “A lot of credit goes to [UVU]. They have been down double-digit leads in three of their games. They have an awful lot of firepower.”
Coming off the bench, JoJo Zamora paved the way for the Utes as he scored 17 points, and Kyle Kuzma chipped in with a double-double as hea had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Tyler Rawson and Lorenzo Bonam each had 14 points, and Parker VanDyke scored 11 points.
Utah and UVU were pretty evenly matched throughout the first half, but Utah managed to break away for a little while, and it kept a steady pace in front of its opponent. When the second half rolled around, the Utes managed to keep a solid lead for a while, but UVU took the lead a brief lead. Fortunately for the Runnin’ Utes, it wasn’t enough for the Wolverines, as Utah would finish on top.
At tipoff, UVU started off with the ball, and it quickly scored to take the first lead of the game. From there on, Utah played catch up. In his first attempt to put numbers on the board for his team, Kuzma was unable to deliver. Devon Daniels tied the score, but Utah fouled, and UVU retook the lead after making its free throws. But it didn’t last long, because Van Dyke scored a three-pointer.
However, the tied score was short lived and UVU managed to take the lead again. Utah took the lead halfway through the first half, and it bounced back and forth between a Utah lead and a tie game. Utah would end the half with a 41-36 lead.
Daniels struggled from the free throw line as he was 3-of-6 on the night.
At the start of the second half, Utah come out strong with a three pointer from Van Dyke. But UVU answered Utah’s shot with its own. At the first time out of the second half, Utah led 49-41, and it extended its lead after Tyler Rawson drained his first three pointer of the game.
Towards the middle of the second half, the next scores for both teams were from the free throw line. But UVU began to creep up on Utah, and it eventually took the lead for the first time in the second half. However, Utah quickly tied it up.
With a minute left in the game, Utah brought its lead to 80-78. Kuzma did his best to run the clock out to give his team the win, and he gave Van Dyke the opportunity to score a three pointer. However, UVU quickly responded and with 16 second left in the game, the Wolverines only trailed by three points.
As the game wound down, Zamora would seal the win for the Utes at the free throw line, and at the final buzzer of the game, the Runnin’ Utes took a 87-80 victory over the Wolverines.
“I thought that we were really resilient,” Kuzma said. “We shot 10-for-22 at the three point line so that definitely helps. We had a couple of stops. Utah Valley is a great team, and I wouldn’t be surprised if went all the way.”
Up next, the Runnin’ Utes will head to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on Xavier on Saturday, Dec. 10.
“[Xavier] is a handful,” Krystkowiak said. “I’ve watched them play Baylor on Saturday. That’s a well-oiled team that can very easily be a final-four team. They are a good basketball team and all assets to the team.”
Tipoff is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.
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