Utah Men’s Basketball Gets Two Wins at Home
University of Utah Utes Forward Timmy Allen (1) dribbles with the ball during an NCAA Basketball match vs. the Minnesota Gophers at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019. (Photo by Abu Asib | The Daily Utah Chronicle)
December 8, 2019
The University of Utah men’s basketball team faced in-state rival BYU as well as the Central Arkansas Bears this past week.
Utah vs BYU
Utah and BYU traded blows to start the game, exchanging shots through the first three minutes of play. The Utes got down 10-4 when Branden Carlson set the fans alight with a block that could’ve found the first row.
BYU would take a 18-8 lead before Head Coach Larry Krystkowiak called his first timeout of the game. Utah would capitalize a few moments later on one-and-one situation to make the score 15-25.
The Cougars would then go on another run, pushing the score to 31-17 with seven minutes to play in the half. The Utes then went on a 11-3 run in the next four minutes of play to pull the game within six. Utah would go into halftime down by eight.
BYU came out of halftime firing, taking a 14-point lead within the first five minutes of the second half.
A Rylan Jones 3-pointer with just over 12 minutes left to play brought the Utes within nine and gave the team a spark of hope heading into the last part of the game.
Jaxon Brenchley would hit two free throws, followed by a Riley Battin scoop-and-score to pull the Utes within four with 8:45 left to play. Timmy Allen received a handoff from Both Gach with just over six minutes to go to bring the Utes within three. Battin would steal the ball on BYU’s next time down the floor and get fouled before making two free throws to bring the Utes within one.
BYU would go up by four before TJ Haws would foul out on an offensive charge, giving the Utes an edge in momentum.
Allen would score his 21st point of the night as he got fouled with 2 1/2 minutes to play to bring the Utes back within two. Allen would continue to show out, stealing the ball and getting fouled once again, before hitting both free throws to tie the game with just over two minutes to play.
BYU would hit a 3-pointer on the next run down the floor before Allen would counter with a 2-pointer to pull the Utes within one once again.
Jones had a chance to give the Utes a lead with 30 seconds remaining, but missed the layup and immediately fouled, sending the Cougars to the line. After the Cougs hit both free throws, the ball wound up in Jones’ hands once again. This time, he would hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 18 seconds remaining. The game would go to overtime after BYU wasn’t able to finish on the other end.
The fantastic freshmen seemed poised and ready for the challenge, and that’s an understatement. They were sensational.
Brenchley would hit two free throws to give the Utes their first lead of the night 30 seconds into overtime. Jones hit a layup after a BYU score to put the Utes back in front 90-88. Jones would find Allen under the basket to go up by four with just 2 1/2 minutes to play.
Jones continued to put the team on his back, giving Utah a six-point lead with 1:53 left in the game. BYU would get an offensive rebound their next trip down the floor and climb back within four before Jones stepped to the free throw line. Jones would plant both free throws through the net with 37 seconds to play to go ahead by six once again.
Mikael Jantunen ended the game with a slam dunk to go ahead 102-95 to give the Utes the win.
“We cut it to four or five in the first half, and then they made some big plays and they ended up taking that eight-point lead back in [to halftime],” Krystkowiak said. “More than anything, it was just about staying in it. We had an opportunity to fold. We stayed in the moment, and it was a heck of a fight all the way through.”
The BYU meltdown was complete, and Utah’s heroics were phenomenal. Utah’s seven point victory would send home in a frenzy.
Utah vs Central Arkansas
Utah took on Central Arkansas a few days later, where they quickly found themselves down 6-2 before the Utes would come storming back. The Utes went on an 8-0 run, alongside two different 7-0 runs to go up by as many as 16 points in the first half. The Runnin’ Utes would head into the break ahead 55-42, but not before taking a blow by losing Jones to injury.
Utah continued to push their agenda against the Bears, going on a 12-4 run to start the second half. This was the beginning of an avalanche of Utah scoring, as the team would take a 36-point lead with seven minutes left in the game. Utah would continue their dominance, becoming 7-2 on the season with a 31-point win
The Utes won the game 98-67. Allen would lead the Runnin’ Utes with 24 points and partner for the lead with Gach and Battin with five assists. Rebounding would also go to Allen with eight.
Who’s Next for the Utes
The Runnin’ Utes will travel up the road to Vivint Smart Home Arena to take on the Weber State Wildcats in the Beehive Classic. The matchup will take place at 2 p.m. on Dec. 14, 2019.
Utah will then make the drive south to take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Las Vegas, Nevada on Dec. 18. This game will take place at 9 p.m.
How to Watch Utah’s Upcoming Games
The Beehive Classic will be televised on Pac-12 Networks, while the matchup between the Utes and Wildcats will be available on ESPN2. Both games will be radio broadcast on ESPN 700 by Bill Riley and Jimmy Soto.
