On Saturday night, the Runnin’ Utes suffered a tough loss against the USC Trojans in Los Angeles. While the Utes were able to keep the game close for most of it, they found themselves struggling late, leading to an eventual 71-56 defeat. Here’s how the game broke down.

Game Flow

The Utes started out the game with a quick 0-3 from the field, but they weren’t shaken. They were able to convert on seven of their next eight shots to take an early 19-13 lead. Junior Rollie Worster was able to hit a 3-pointer to finish up the run.

USC was not discouraged by Utah’s early hot shooting though. They went on a 17-5 run, eventually taking a 30-24 lead and forcing the Utes to call a timeout right around the 4 minute mark. The Utes hot shooting stagnated, as they converted just two of the 10 shots attempted following the early 19-13 lead, finding themselves down 26-34.

But the Utes ended off the first half on a good note, as senior Branden Carlson, who missed Thursday night’s game, hit two 3-pointers in a row. Worster then managed to put in a lay-up to tighten USC’s lead to just 39-34 at the half.

Utah again started the second half hot, with a 7-0 run to open up, taking a 41-39 lead. However, this was the end of Utah’s leads in the game. The Trojans regained the lead early on, and built up a double-digit lead that they maintained for much of the rest of the game.

With 5:52 to go, the Utes found themselves down 54-64. They were able to cut that lead down to single digits for a glimmer of hope, but it was too little too late. USC finished up the second half strong and they managed to win with a margin of 15 points, a 71-56 victory.

Carlson and Worster both managed to put together solid performances for the Runnin’ Utes, but it was not enough to bring down the Trojans. Carlson managed to put eight of his 12 shots in, with three of those being 3-pointers, for a total of 21 points while also collecting nine rebounds. Worster also shot above 50% at 4-7 with a total of 12 points.

While Carlson and Worster did their best to try and lead the Utes to victory, the team’s offensive struggles continued. The Utes were below 40% shooting from the field for their third-straight game, with a low 34% for Saturday’s contest. They also gave up 13 offensive rebounds leading to 19 total points for the Trojans, making it hard for Utah to keep up with so many extra possessions for USC.

Looking Ahead

After a tough California road trip, the Utes will look forward to coming home this upcoming weekend. They face off against Washington State this Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. MST at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. They’ll then face off against the Washington Huskies at 6 p.m. MST on Saturday. The Utes had a tough weekend out west, but they will look to rebound this upcoming weekend, hoping they can find some momentum at home.

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