The Utah men’s basketball team has been excellent in the Huntsman Center this season but has struggled mightily on the road. As Utah headed into their matchup with Stanford on Jan. 14, they looked to grab just their second true road win of the year. The Utes struggled to keep pace with the Stanford Cardinal in this one and would eventually fall 79-73.
First Half
The first half was very close throughout, with multiple lead changes and some stellar defense for both teams. Utah held just a one-point advantage at the 10:03 mark of the first half, but the Cardinals showed no signs of going away easily. The Utes grabbed a five-point lead, going up 27-22 thanks to a clutch Gabe Madsen three, but the Cardinals stormed right back to eventually take a 34-32 lead into halftime.
Utah could not break away from a tenacious Stanford squad despite knocking down eight three-pointers from four different players in half-number one. Rollie Worster did not suit up in this one, and it showed as the Utes struggled to find open shooters and control the pace of the game, as Worster has continually done all season long.
Utah had a lot of work to do on both ends of the floor to head back to Salt Lake victorious.
Second Half
The second half was more of the same for Utah as they continued to fight from behind, trading buckets back and forth with Stanford. The Utes struggled to keep pace as Stanford started to slowly pull away, and by the 10:13 mark in the second half, Utah had fallen behind 55-45 with a lot of work to do to get back in the game.
Deivon Smith tried to take matters into his own hands, knocking down a couple of jumpers while adding a few layups that cut the Cardinal lead to just three with 55 seconds to go. Utah would need a big stop on the next possession but could not get it done as Stanford extended their lead to 74-69 with 38 seconds left. Stanford would knock down their late-game free throws and eventually come away with a 79-73 victory.
Utes Stuffing the Stat Sheet
Smith got the start in this one due to Worster’s absence and did not disappoint. Smith ended with 16 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, becoming just the fourth Ute since 1996-97 to record a triple-double. Branden Carlson also recorded 16 points for Utah, while Gabe Madsen chipped in 14 points of his own. Keba Keita and Ben Carlson both chipped in nine points off the bench, but it was not enough to come away with the win.
What’s Next for the Utes?
Utah will look to bounce back this week at home on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. MST against Oregon State. Tune in to ESPN2 to watch the Utes attempt to keep up with a top-heavy Pac-12 conference.
