Timmy Allen Leads Utah To 79-65 Victory Over Stanford; Utes Now Await Cal
If you're going to talk the talk, you better walk the walk.
A few days after Timmy Allen implored the Utah fan base and others to not give up on this team, believing they were closer to getting wins that what their record or second half collapses were showing, he lived up to those words.
Allen was dominant against Stanford on Thursday evening, finishing with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists, all of which were game-highs. The Utes snapped their four-game losing streak with a 79-65 victory over the Cardinal, the second place team in the Pac-12.
"Like I said, I still believe,” Allen said postgame. “I think we got something good going. We just have to get all the pieces in order. … You can believe or not, but we are just going to keep plugging along. That’s a good team we just beat. Like the previous few games, we have been there before. We were just able to finish it.”
Allen would know better than any other Ute of how good this team can be. The most experienced player on the roster, he has been a star for the Utes the past two season when he earned all-Pac-12 second team honors in 2019 and appears on his way to earning first-team honors this season.
Despite going through a brutal four-game losing streak in which they've been outscored by 47 points in the second half over the past three games, Allen never came close to losing faith in the squad. He fully believed that the Utes were capable of playing a full 40 minutes and they proved that on Thursday.
Utah ended the first half on an 11-2 run to take a 34-25 lead at the break. But if the Utes felt any sort of panic during the break, it never showed in the second half.
Head coach Larry Krystkowiak kept the halftime speech short and sweet, dialed up a few plays and sent the Utes back out onto the court with still seven minutes on the clock. The thought process worked as Utah extended its lead to 14 with just over 10 minutes left to play.
Every time Stanford made a small run and appeared to get back into the game, Allen or one of his teammates would knock down a timely shot or get a big stop on defense. That allowed them to keep the momentum, which they ran with all the way until the buzzer sounded.
“For our guys to step up and set the tone like they have in the first half has been tremendous,” Krystkowiak said. “I think we are playing some really good basketball, and it is wonderful to see them smiling.”
Jan 14, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes guard Alfonso Plummer (25) reacts after a foul in the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Allen has been on a tear the last three games, averaging 21.3 points, six rebounds and four assists. But he isn't the only Ute doing damage.
Mikael Jantunen has emerged as a legitimate scoring threat, averaging 12.3 points during that same stretch. With the continued sharp-shooting of Alfonso Plummer (13.5 ppg), Utah has a trio of players who can go out and get a bucket.
Also, ever since being inserted into the starting lineup three games ago, freshman Pelle Larsson has made his presence felt with his ability to grab rebounds and push the ball in transition.
“In sports, the victories are medicine,” Krystkowiak said. “It is good medicine, and I couldn’t be more happy and proud of our guys for all their work. … We needed a little bit of feel-good, so I am just thrilled for the entire program.”
Jan 14, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Jaiden Delaire (11) guards Utah Utes guard Pelle Larsson (3) in the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Utah will now have a chance to get into a "winning streak" for the first time in a month when they host Cal on Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU with Bill Walton leading the charge.
It's another great opportunity for the Utes as Cal is just 1-6 in the Pac-12 this season, coming off an 89-60 loss to Colorado on Thursday night.
The Golden Bears will most likely be without star guard Matt Bradley, as he's dealing with an ankle injury and hasn't played since Jan. 2. He is averaging a team-high 17.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Andre Kelly finished with a team-high 16 points in the game against Colorado, while Makale Foreman added 13 and Ryan Betley chipped in 12.
While this appears to be Utah's easiest conference game since the season opener against Washington, the Utes aren't taking it lightly. The win against Stanford has the opportunity to vault the team forward, but it won't mean much if the Utes spoil Saturday night with a loss to Cal.
“I am not some kind of fortune teller that’s going to (predict that),” Krystkowiak said. “I have been around long enough to know that it can. You earn what you get, you get what you earn. … I am not going to sit up here and go, ‘Oh yeah, this thing (is changing).’ Talk is all cheap. We have to bring it, bring the effort, keep chopping wood and stay after it. And then hopefully we can get on a little bit of a run of some kind.”
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