Utah Basketball Fortunate To Walk Away With 76-75 Victory Over Cal

In what was clearly the best game of his young career, freshman Ian Martinez led a balanced effort as Utah hung on in the end to secure its third consecutive victory and move within one game of fourth place in the Pac-12

“Yessir, that’s right.”

That was the first thing Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said when speaking to reporters following the Utes 76-75 victory over Cal on Thursday night.

Utes WIN! pic.twitter.com/s1ZDSmqZRL

— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 12, 2021

While the COVID-19 pandemic has given way to the uncertainty of sports, the only thing certain with Utah (9-7, 6-6 Pac-12) is that there are zero guarantees when this team takes the court — and Thursday proved no different.

Utah held a 76-70 advantage with 31 seconds left following a Timmy Allen made free throw. But that's when the drama was just beginning.

Andre Kelly scored for the Golden Bears with 17 seconds left, making it a four-point game before Allen was fouled once again. But with 15 seconds left, Allen missed both free throws and the Cal (7-15, 2-13 Pac-12) went down the floor and scored on a Matt Bradley layup with six seconds left.

Needing to just inbound the ball and knock down free throws to get the victory, Allen committed a brutal turnover. Bradley launched a game-winning three-pointer but missed, and Kelly secured the rebound but was fouled. Fortunately for the Utes, he missed the first free throw before knocking down the second with 0.7 seconds left.

Utah was able to safely inbound the ball and walk away with the win one-point victory, their third consecutive win and fifth in their past seven games.

“We were really fortunate,” Krystkowiak said. “You know, it wasn’t a typical road celebration in the locker room, but as I shared with our guys, there are a lot of lessons to be learned in life, and it is a little different when we can go back to the hotel in Berkeley tonight and still celebrate a win.”

Despite the one-point victory, make no mistake that this was a game the Utes dominated for most of it. Except for the final minute and the opening 3:30 of the second half, Utah looked like the far superior team.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair the Utes found their footing and rallied for the halftime advantage. 

Trailing 31-30 with 3:55 remaining in the first half, Alfonso Plummer ignited a 12-1 run when he hit a three-pointer. After Allen made a bucket, freshman Ian Martinez went on a personal 7-1 run to give the Utes a 42-32 lead at the break.

The game was a breakout one for the freshman, who saw a majority of action after starting point guard Rylan Jones was ruled out with an injury. Although Krystkowiak declined to speak about the nature of the injury, Jones was on the bench in a sling and it was reported by the Pac-12 Network that he was dealing with a shoulder injury.

Martinez finished the night with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting (5-for-5 from the free throw line) for the night, adding in five rebounds, one assist and one block in just 19 minutes of action.

“I thought Ian stepped up big time,” Krystkowiak said, noting that the freshman has really upped his game in practice and it's showing with his confidence on the court.

Much like the first time these two teams met back in January, Cal refused to go away quietly, starting the second half on a 7-0 run.

A Bradley and-one gave the Golden Bears their first lead of the half at 57-55 with 8:48 remaining. But the Utes didn't blink, responding with a 6-0 run on buckets by Allen, Branden Carlson and Martinez.

Martinez actually scored seven consecutive points for the Utes, giving them a four-point cushion with 4:05 to play, the final field goal Utah would make in the game.

“Road wins are hard to come by, but it was certainly a perfect storm to what could have been a disaster,” Krystkowiak said. “So fortunately (Utah won) and I will make improvements, our individuals that were part of that finish will make improvements, and we are going to move on and start focusing on Stanford.”

We had 4️⃣ #Utes in double figures tonight!👏

💥 Timmy Allen 18pts | 4reb
🇨🇷 Ian Martinez 16pts | 5reb
💪 Branden Carlson 13pts | 1reb
🇸🇪 Pelle Larsson 11pts | 2reb

📸 Chris Brown - USA TODAY Sports pic.twitter.com/stKxSgvSNu

— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 12, 2021

Allen finished with a team-high 18 points and four rebounds, one of four Utes in double figures. Carlson finished with 13 points while Pelle Larsson added 11 points, three assists and two rebounds.

“We called some interior plays for Branden, and we knew Cal was going to play straight up, and I thought he had a lot of poise and maturity and made some big-time baskets for us at critical times in the game,” Krystkowiak said of Carlson. “I think he made some advancements in his game, and it was good. … So, big-time game.”

Bradley, who missed the first contest between these two teams with an ankle injury, led Cal with a game-high 20 points. Grant Anticevich added 18 points (4-of-6 from beyond the arc) and eight rebounds, Kelly finished with 17 points and six rebounds while Makale Foreman finished with 12 points off the bench.

Utah was outrebounded 31-21, a large part as to why the Golden Bears were able to get back into the game. But the biggest difference for the Utes was their free throw shooting, knocking down 21-of-27 compared to an 11-for-13 showing by Cal.

Although Utah came out victorious and now looks like one of the hottest teams in the Pac-12, the mood was somewhat somber in the locker room. While the Utes were happy with the win, the way the game unfolded in the end was something they were hoping was behind them.

“It is not the same kind of vibe you want, but you can have learning lessons in life (when endings aren’t) disastrous,” Krystkowiak said. “I think we can make a positive out of it.”

“There are always things we can learn and take away from that,” Carlson added. "After Ian got in (the locker room), it got more lively.”

Utah will now have an opportunity to extend that winning streak when it faces Stanford on Saturday night at Maples Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. The Cardinal (12-8, 8-6 Pac-12) are coming off a 69-51 loss to Colorado on Thursday night. 

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