Utah basketball goes cold from the field in double-digit loss to Arizona State

For the second time this season, Utah couldn't find a rhythm offensively against Arizona State and its zone defense.

It looked like the Runnin' Utes (10-19, 2-14 Big 12) wouldn't have a repeat of their earlier loss to the Sun Devils (15-14, 6-10 Big 12) after a promising start in the desert on Saturday, though Alex Jensen's group struggled to find the bottom of the basket throughout and wound up falling, 73-60, at Desert Financial Arena.

Keanu Dawes' 16 points led Utah, which shot 39% from the field for the second time this season against Arizona State. Don McHenry added 14 points on 14 shots.

Moe Odum paced the Sun Devils with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-3 from behind the arc. Santiago Trouet had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Massamba Diop chipped in 14 points, five rebounds and four blocks.

Here's how it all played out in Tempe.

Zone Defense, Foul Trouble Halts Utah's Fast Start

Point to any one of the losses on Utah's schedule and Alex Jensen would probably tell you a slow start from his guys had a role in the final outcome.

Whether it was due to shooting woes or defensive lapses, the Utes found themselves digging out of holes and double-digit deficits on a nightly basis in January, often forcing them to play from behind for the final 20 minutes of regulation. Their focus and effort out of the gate began to improve over the back-half of their Big 12 schedule, though it's earlier loss to Arizona State, as well as their most recent loss to Iowa State, indicated Jensen's group still had some maturing to do before the conference tournament.

It looked as if Utah was ready to turn a corner on Saturday; the Utes jumped out to an early 13-5 lead and had a control of things defensively, despite Terrence Brown picking up two fouls in the first 4 minutes.

But the longer Utah's leading scorer was on the bench, and the more Arizona State leaned on its zone defense, the harder it became for the Utes to hold onto their lead. In fact, it wasn't long before the Sun Devils flipped the script on the visitors, especially once Moe Odum found his groove shooting the ball.

Utah's grasp on the lead began to slip during Brown's first stint on the bench and completely released by the time he hit the bench with 7 minutes left in the half. Arizona State scored eight unanswered over the next 3 minutes, making it 28-21 with just over 4 minutes remaining. The Utes, meanwhile, endured a 6-minute scoring drought plagued by turnovers and an inability to generate shots around the rim.

Utah's lack of playmaking and dribble penetration against Arizona State's zone defense, along with a quick barrage from behind the arc from Odum, helped the Sun Devils build a 10-point lead going into halftime.

The Utes started the second half much like the first. Utah made seven straight from the field after halftime, making it a 49-42 game with 12:24 remaining in regulation, but shots stopped falling once the dribble-lanes got tighter and tighter.

Utah missed 17 of its final 23 looks from the field. Without much of a presence on the offensive glass, the Utes gave the Sun Devils plenty of opportunities to add to their lead on the other end of the floor.

Sun Devils Shut Down Terrence Brown Again

Terrence Brown's first-run with Arizona State saw the junior guard finish with a season-low six points on 2-of-16 shooting from the field.

The rematch in the desert was another tough day at the office for Brown, who finished with eight points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field.

Foul trouble played a role in Brown's effectiveness early on, though the Sun Devils deserved credit for limiting his driving lanes and open looks on the perimeter with their zone defense.

It looked as if Brown was going to play a role on both ends of the floor early on, though his two fouls before the 16-minute mark forced him to be less active defensively. Had the 6-foot-3 Minneapolis native started with a little more discipline, his final stat line might've looked different at the final buzzer.

Depth Proves to be Difference Maker

Six Arizona State players were ruled out for Saturday's game, and yet it was the Sun Devils who looked like the deeper team anyway.

Arizona State got 27 points from its bench while Utah's reserves generated 14 bench points. Anthony Johnson had 13 and two steals. Bryce Ford knocked down a pair of 3s and finished with the highest plus-minus ratio of anyone who logged minutes (plus-24). Allen Mukeba, who was a game-time decision due to injury, found a way to make a positive impact with six points.

Those contributions wound up playing a significant difference in the final tally, especially with Utah having to rely on its starters to carry the load offensively. Kendyl Sanders was the only bench player for Utah to score in the first half.

Up Next: Colorado

Utah will have a few days to travel back to Salt Lake City and prepare for a Tuesday night matchup against Colorado at the Huntsman Center.

The Buffaloes (16-13, 6-10 Big 12) have lost 10 of their last 14 since knocking off the Utes, 85-73, in their Jan. 7 meeting in Boulder, and enter Tuesday's contest coming off an embarrassing 40-point loss to Houston. Tad Boyle's group has lost its last seven true road games.