Utah Hands Arizona State Third Worst Loss Since Turn Of The Century
If anybody saw what was coming for Utah basketball on Saturday afternoon, that person should be highly encouraged to buy the next available lottery ticket.
Following Wednesday night's defeat to Oregon State, a game in which Utah should've won but collapsed late en route to the loss, it's hard to picture that the Utes would be able to rebound with a better performance against Arizona State on Saturday.
Not only did Utah rebound from that defeat, it flat out thrived.
Needing a victory to gain some serious momentum ahead of the upcoming Pac-12 tournament, Utah went out and secured its best conference victory in five years with a 98-59 dismantling of Arizona State.
“I am not sure if we could have scripted it any better,” Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said postgame. “It was a good performance by our guys."
Mikael Jantunen, the glue guy in Utah's lineup, got the Utes started off on the right foot with five points in the opening 1:30 for an early 5-0 lead.
And it just took off from there.
The Utes raced out to a 41-28 lead at the break on the strength of a highly efficient offense that was made possible due to their ability to find the open man. Jantunen was the main culprit with 13 points and four rebounds as it was the best half of basketball the team has played in a month.
“When we move the ball, we are a really good team, and we are tough to beat,” senior Alfonso Plummer said.
If the first half was good, the second half was great.
Utah outscored the Sun Devils 57-31 as the starters got to rest midway through the final 20 minutes. It was an onslaught on both ends of the court, proving that the Utes can be an extremely dangerous team when sharing the ball.
“So yeah, it was a lot of fun for our guys, the celebration and the smiles. Winning is great medicine,” Krystkowiak said. “Loved the enthusiasm from our bench for the guys. It is definitely going to be enjoyed today, and then we have got to start some prep for Vegas and continue to build.”
Five players finished in double figures for a team that shot 59.1% (39-for-66) from the field and 38.1% (8-for-21) from beyond the arc. But no shot was bigger, more impressive or got the team more hyped than Lahat Thioune's three-pointer with 16 seconds left in the game.
“He is money in our shooting games,” Krystkowiak said of Thioune's shot from beyond the arc. “He shoots with great accuracy.”
Mar 6, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes center Lahat Thioune (32) is congratulated by forward Riley Battin (21) after playing in the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Jantunen finished with 15 points apiece, with Jantunen adding in seven rebounds and Plummer finishing with four assists and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Branden Carlson added 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks while Ian Martinez provided the spark off the bench with 12 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Thioune and Riley Battin combined for 17 points off the bench, giving the Utes that much needed punch when the second unit came in.
Timmy Allen added 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in another highly efficient game as the floor general for the Utes. According to Plummer, something said to Allen by an Arizona State player only fired the junior forward up more and led to the dominant performance.
Mar 6, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes head coach Larry Krystkowiak and forward Timmy Allen (1) react on the way to the locker room at halftime against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Utah will now turn its attention to the Pac-12 tournament, which is set to begin on Wednesday, March 10. The Utes have secured the No. 7 seed and will play No. 10 Washington in the opening round. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. MT from T-Mobile Arena
The winner will advance to Thursday's quarterfinals round against either No. 2 Oregon or USC at 6:30 p.m. MT.
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