Gach, Allen Carry Utah To Road Victory Over Nevada

RENO, Nev. – It was the first real test for the Runnin’ Utes with 11 freshmen and 12 new faces on the roster. They were able to get a 79-74 win on the road over the Nevada Wolfpack.

Returning starters Timmy Allen and Both Gach combined for 45 of Utah’s 79 points. Allen finished with a team-high 23 points along with 11 rebounds, while Gach posted 22 points.

Riley Battin chipped in 9 points and 6 rebounds, while true freshman and two-time Utah’s Mr. Basketball Rylan Jones contributed 9 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his college debut.

Utah was down by two with seven minutes left in the game when Gach and Allen sparked a 13-2 run to lead them to the win. The victory snapped an 18-game home winning streak for Nevada.

.@UtahMBB trailed by 2 in Reno when Both Gach and Timmy Allen led a 13-2 run and the Runnin' Utes end Nevada's 18-game home win streak. #utes #Pac12Hoops pic.twitter.com/30wAbi1HsK

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) November 6, 2019

The Utes needed late runs in both halves to get past the Wolfpack, who are going through a lot of change as well. They have a new head coach in Steve Alford, who is at the helm in Reno after stints with New Mexico and UCLA. Nevada also lost three key players from last season in Caleb and Cody Martin, as well as Jordan Caroline.

Utah shot 44 percent from the field, 21 percent from the three-point line and 63 percent from the free throw line. They outrebounded Nevada 51-32 and scored 38 points in the paint.

The Utes will play their home opener on Friday against Mississippi Valley State. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.