Alfonso Plummer Carries Utah To Massive Road Win Over Colorado
Jan 30, 2021, 3:04 PM | Updated: 3:07 pm
Utah Utes guard Alfonso Plummer (25) makes a move during the college basketball game between the Utah Utes and the USC Trojans on January 2, 2021 at Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA. The game was played without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Alfonso Plummer exploded for 23 second half points as Utah erased a 19-point deficit to beat Colorado in Boulder, 77-74.
Utah played Alfonso Plummer just one minute in the first half but racked up 15 minutes in the second half to get the win over Colorado. 19 points was the largest deficit that Utah had to overcome since they trailed UCLA by 22 points on February 9, 2019. They beat the Bruins when Parker Van Dyke nailed the game-winning three-pointer.
Besides the 23 points from Plummer, Timmy Allen had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting 5-of-14 from the field. Mikael Jantunen added 9 points and 6 boards.
Colorado had the lead for 32:21 of the game but couldn’t come up with the win. McKinley Wright led the Buffs with 15 points and 4 assists. Jeriah Horne was the only other CU player to score in double figures with 10 points.
FINAL
After trailing by 19 points with 8 minutes left, Alfonso Plummer scores 23 second half points and the Utes leave Boulder with a win.#GoUtes #Pac12Hoops pic.twitter.com/F7biPT2eX1
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 30, 2021
Colorado Catches Fire From Downtown In First Half Against Utah
It was a strong start for the first two minutes of the game as Timmy Allen scored the first six points for the Utes and they were on a 6-0 run. Colorado responded with an 11-0 run that eventually inflated to 14-2 with most of those points coming from beyond the arc.
The Buffaloes made six of their first nine triples of the game. Utah settled down defensively and kept CU off the three-point line. Colorado took a 43-36 halftime lead. They went 10-of-17 from deep for 58 percent but made just 5 of their 14 attempts from inside the three-point line. On the other hand, Utah went 4-for-9 from the perimeter and 6-of-12 from two-point range.
Allen had 14 points to lead the Utes, while Pelle Larsson added 8 points on 2-of-2 from deep. Ian Martinez chipped in 7 points off the bench. Colorado didn’t have a player score in double figures in the opening half but Maddox Daniels scored all 9 of his points from three-point shots.
Utah went 4/9 from three in the first half and 6/12 from two.
Colorado went 10/17 from deep and 5/14 from two.#GoUtes #Pac12Hoops @kslsports
— Trevor Allen (@TrevorASports) January 30, 2021
Alfonso Plummer Explodes Offensively In Second Half For Utah In Win Over Colorado
After shooting 47 percent from the field in the first half, Utah came out cold in the second half. Colorado jumped out to an 18-8 run and started pulling away. That’s when Alfonso Plummer came in and took over.
Riley Battin was also crucial for Utah in the second half with 9 points. Colorado was ranked No. 17 in the NET rankings, which makes this win for Utah a quadrant 1 victory.
— Utah Basketball🏀 (@UtahMBB) January 30, 2021
Utah improved their record to 7-7 overall and 4-6 in Pac-12 play. They will return to the Jon M. Huntsman Center to face Arizona on Thursday, February 4. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. MST and will be broadcast on FS1.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for KSLSports.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.
