Utah Basketball Turns Ball Over Late, Falls To Washington

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah men’s basketball team collapsed late in their 83-79 loss to the Washington Huskies on Sunday afternoon in Seattle.

Utah basketball had a 79-76 lead over Washington after Ian Martinez hit a jumper with 1:39 remaining. That’s when the game went south. Jamal Bey made a bucket to cut the lead to 79-78. Then Martinez turned the ball over and Huskies guard Erik Stevenson capitalized with a layup and the foul. After making the free throw, Washington had an 80-79 lead with 50 seconds left.

When Utah got the ball back, Rylan Jones turned it over. Washington chewed up the clock and called a timeout with 17 seconds left. Bey was able to get to the rim and cause a foul. He made both free throws to put the Huskies up by four. Riley Battin missed a three-pointer and that was the game.

Washington ended the game on a 7-0 run.

FINAL

Washington ends the game on a 7-0 run.#GoUtes #Pac12Hoops pic.twitter.com/nwqH8tEYVR

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 24, 2021

Utah Basketball Goes On Big Run In First Half Against Washington

Utah went on a 16-2 run over a 6 minute stretch to take a 32-20 lead. That run was 11-0 over a 4 minute span. Then the Huskies answered with a 6-0 run and their next 12 points came from beyond the arc.

Riley Battin gave the Utes a huge spark off the bench with a season high 13 points in the first half. He made 5 of his 6 field goal attempts and all three of his three-point attempts. Branden Carlson added 9 points and 4 boards, Alfonso Plummer chipped in 7 points.

The Utes shot 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from downtown. They had a 44-41 lead at the break.

Final score from Seattle. pic.twitter.com/w2YXbyf1MZ

— Utah Basketball🏀 (w/ 😷) (@UtahMBB) January 24, 2021

Career Performances For Two Runnin’ Utes

Despite the loss, Utah had some great performances from their players. Branden Carlson led the way with a career-high 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. He shot 8-of-13 from the field and knocked down his only three-point attempt. In their win over Washington State, Carlson recorded 14 points, including 12 points in the first half.

Timmy Allen nearly had a triple-double with 15 points, 7 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists. The last Utah player to record a triple-double was Rylan Jones on November 8, 2019 when he had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, also Both Gach had a triple-double with 12 points, 10 boards and 10 assists. Utah beat Mississippi Valley State that night, 143-49.

Riley Battin added a season high 15 points off the bench. He scored 13 in the first half after making all three of his three-point attempts. Alfonso Plummer chipped in 13 points off the bench.

Washington was led by Jamal Bey with 18 points, 5 boards and 4 steals. He shot a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Quade Green posted 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Erik Stevenson contributed 18 points.

The Utes dropped their record to 6-7 overall and 3-6 in Pac-12 play. They will be back on the road to battle Colorado on Saturday, January 30 at 7:30 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks.

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.