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SALT LAKE CITY – Down 2 points at halftime, Utah had scratched and scratched just to keep the game tight against the 19th USC at the Huntsman Center on Saturday night.
But the Utes used a quick 8-0 run that started with a top-of-the-line 3-point pointer from Pelle Larsson and old-fashioned 3-point play from Timmy Allen to start a comeback in the second half. USC head coach Andy Enfield had seen enough and called for a time out to break the Utah wave.
The time-out was only a temporary break, however, as Utah racked up a 13-point lead and appeared to control a USC team struggling to convert to the offensive side of the ball against a strong presence. interior of Utah. The Utes held on to the end and upset USC 71-61, breaking a four-game losing streak and claiming the most impressive win of the season just over a week before the Pac-12 tournament.
“If you really come out with a competitive mindset and come out with a connected mindset, where you try to do things collectively, I think our team can be pretty good,” said the coach. from Utah, Larry Krystkowiak.
“When you look back, a win is always a bright spot and losses aren’t a bright spot, but the key right now is for us to keep clicking more cylinders.”
Utah (10-11, 7-10) dominated USC 44-32 in the second half and was led by Alfonso Plummer, who finished with 19 points and three rebounds and was a key part of the second half -Utah time, three timely 3 -pointers in the second half to accelerate Utah to a victory. Allen added 15 points and eight assists to give Utah an offensive presence.
USC (19-6, 13-5) attempted a full press late in the game in an effort to knock down Utah, who finished with 15 turnovers in the game – including 10 in the first half – but l ‘Utah hasn’t budged. and clung to victory.
In the first eight minutes of play, Utah’s Branden Carlson landed his second foul – an illegal screen against a USC player already falling to the ground – and Rylan Jones left the game due to what appeared to be another right shoulder injury from jumping. on the ground to retrieve a loose ball. At that point, USC showed no slack and controlled a 16-8 lead in what appeared to be the start of a rout in favor of the Pac-12’s top team.
That’s until rookie Ian Martinez steps into the game.
The stat sheet may not have fully presented everything Martinez did to turn the tide, but he was an integral part of Utah battling USC midway through the first half. His quick and active hands selected a pass that was caught in the air for some time on an undisputed dunk, and his aggressive post fight gave Utah several second chance shots, including a 3 point kickout. to Alfonso Plummer in the corner for 3 pointers.
Beating low again, Martinez fought for a basket under the hoop with three USC defenders around him and managed to knock the shot down and knock down the free throw line to end the game at 3 points. . On the defensive end, Martinez blocked a shot and smothered a USC team trying to bring down anything amid a slew of turnovers.
At the break, Utah trailed 29-27 with the two teams combined for 19 turnovers. But Martinez was largely the reason Utah kept the game close at hand.
“He was instrumental in tonight,” Krystkowiak said. “His energy, his length and his athleticism – he went out into the passing lanes and got a big steal for us and a dunk, he’s got other deviations; he is long and he is quick as a cat.
“He stepped in and did what he was able to do – stay in the moment and try to win the next game.”
Fresh off a trip abroad to play for the Finnish national team, Mikael Jantunen returned to the starting lineup for the Utes and finished with 6 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the victory.
Utah held USC top scorer and likely NBA Draft pick Evan Mobley at 11 points – seven of which came from the free throw line – and limited his impact in a game he had l used to control.
“You can’t take it all with the player of his caliber,” Krystkowiak said, “but you try – you keep hitting him with punches, try to wear them down and win them all they have. . “
Allen said the effort was a five-way attack on Mobley.
“Playing a guy like him is not a one-on-one matchup,” he added. “It takes all of us to set a limit on as many keys as possible. I think we’ve done a good job.”
Krystkowiak said he didn’t know the extent of Jones’ shoulder injury, although it seems to be a little different from how he injured him a few weeks ago when it forced him to miss four games.
“I know it’s a little different from how he hurt him before – my fingers are crossed – but we’re all crushed for him, there’s no doubt,” Krystkowiak said. “He went after a balloon in typical Rylan fashion, a loose balloon on the floor and sprawled out and wiggled his shoulder again. My heart sank.
“We talked about it in the allotted time – we lost one of our brothers and we need some guys to step up to make up for his absence. We will keep him in our thoughts and prayers and hope we can get him back on his feet. court again. It’s a sad situation. “
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