Runnin' Utes Hit The Road For Final Nonconference Tilt

Jan. 4, 2002

Game #13

Utah Runnin' Utes (9-3) vs. Saint Mary's (Calif.) Gaels (5-7)

Jan. 7 * 7:00 p.m. (PST) * McKeon Pavilion (3,500) * Moraga, Calif.

The Game at a Glance

Utah Head Coach: Rick Majerus            Saint Mary's Head Coach: Randy BennettAlma Mater: Marquette, 1970         Alma Mater: UC San Diego, 1986Record at Utah: 271-76/13th Season  Record at Saint Mary's: 5-7/1st SeasonOverall Record: 370-128/18th Season Overall Record: 5-7/1st Season
Television: NoneRadio: Utah Sports Network (KALL-910 AM in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations).On the Internet at www.UtahUtes.com and www.kall910.com. Bill Marcroft (play-by-play),Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).
Series Record: Utah leads 12-2Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 9-1/0-0/3-1Last Meeting: Utah defeated Saint Mary's 95-52 on Dec. 11, 1965
Utah Probable StartersNo.     Pos.    Name            Ht.     Wt.     Cl.     Hometown            Statistics35  F   Jeff Johnsen 6-4 204 Sr. Murray, Utah            8.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg31  F   Britton Johnsen   6-9 213 Jr. Murray, Utah            11.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg41  C   Lance Allred 6-10    239 So. Salt Lake City          3.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg11  G   Travis Spivey   6-1 212 Sr. Myrtle Beach, S.C.  5.9 ppg, 4.8 apg15  G   Nick Jacobson   6-4 198 So. Fargo, N.D.         14.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Utah Off the BenchNo.     Pos.    Name            Ht.     Wt.     Cl.     Hometown            Statistics3   G   Martin Osimani 6-3 203 Fr. Montevideo, Uruguay 0.3 ppg, 1.4 apg13  C   Cameron Koford 6-11    230 Jr. Plain City, Utah    2.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg21  G/F Trace Caton   6-5 214 Jr. Alamosa, Colo.          4.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg32  G   Eric Osmundson 6-3 196 Fr. Carlsbad, Calif.    2.1 ppg, 1.3 apg40  F/C Phil Cullen   6-9 221 Sr. Chelan, Wash.           5.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Saint Mary's Probable StartersNo.     Pos.    Name             Ht.    Wt.     Cl.     Hometown            Statistics2   F   Ross Benson  6-9    245 Jr. Everett, Wash.          7.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg23  F   Ethnie Stubbs    6-5    205 Sr. Freeport, Bahamas   10.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg14  G   Adam Caporn  6-3    180 Fr. Belconnen, Australia    5.0 ppg, 2.1 apg22  G   Teohn Conner     6-3    200 Sr. Ferriday, La.           8.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg55  G   Anthony Woodards 6-1    200 Jr. Richmond, Calif.    4.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg

After This

The Runnin' Utes open Mountain West Conference action against UNLV on Jan. 12 at 1:07 p.m. (MST) in the Huntsman Center. Utah then hosts San Diego State on Jan. 14 at 7:07 p.m. (MST).

Quickly On Utah

The Runnin' Utes are 9-3 and riding a six-game winning streak entering Monday's game against Saint Mary's at 7:00 p.m. (PST) at the McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif. It will be the Utes' first road game after playing four in a row at home and six consecutive games in the state of Utah. Utah is 1-1 on opponents' homecourts this season. Following a 71-61 win over Texas last Saturday, the Runnin' Utes defeated Whitworth College 63-57 on Tuesday night. During its recent winning streak, the Utes have posted double-figure wins all but once and have won by an average of 16.5 points.

Sophomore 6-4 guard Nick Jacobson leads the Runnin' Utes in scoring (14.9 ppg), shooting a team-best 48.6 percent (36-of-74) from three-point range. Junior 6-9 forward Britton Johnsen is third in scoring (11.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.6 rpg). Senior 6-1 guard Travis Spivey leads the team in assists (4.8 apg). Senior 6-10 center Chris Burgess, who is second on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and first in rebounds (7.2 rpg), blocked shots (13) and field goal percentage (66.0), is out until at least early February and possibly the season with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot.

Scouting Saint Mary's College

The Gaels are 5-7 and have split their last eight games after starting out 1-3. Saint Mary's lost to New Mexico (72-62) and defeated Southeastern Louisiana (68-49) Dec. 28-29 in the COMCAST Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque. Their last time out, the Gaels lost at Colorado (68-51) on Wednesday night.

Sophomore 6-3 guard Paul Marigney, who has started only two games and has played primarily off the bench this season, leads SMC in scoring (11.6 ppg) and is shooting 44.8 percent (13-for-29) from three-point range. Senior 6-5 forward Ethnie Stubbs is the only player averaging in double figures scoring (10.3 ppg). Senior 6-3 guard/forward Teohn Conner leads the Gaels in rebounds (6.3 rpg) and assists (2.5 apg).

Comparing the Stats

           Utah    Saint Mary'sScoring         70.3    65.2Scoring Defense 61.8    62.6FG%         .474    .446FG% Defense .443    .4533-Pt. FG%   .403    .3123-Pt. FG% Def.  .315    .341FT%         .721    .709Rebound Margin  +3.8    +2.4Assists         16.7    11.9Turnovers   14.8    16.2Opp. Turnovers  15.4    17.2Steals          6.9 7.1

Head Coach Randy Bennett

Randy Bennett is in his first season as the head coach at Saint Mary's. He has been an assistant coach for 16 years on the NCAA Division I level. Before joining the Gaels, he was the top assistant coach at Saint Louis under Lorenzo Romar. He was on Romar's staff when the Billikens lost to Utah in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament, 48-45. Prior to that stint, he was an assistant coach for three years at Pepperdine (1996-99). Bennett has also been an assistant coach at Idaho and San Diego. While at Idaho, he worked under former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd from 1987-88. He graduated from UC San Diego in 1986 and played basketball there from 1983-85.

Utah-Saint Mary's College Series Notes

* Utah and Saint Mary's meet for the 15th time on Monday night with Utah leading 12-2. It will be the first time the teams have met in Moraga, Calif.

* The Utes and Gaels first played on Dec. 23, 1929 in San Francisco, Calif., with Utah winning 35-22. The teams played again three days later at the same location with the Utes prevailing 37-26.

* The teams last met on Dec. 11, 1965 when Utah won 95-52 in Salt Lake City. Utah has hosted 10 of the games in the series, winning nine.

* The Utes have won seven in a row over the Gaels with all of those games taking place in Salt Lake City. Saint Mary's last win over Utah was on Dec. 19, 1958 in Salt Lake City.

* Utah's biggest win in the series was 46 points (70-24) on Dec 23, 1930 in Salt Lake City. Saint Mary's largest margin of victory was five points (36-31) on Dec. 28, 1940 in Berkeley, Calif.

* Rick Majerus has never faced Saint Mary's.

Jacobson Prolific From Beyond the Arc

* Sophomore guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 198) leads the Utes in scoring (14.9 ppg) and three-point percentage (48.6). He has scored in double figures in 11 of the 12 games this season, including each of the last eight.

* Jacobson had a hot hand in early December. Against Pepperdine, Arizona State and Troy State (Dec. 1-8), Jacobson shot 59.4 percent from the field (19-for-32) and 72.2 percent from three-point range (13-for-18). Against Texas, Jacobson had a game-high 18 points, shooting 7-of-16 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point range. He used a 7-for-8 night at the free throw line to help him score 19 points against Whitworth.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Dec. 17, Jacobson was tied for 23rd in three-point field goal percentage (50.0).

* The Fargo, N.D., native got a career-high 22 points against Pepperdine on Dec. 1, shooting 5-of-6 from three-point range. Jacobson had a career-high six rebounds against Arizona State and a career-high five assists versus Troy State.

* Last season, Jacobson was named the 2000-01 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Ute to garner conference Freshman of the Year honors since Keith Van Horn in 1993-94. Jacobson made the top 10 in five statistical categories on the all-time freshman charts at Utah last season. He ranked eighth in scoring (245 points), eighth in scoring average (7.9 ppg), second in three-pointers made (37), first in three-pointers attempted (97) and first in free throw percentage (.806).

Johnsen & Johnsen

* Junior forward Britton Johnsen (6-9, 213) earned second team all-Mountain West Conference honors last season and was a preseason all-league choice by the media this season. Britton is third on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.6 rpg). Dating back to last season, Britton has scored in double figures in 24 of the last 37 contests-including 10 of the last 11 games this season.

* Britton had a season-high eight rebounds and a career-high tying three blocked shots against Texas on Dec. 29. He tied a personal best with three steals against Whitworth on Jan. 2.

* Britton missed his career high by two points with a season-best of 21 against Weber State on Dec. 15. Britton hit 7-of-12 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range and 3-of-3 at the line. Before the WSU game, he had been shooting just 38.2 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from three-point range.

* Joining Britton on the Utah roster is his older brother Jeff Johnsen (6-4, 204), a senior guard/forward. Jeff is averaging 8.3 points (fourth-best on the team) and 2.8 assists (second-best on the team), and has started the last eight games. Jeff has scored in double figures in five of the last nine games.

* Jeff had a season-high 18 points against Whitworth on Jan. 2, missing his career high by two points. He shot 8-for-12 from the field and 2-for-3 from the line that night. Against Texas on Dec. 29, Jeff had season highs of seven rebounds and three steals to go with 11 points. Jeff set a career high with six assists against Idaho State on Dec. 21.

* Rick Majerus has literally made his program a family affair at Utah. The Johnsens are the fifth set of brothers to play for Majerus spanning his 13-year career at the U. However, they are the first brothers to play together.

Getting to the Point with Spivey

* Senior point guard Travis Spivey (6-1, 212) has 58 assists to 25 turnovers (2.3:1 ratio) and 10 steals this season. He is also averaging 5.9 points per game and got a career-high 18 points against Utah State on Nov. 23. Spivey has had fewer than two turnovers in four games this season. Spivey had a career-high 10 assists against Pepperdine on Dec. 1.

* Spivey seemed to only get better and better as the 2000-01 season wore on after transferring from Salt Lake Community College. Spivey started the final 19 games of the season at the point, playing over 30 minutes in seven of those games. In the final 16 games of the regular season, the Myrtle Beach, S.C., native had 75 assists to 33 turnovers (2.3:1 ratio). He averaged 4.7 assists and 7.3 points per game, scoring in double figures four times during that stretch.

Cullen Climbing the Career Charts After A Summer on the Mound

* Senior forward Phil Cullen (6-9, 221) has already moved into the top 10 on numerous career charts at Utah. Cullen ranks fifth in three-pointers made (118), fifth in three-pointers attempted (310) and tied for ninth in blocked shots (57). He has started 42 games during his Utah career.

* This season, Cullen is averaging 5.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game off the bench. Getting more playing time (23 minutes) with the injury to Chris Burgess against Texas on Dec. 29, Cullen had a season-high 12 points, hitting 3-of-5 field goals and 2-of-3 three-pointers, to reach double figures for the first time this year.

* This past summer, Cullen played minor league baseball with the Seattle Mariners. The pitcher was taken in the 32nd round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft by Seattle and signed with the organization last August. He climbed to the Class A level with the Everett (Wash.) Aquasox in the Northwest League, starting 14 games. Cullen went 1-4 with a 5.08 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 56.2 innings.

Burgess Out For A Month, Perhaps the Season

* Senior center/forward Chris Burgess (6-10, 240) will be out until at least early February and perhaps the rest of the 2001-02 season with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. Burgess suffered the injury five minutes into the Texas game on Saturday.

* Burgess has led the Utes in scoring five times and rebounds eight times this season. He has also had four double-doubles. The Irvine, Calif., native still ranks second on the team in scoring with an average of 13.2 points per game while shooting 66.0 percent from the field. He is also averaging a team-best 7.2 rebounds this season.

* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Dec. 17, Burgess ranked fourth in field goal percentage (66.7).

* Prior to being injured in the first half against Texas, Burgess had reached double figures in points five times and rebounds four times in the last six games. Over that stretch, he averaged 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots while shooting 66.7 percent from the floor. Burgess had a career-high 22 points versus Troy State on Dec. 8.

* In the two games prior to the Texas contest, he posted back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in his college career. Burgess had 15 points and a Utah career-high 14 rebounds against Southern Utah on Dec. 18. He then came back with 17 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high tying four blocked shots against Idaho State on Dec. 21. Burgess hit a career-best nine free throws (in 10 attempts) against ISU.

Take Note of These Utes

* Trace Caton has scored in double figures in two of the last six games, shooting 12-for-20 (.600) from the field, 9-for-12 (.750) from three-point range and 5-for-6 (.833) from the free throw line during that stretch. He had a season-high 16 points (all in the first half) in 18 minutes against Southern Utah on Dec. 18. The junior from Alamosa, Colo., didn't miss a shot, hitting all five field goals, three trifectas and three free throws against the T-Birds. Caton had 14 points in 24 minutes against Troy State on Dec. 8.

* Before getting four turnovers and one assist in the last two games against Texas (Dec. 29) and Whitworth College (Jan. 2), Eric Osmundson had put up 13 assists to four turnovers (3.3:1 ratio) during the previous four games. Osmundson was productive in a career-best 23 minutes against Southern Utah on Dec. 18, posting a career-best six assists with just one turnover, two points, three rebounds and a steal. While getting his first significant minutes of the season as the back-up point guard against Troy State on Dec. 8, Osmundson had four assists in 18 minutes. His best scoring output of the season came when he got nine points, making all four shots from the field and his only three-point attempt, in eight minutes against Alabama on Nov. 26. Osmundson had eight points in 15 minutes against Idaho State on Dec. 21.

Whitworth College Game Rewind

Nick Jacobson scored 19 points as Utah survived a scare from Division III Whitworth College before winning 63-57 on Wednesday night in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Jeff Johnsen had 18 points and Britton Johnsen added 13 as Utah (9-3) won its sixth game in a row.

But it didn't come easy for the Utes as Whitworth, led by Gunner Olsen's 22 points, stayed within striking distance most of the game. The Utes never led by more than 10 points.

Whitworth (7-3) had a chance to cut Utah's lead to three with 1:31 to play but Kyle Jensen missed a wide-open three-pointer from the corner. Utah then forced turnovers on the next two Pirate possessions and Jacobson sealed it by hitting two free throws with 30 seconds remaining to make it 62-54.

The Utes shot 56 percent but were outrebounded 32-21 by the Pirates and missed the front end of three straight one-and-one free throw sets down the stretch.

Just when the Utes looked like they were ready to put the game away in the second half, Whitworth went on a 10-3 run and cut the lead to 48-46 on Olsen's steal and reverse dunk with 9:20 to play. The Pirates led midway through the first half, 17-16, after Scott Bierlink's jumper. Phil Cullen answered with back-to-back three-pointers and the Utes led 30-26 at the half.

Slow Starts, Fast Finishes

Utah has won six in a row since getting off to a 3-3 start this season. Dropping a few games early hasn't been cause for concern for the Utes in recent years. Utah has overcome meager beginnings before to finish-up in fine fashion.

Season  Start   Following Streak    Record  Conf.   Postseason1998-99 5-4 23 consecutive wins 28-5    1st NCAA 2nd Round1999-00 2-2 9 consecutive wins  23-9    T-1st   NCAA 1st Round2000-01 7-6 Won 11 of the next 14   19-12   T-1st   NIT 1st Round

The Difference Between Winning and Losing

To find reasons why Utah has won or lost games this season, one can point to four things: field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense, rebound margin and assists-to-turnover ratio. Listed below is the breakdown of the per game averages for those statistics.

WINS (9)    FG% Rebs.   Assists TurnoversUtah            49.3    33.9    18.3    13.6Opponents   41.1    27.8    10.2    15.1
LOSSES (3)  FG% Rebs.   Assists TurnoversUtah            41.7    29.3    11.7    18.3Opponents   54.5    32.7    13.3    16.3

Inside the Numbers

* In all nine of Utah's wins, the opponents have shot less than 50 percent from the field. Conversely, the opposition has shot better than 50 percent in each of Utah's three losses.

* Utah has held five opponents-including four of the last six-to 40 percent or less from the field (Boise State, Troy State, Weber State, Southern Utah and Texas). The Utes held Texas to 34.4 percent from the field, its second-best effort this season. The Longhorns also managed to shot just 11.8 percent from beyond the arc, the lowest mark by a Ute opponent this season.

* The Utes have had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in all nine wins and a negative ratio in each of the three losses. In its win over Weber State on Dec. 15, Utah had a season-low nine turnovers (just one in the second half) and 12 assists.

* Utah has shot at least 40 percent from three-point range in six games this season, all of them wins.

* In eight of the nine wins, Utah has held its opponent to 61 points or less. In the three losses, the opponents have all surpassed the 70-point barrier.

* Utah has eclipsed the 80-point mark twice, winning both times (Pepperdine, 81-74, Troy State, 87-56).

* Utah scored a season-high 45 points in the second half against Troy State on Dec. 8. The Utes also connected on a season-high 55.9 percent of their field goals.

* Against Weber State on Dec. 15, Utah won for the only time this season when trailing at halftime. Utah is 1-3 when trailing after 20 minutes this season.

* Utah had a season-high nine blocked shots against Idaho State, missing the school single-game record by one. Chris Burgess and Travis Spivey both had career highs of four blocked shots in that game.

Rick's Remarks

On the Whitworth College game - "We played low character, we didn't complete. I thought Whitworth did a great job, outcompeted us, outhustled us, played harder, played with more focus. I have no idea (why that happened). I probably didn't prepare them hard enough. A dead fish stinks from the head down. It's probably my fault for not preparing them adequately."

Getting Defensive

One of the trademarks of a Utah team during the Rick Majerus era is a stifling half-court defense. Since 1989-90, Utah has ranked in the top 30 in the nation nine times in scoring defense, nine times in rebound margin, eight times in field goal percentage defense and eight times in scoring margin.

* The Utes haven't allowed a team to score 80 points or better for 48 consecutive games. The last team to score 80 points on the Utes was Wyoming (88-61) on Feb. 28, 2000 in Laramie, Wyo.

* Utah was one of the top defensive teams in the nation once again last season. The Utes ranked 23rd in the NCAA in scoring defense (63.1 ppg), 29th in scoring margin (+8.7 ppg) and 15th in rebound margin (+6.4 ppg). Utah, which held opponents to 40.6 percent shooting from the field, was just two-tenths of a percentage point outside of the NCAA's top 30.

Utes Tough At Home In the Huntsman Center

* Utah all-time record in the Huntsman Center is 406-87. Utah got its 400th win in the history of the facility on Nov. 20 against Boise State.

* The Utes are 175-16 (.916) in the Huntsman Center during the Majerus era (including the 15 games he did not coach during the 2000-01 season) and have never lost back-to-back home games. With Majerus on the sidelines, the Utes are 155-11 (.934) at home. The Utes have won 112 of their last 118 games in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

* Utah has gone unbeaten seven times in the 33-year history of the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Six of those undefeated home seasons have come under Rick Majerus: 1990-91 (16-0), 1992-93 (15-0), 1994-95 (15-0), 1997-98 (13-0), 1998-99 (14-0) and 1999-2000 (17-0).

* Utah finished its 2000-01 home schedule with a 13-3 record. The Utes ended the regular season by winning 10 in a row, including all seven Mountain West Conference games.

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