Saturday, December 31
Stanford, CA
2:00 PM
University of Utah
11-4,4-0Pac-12
71
at
66
Stanford
5-9,0-4Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 30 | 41 | 71 |
| Stanford | 23 | 43 | 66 |
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
Utah
Stan
FG%
.575
.422
3FG%
.429
.321
FT%
.826
.375
RB
32
27
TO
16
6
STL
3
5
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Photo by: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Runnin' Utes Fend Off Cardinal Late to Stay Undefeated in Pac-12 Play
12/31/2022 5:23 PM | Men's Basketball
Behind four players in double-figures, the Utah men’s basketball remained undefeated in Pac-12 play Saturday afternoon after defeating Stanford 71-66.
PALO ALTO, Calif. – The Utah men's basketball team remained undefeated in Pac-12 play Saturday afternoon as it fended off the Stanford Cardinal inside Maples Pavilion to prevail 71-66 while big man Branden Carlson joined the 1,000 career points club.
The win gives Utah a sweep of the Bay Area teams on the road in consecutive season for the first time in program history since joining the Pac-12 and also the first time its swept back-to-back conference road series since the 2018-19 campaign.
The opening minutes of the game started off with both teams going back-and-forth but similar to last night, Wilguens Jr. Exacte got things going for the Utes with a 3-pointer at the 13:58 mark. A 10-0 run ensued for Utah (11-4, 4-0 Pac-12) after that and was capped off by Keba Keita, who pinned an Isa Silva lay-up before scoring on the offensive end.
Despite Utah finishing the half shooting 12-of-20 (.600) from the field, it only led the Cardinal 30-23 heading into the break behind a pair of timely 3-pointers by the home team.
Carlson then became the 41st player in program history to join the 1,000 career points club at the 8:42 mark when Rollie Worster connected with the South Jordan native for points 1,000 and 1,001.
After a couple baskets from Worster and Lazar Stefanovic, Stanford began its rally to close within 62-60 of Utah after they knocked down seven-straight baskets. However, the Runnin' Utes were locked in from the charity stripe knocking down 13-of-14 to seal the 71-66 victory in the final 4:06 minutes of play.
Stefanovic finished with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting – including a perfect 3-of-3 evening from beyond the arc while Carlson closed out the day with 18 points on four rebounds. Gabe Madsen finished with 10 points, seven boards and four dimes while Marco Anthony chipped in with 10 points of his own.
BY THE NUMBERS
Utah has now started Pac-12 play 4-0 for the first time since 2014-15 … first time Utah has opened conference play with a 3-0 mark on the road was back in 2004-05 while it was a part of the Mountain West Conference … the .575 shooting clip on Saturday was the highest field-goal percentage by Utah under Craig Smith in Pac-12 play and best since shooting .591 against Arizona State on March 6, 2021.
UP NEXT
The Runnin' Utes return home to a busy weekend inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center with Utah welcoming in Oregon State on Thursday, Jan. 5, for an 8 p.m. (MT) tip-off on Pac-12 Networks before the Ducks of Oregon come to town for a 5 p.m. match-up. Meanwhile, Pac-12 preseason favorite and No. 3 nationally ranked Utah Gymnastic plays host to No. 6 LSU in between on Friday, Jan. 6, at 5:45 p.m. (MT) on ESPN2.
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The win gives Utah a sweep of the Bay Area teams on the road in consecutive season for the first time in program history since joining the Pac-12 and also the first time its swept back-to-back conference road series since the 2018-19 campaign.
The opening minutes of the game started off with both teams going back-and-forth but similar to last night, Wilguens Jr. Exacte got things going for the Utes with a 3-pointer at the 13:58 mark. A 10-0 run ensued for Utah (11-4, 4-0 Pac-12) after that and was capped off by Keba Keita, who pinned an Isa Silva lay-up before scoring on the offensive end.
Despite Utah finishing the half shooting 12-of-20 (.600) from the field, it only led the Cardinal 30-23 heading into the break behind a pair of timely 3-pointers by the home team.
After Stanford opened the second frame with a basket, the Runnin' Utes went on a 9-0 spurt to go up 39-25 before blitzing the Cardinal (5-9, 0-4 Pac-12) with a 10-3 run at the midway point (10:44).No, No. No, No. - @Keba_Keita_13 probably after the block and basket on the other end.
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) December 31, 2022
?? https://t.co/xP2vOnTZ3f#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/xtZpzaKelg
This ball movement is a thing of beauty ????
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) December 31, 2022
?? https://t.co/xP2vOnTZ3f#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/l8lFE46y7A
Carlson then became the 41st player in program history to join the 1,000 career points club at the 8:42 mark when Rollie Worster connected with the South Jordan native for points 1,000 and 1,001.
The moment you join the ???????? ???????????? ????????????
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) January 1, 2023
?? @dyamaphoto#GoUtes | @ballerbranden35 pic.twitter.com/cIhCLAoIYP
After a couple baskets from Worster and Lazar Stefanovic, Stanford began its rally to close within 62-60 of Utah after they knocked down seven-straight baskets. However, the Runnin' Utes were locked in from the charity stripe knocking down 13-of-14 to seal the 71-66 victory in the final 4:06 minutes of play.
Stefanovic finished with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting – including a perfect 3-of-3 evening from beyond the arc while Carlson closed out the day with 18 points on four rebounds. Gabe Madsen finished with 10 points, seven boards and four dimes while Marco Anthony chipped in with 10 points of his own.
BY THE NUMBERS
Utah has now started Pac-12 play 4-0 for the first time since 2014-15 … first time Utah has opened conference play with a 3-0 mark on the road was back in 2004-05 while it was a part of the Mountain West Conference … the .575 shooting clip on Saturday was the highest field-goal percentage by Utah under Craig Smith in Pac-12 play and best since shooting .591 against Arizona State on March 6, 2021.
UP NEXT
The Runnin' Utes return home to a busy weekend inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center with Utah welcoming in Oregon State on Thursday, Jan. 5, for an 8 p.m. (MT) tip-off on Pac-12 Networks before the Ducks of Oregon come to town for a 5 p.m. match-up. Meanwhile, Pac-12 preseason favorite and No. 3 nationally ranked Utah Gymnastic plays host to No. 6 LSU in between on Friday, Jan. 6, at 5:45 p.m. (MT) on ESPN2.
For the latest news and information on the Runnin' Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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