SALT LAKE CITY – Backed by four players in double-figures, the Utah men's basketball team rolled past Washington to the tune of 86-61 Saturday night in front of a raucous crowd inside the Jon M. Huntsman.
The win gave Utah a sweep of the Washington schools on the year – Utes only played UW once this season. The victory also moved Utah to 14-7 overall and 7-3 in Pac-12 play – which puts Utah in second place halfway through league action.
First half action was all Utah as it outscored the visiting Huskies 44-30 thanks to a dozen points from
Branden Carlson and
Gabe Madsen. The Runnin' Utes also had an 11-0 edge over Washington (12-9, 4-6 Pac-12) in points off turnovers – including a 17-8 advantage in second-chance points that half.
Utah continued to shoot well in the second stanza, knocking down 58.6-percent of its shots before finishing with a .515 shooting clip. As a team, the Utes dished out 20-plus assists for the fifth time this season and the second time in back-to-back games.
Carlson finished with a game-high 25 points on eight rebounds with three steals and three blocks while Madsen ended up with 17 points.
Rollie Worster and
Marco Anthony both recorded double-doubles on the night, making it the second time this season the Utes have achieved that. Worster flirted with a triple-double once again, posting 11 points with 10 assists and nine rebound with just one turnover. Meanwhile, Anthony wrapped up the night with 13 points and 10 boards for his fourth double-double this season.
HONORING ARNIE FERRIN
Prior to the game, the Runnin' Utes program honored one its own wearing shooting shirts with Ferrin's name on the back and the #22. In addition, the athletics department also honored Ferrin with his family at half-court during the intermission.
BY THE NUMBERS
With his 25 points, Carlson became the first player since Andrew Bogut to score 25-plus points in consecutive games since Andrew Bogut did so in 2004-05 … Carlson is also the first Ute since Timmy Allen (2019-20) to score 20-plus points in three-straight games … the 9 steals tied for the season-high for the fourth time this season … the +18 rebounding margin Saturday was the third-highest this season.
UP NEXT
Utah gets back on the road next week as it travels to the PNW for a pair of games against the Oregon schools. The Utes will first take on Oregon State at 9 p.m. (MT) on Thursday, Jan. 26, before traveling down to Eugene for a 6 p.m. match-up against Oregon on Saturday, Jan. 28. Both games are on Pac-12 Networks.
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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