SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's basketball team returned to the win column on Saturday inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center behind an 81-63 victory over Radford.
After a quick back-and-forth to start the game, the Runnin' Utes offense woke up and reeled off a 16-2 run behind four 3-pointers to force a Radford timeout with 12:19 on the clock and Utah (7-2) on top 22-7. However, the Highlanders slowly cut into the Utah lead that culminated in a 12-1 run to get within 27-24 with 6:51 left in the first half.
Things settled down before Utah closed out the final 3:31 minutes of action to hold a 40-31 edge heading into the locker room.
Hunter Erickson was electric off the bench for Utah in the first frame, scoring 11 points behind 3-of-3 shooting from deep.
Utah opened the second frame with a 13-5 run to force yet another Radford (9-3) timeout, this time at the 16:01 mark. The Highlanders would get as close as 57-46 with 10:21 left to play after an 8-0 run but the Runnin' Utes would answer right back with a 14-4 spurt of their own to push the lead as high as 20 two times before settling for the 81-63 victory.
Outside of Erickson's game-high 18 points,
Gabe Madsen also pitched in with 15 points to go with a career-high 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
Lawson Lovering had a solid night for the Utes as well, posting 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Hunter Erickson had Division I career-high 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting – including 4-of-6 from the arc
- Gabe Madsen dished out a career-high 7 assists while pulling down a season-high 5 rebounds
- Lawson Lovering tied a career-high with 3 steals while denying a season-high 4 blocks – which ties Jake Wahlin (Central Arkansas) for most by an individual this season
- Utah is now 7-1 this season when scoring first
UP NEXT
Utah wraps up its six-game homestand next Tuesday, Dec. 17, when it plays host to Florida A&M inside the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Chris Sylvester and former Runnin' Utes assistant coach Joe Cravens will once again have the call on
ESPN+ as Utah looks to go undefeated against the SWAC this season.
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,
X and
Instagram. Fans can also stay connected on their mobile devices or tablets with the Utah 360, the official app of Utah Athletics, through the
Apple Store or
Google Play.
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