University of Washington
8-5,0-2Pac-12
Utah
11-2,2-0Pac-12
UW Loses High-Scoring Game In Utah
December 31, 2023 | Men's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Washington stormed out to a torrid first half, but could not contain Branden Carlson and Utah Sunday in a 95-90 defeat.
"Our bench did a great job in the first half and then, in the second half, we couldn't stop Utah," Head Coach Mike Hopkins said. "We scored enough points, but we couldn't stop them."
Carlson made 14 of 23 from the field and finished with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the Utes' eighth win in a row.
Wilhelm Breidenbach made one of two free throws to put the Huskies in front 69-68 with 8:47 to play but Carlson hit a three-pointer 17 seconds later and the Utes led the rest of the way.
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington with 25 points, Koren Johnson scored 17 and had a career-high five assists and Breidenbach had a career-high 15 points to go along with six rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
The Huskies (8-5, 0-2 Pac-12) were without Franck Kepnang for the third-straight game and have now lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Washington made just two of its first 17 field-goal attempts as Utah jumped to an 18-7 lead when Cole Bajema made a layup with 11:45 left in the first half. After the teams exchanged layups, Breidenbach hit a three-pointer and followed with a layup to spark a 23-2 run - including nine points from Brooks and a four-point play by Johnson - that gave Washington a 10-point lead. Johnson made a layup to stretch the lead to 15 before the Huskies took a 46-35 advantage into halftime.
Just @KorenJohnson3 things#TougherTogether pic.twitter.com/uYoRdkvpCl
— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) December 31, 2023
Washington didn't commit a turnover in the first half, while forcing eight by the Utes, and outscored Utah 13-1 from the free-throw line.
The Husky bench scored 25 of its 41 points in the first half.
Washington kicks off a three-game home stand Thursday against Oregon. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale.
Follow the Huskies all season long @UW_MBB on Instagram and X/Twitter.
