Carlson’s Career Night Carries Utah To OT Win Over Stanford

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The University of Utah men’s basketball snapped a two-game losing streak with a massive overtime win over Stanford, 64-56.

True freshman center Branden Carlson had a career-night with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocks. He is tied with Jason Washburn for the third most blocks in a single game in Utah basketball history.

Timmy Allen added 15 points and 4 rebounds on 3-10 shooting from the floor and 9-12 from the free throw line. Riley Battin chipped in a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

Both Gach missed his third straight game with a knee injury.

Utah gets a quadrant one victory, which is their third this season.

YOUR #UTES WIN IT IN OVERTIME!!!!!

Light the U! 🙌#GoUtes🏀🔴 #Pac12Hoops pic.twitter.com/nhKokR7rYK

— Utah Basketball🏀 (@UtahMBB) February 7, 2020

Utes’ Defense Wins The Game

Utah shot the ball very well in the beginning of the first half but really struggled in the final 10 minutes of the half. They didn’t make a single field goal in the final 10 minutes of the opening half.

The Utes used their defense to get the win as they forced 20 Stanford turnovers and scored 19 points off of those miscues. They had 9 blocks and 13 steals.

Branden Carlson crashing the boards and gets a nasty putback dunk in traffic. He has been playing very well in the last handful of games.#Utes #Pac12Hoops @kslsports

— Trevor Allen (@TrevorASports) February 7, 2020

Four players for Utah had at least two steals, including 4 from Allen, 3 from Jones and two each from Battin and Jaxon Brenchley.

One of the things that Utah did very well was keeping Stanford off of the free throw line. The Cardinal attempted just 4 free throws in the game.

The Utes finished shooting 36 percent from the floor and 31 percent from downtown.

What a baller. @ballerbranden35:

1️⃣5️⃣PTS
1️⃣0️⃣REB
8️⃣BLK#GoUtes🏀🔴 #Pac12Hoops

pic.twitter.com/N6fULmnsAQ

— Utah Basketball🏀 (@UtahMBB) February 7, 2020

Stanford Struggled But Nearly Won

Entering the game against Utah, Stanford led the conference in field goal percentage at 46 percent. They struggled shooting the basketball in Salt Lake City, mainly due to Utah’s interior defense.

The Cardinal shot 23-65 for 35 percent from the field and 6-23 for 26 percent from beyond the arc.

Tyrell Terry led Stanford with 14 points, including a three-pointer in the final minute of the game to give them a one-point lead.

Daejon Davis added 12 points, while reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Oscar Da Silva finished with 8 points and 11 rebounds on 4-12 shooting.

The Utes improved their record to 13-9 overall and 4-6 in Pac-12 play. They will return to the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Saturday night to face the California Golden Bears. The game will begin at 6 p.m. and will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

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