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FRESNO, Calif. -- The Runnin' Utes' (1-6) losing streak stretched to six games Saturday, after being blasted, 82-52, at Fresno State (4-4) Saturday.
Kevin Foster led the Bulldogs with a career-high 16 points and Kevin Olekaibe scored 15, hitting 3-of-6 from three- point land, in Fresno State's second-straight win. Two other Bulldogs scored double figures, including Steven Shepp, who came off the bench to score 15, including 3-of- 4 from three-point range. He also had eight assists.
Chris Hines' three-pointer with 7:40 remaining in the first half cut the Fresno State lead to 23-20 before the Bulldogs scored seven straight points and ended the half on a 12-5 run to take a 35-25 lead at the half.
Hot-shooting Fresno State outscored the Utes 11-4 in the first 3:19 of the second half, fueled by multiple Utah turnovers. Olekaibe's three-point shot with 11:43 remaining opened it up to a 57-40 lead, triggering a 13-1 run over the next five minutes.
Fresno State just kept piling it on, stretching the lead to 30 when Larry McGaughey's jump shot made it 77-47 with 4:09 left.
The Utes averaged a staggering 16 turnovers per game coming into Saturday's blowout loss, and though their 15 turnovers against Fresno State was an improvement, they were still way too many to be able to compete for two complete halves.
The deficit remained at 30 after both teams traded baskets during the final minutes. The 30-point loss is the Utes' largest margin of the season.
Hines led the Utes in scoring with 14 points and five rebounds, hitting 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, and Jason Washburn had his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Watkins and Cedric Martin also managed double figures, scoring 11 and 10, respectively.
The rest of the team provided very little support, however, only managing five points among seven players that combined for 82 minutes of playing time.
The Utes once again plagued themselves with turnovers, coughing up the ball 15 times and leading to multiple Fresno State scoring runs. Utah kicked off the second half with two quick turnovers that led to the Bulldogs' 11-4 run that blew the game open.
The Utes averaged a staggering 16 turnovers per game coming into Saturday's blowout loss, and though their 15 turnovers against Fresno State was an improvement, they were still way too many to be able to compete for two complete halves.
Utah hurt itself in multiple aspects as a team, but Fresno State flat out came to play. The Bulldogs shot a solid 58 percent from the field, including 44 percent from three- point range. They played team ball, racking up 21 assists to just eight turnovers, grabbing nine steals on their way to the dominant 47-27 second half scoring advantage.
The victory is Fresno State's second in a row, bringing the team back to .500 after a 2-4 start. The Bulldogs will go on the road next week to take on Colorado and Oregon, two Pac-12 foes that Utah will meet twice each this season.
The Utes now return to Salt Lake City to play a four-game home stand beginning Wednesday night vs. Cal State Fullerton, followed by the rivalry match-up with BYU next Saturday afternoon.
