SALT LAKE CITY — The Runnin' Utes (3-8) started their first winning streak of the season with a 72-67 win over Portland (3-9) Monday night at the Huntsman Center.

Utah never trailed in the game and held on to pull off the win, despite Portland senior guard Nemanja Mitrovic hitting two 3-point shots in the final seconds.

Josh Watkins sunk four free throws to keep the Utes ahead and seal the victory.

Watkins scored a career-high 26 points on 7-of-13 from the field and 11-of-16 from the free-throw line. He also dished out six assists in Utah's second straight win, bouncing back from a 3-point effort Friday night against Idaho State.

Junior center Jason Washburn added 18 points and seven boards, and junior guard Cedric Martin scored 11 points on 3-of-7 from beyond the arc with five rebounds.

Martin has scored double digits in three straight games and four of the last five, going 50 percent from downtown in each of the last two. Junior forward Dijon Farr also chipped in with nine points and four rebounds.

Nearly three minutes ticked off the clock before either team got on the board. Martin's first of three 3-pointers broke the 0-0 tie with 17:15 on the clock, and the Utes scored four more in the next two minutes to take an early 7-0 lead.

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Watkins powers Utah over Portland 72-67

Josh Watkins scored a career-high 26 points in a 72-67 Utah win over Portland Monday.

With 6:09 to go in the first half, Watkins nailed a 3-pointer to give the Utes a 28-12 lead. Martin then hit back-to-back 3-point shots to put Utah up 38-21, marking its biggest lead of the game.

The Pilots began the second half on an 8-1 run to cut the lead to 40-35. Utah then scored the next six straight to go back up double digits, 46-35.

From there, Portland went on a 20-9 run to tie the game at 55 with eight minutes remaining in the game.

But Watkins took control down the stretch, scoring 13 of Utah's final 21 points to keep the Utes ahead and lock up their second straight victory.

Utah hit 50 percent from the floor on 22-of-44 shooting, and hit a season-high 24-of-35 from the foul line. The Utes struggled at times in the second half, however, scoring on just 33.3 percent of their shots while giving up 48.4 percent to Portland and being outscored 40-33.

But clutch free throws and key defensive stops allowed Utah to hold on for victory.

Nemanja Mitrovic led Portland in scoring with 14 points, hitting 4-of-8 from 3-point land and grabbing five rebounds. Sophomore guard Ryan Nicholas scored 13 points with five rebounds, and freshman center Thomas van der Mars put in 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the Pilots' fifth straight loss.

Portland will visit Nevada on Thursday night before kicking off West Coast Conference play on Dec. 28 at Gonzaga.

The Utes will make the trip north to Ogden, Utah, Thursday night, looking to extend their winning streak to three when they battle Weber State. The game tips at 7 p.m. at Dee Events Center.

Utah then opens Pac-12 conference play with a trip to Boulder, Colo., to take on Colorado on New Year's Eve.

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